Frank Sinatra

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Early Years

Frank Sinatra was born <a href="/biography/frank-sinatra">Francis Albert Sinatra</a> on December 15, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Sinatra is often hailed as the most influential and popular American singer of the 20th century. Frank’s parents were Italian immigrants who lived in an upstairs tenement at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken. Frank’s father was a tavern owner, a part-time prizefighter, and a firefighter; but it was Frank’s mother, Dolly, that is credited for developing the self confidence that carried him so far in life. Dolly was a determined woman; driven and energetic, who provided Frank the catalyst he needed to achieve greatness. Frank’s daughter spoke to the importance of his mother in Frank’s upbringing and said of their relationship: “They’d fought through his childhood and continued to do so until her dying day. But I believe that to counter her steel will he’d developed his own. To prove her wrong when she belittled his choice of career…Their friction first had shaped him; that, I think, had remained to the end and a litmus test of the grit in his bones. It helped keep him at the top of his game.”

Frank’s interest in music developed early and he spent his time listening to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Austin">Gene Austin</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Vallée">Rudy Vallée</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Columbo">Russ Colombo</a>, and, especially, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby">Bing Crosby</a>. Sinatra was inspired by the recordings of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby">Bing Crosby</a> and credits him for his choice to take up popular singing as a vocation. Frank attended David E. Rue Jr. High School and A.J. Demarest High School but left without graduating having been expelled after just forty seven days for “general rowdiness.”

Although Frank began singing professionally as a teenager he never learned to read music, instead, learning it by ear. Frank would perform in local Hoboken social clubs or for free on local radio stations such as WAAT in Jersey City. Sometimes Frank would go to New York where he would sing, literally, for his supper or even cigarettes.

Career

In 1935, Frank won a talent contest with a band he had joined that was known as the Hoboken Four. Before Frank joined they were called the 3 Flashes and purportedly only let him join the group because he had a car and could chauffeur them around. For winning the talent contest Frank, and the rest of the Hoboken Four, earned a six month contract to perform on stage and radio across the United States.

In 1938, Frank found employment as a singing waiter at The Rustic Cabin, a roadhouse that was connected with WNEW radio station in New York. Frank felt that this was the break he was looking for even boasting to friends that he was going to “become so big that no one could ever touch him”. In March of 1939 Frank recorded his first solo studio recording entitled “Our Love”. Later that same year, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_James">bandleader</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_James">Harry James</a> signed Frank to a two year contract. This contract resulted in ten commercial recordings that featured the young singer. Frank’s warm baritone was well showcased on such songs as “From the Bottom of My Heart,” “My Buddy,” and “Ciribiribin.” Frank released his first commercial record with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_James">Harry James</a> band in July of 1939 but it suffered from weak sales on its initial release. Sinatra became frustrated with the status of The Harry James band and asked to be released from his contract which was done amicably.

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In November of 1939 Frank Sinatra became the lead singer of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Tommy Dorsey</a> band. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a> became a father figure to Frank and was a major musical influence. Frank would say later “The only two people I’ve ever been afraid of are my mother and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Tommy Dorsey</a>”. Sinatra recorded over forty songs in his first year with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a> including his first vocal hit “polka Dots and Moonbeams”. Sinatra made his first public appearance with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Tommy Dorsey</a> band at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Illinois. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a> later said that you could feel the excitement coming up from the crowd as Frank prepared to sing. “Remember, he was no matinee idol. He was just a skinny <a href="/biography/frank-sinatra">kid</a> with big ears”. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a> said he used to get so caught up in the excitement he would sometimes forget to take his own solos. Frank was motivated by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a>’s trombone playing and strove to improve his own breath control in an effort to emulate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a>’s seamless melodic passages.

After his work with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a>, Frank felt strongly that he should pursue a solo career. He was motivated by what some would characterize as an “insatiable” desire to compete with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby">Bing Crosby</a>. After months of bitter negotiations, Frank was able to leave the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Tommy Dorsey</a> band. It was at this time that rumors began spreading in the newspapers about Frank’s mob ties and it was alleged by some that Sinatra’s mobster godfather, Willie Morreti, held a gun to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Dorsey</a>’s head so that Frank could be released from his contract. Almost immediately upon leaving the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey">Tommy Dorsey</a> band, Frank became a seemingly overnight mega star. Near hysteria was generated among his young female fans known as “bobby-soxers” and the cultural phenomenon known as “Sinatramania” took over the country.

Sinatra enjoyed unabashed success throughout the 1940’s. Frank appeared in several films as well, sometimes starring with the dancer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Kelly">Gene Kelly</a>. Notable are “Anchors Aweigh” in 1945 and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in 1949. Sinatra won an Oscar for his portrayal of the tragic soldier Maggio in “From Here to Eternity” which was produced in 1953.

Legacy

Sinatra will most likely always remain the subject of controversy; whether it is because of his association with known crime figures, his sometimes indignant relationships with his fellow musicians, or his aggressive attitude towards the press. But his popularity, artistry, and talent for personal expression will never be in doubt. Frank Sinatra will always be recognized as an iconic fixture of American culture. Frank Sinatra leaves behind a body of work that includes nearly fourteen hundred recordings that span a career of more than fifty years. Frank Sinatra may not have known how to read music, but he clearly knew how to make music.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra

<a href="/biography/frank-sinatra">http://www.sinatra.com/</a>

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000069/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frank-Sinatra

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