Frank Sinatra - An Entertainer for 6 Decades

18 November 2009

Ol' Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board, and the man everyone could recognize as simply “The Voice”: That was Francis Albert Sinatra. Born on December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra was the son of a fire-fighting boxer and a politically-driven mother.

To anyone examining Frank's legacy, it seems his career spanned the entire 1900s - a accolade that isn't far off the truth at all. Sinatra was a singer, award-winning actor, and a director and producer of both film and music. When he died in 1998, the world lost one its most famous and most talented icons.

Sinatra started out his life wanting to be a professional sportswriter. It wasn't until hearing Bing Crosby on the radio that a young Sinatra decided to give singing a try. Around the time WWII started, Sinatra's singing career began to take off.

He would develop a reputation for being a fast-living, mean-spirited “rock star” of his age, along with being known as a notorious ladies man. It was his “I'm in charge” attitude that earned him the Chairman nickname.

Sinatra was the first musical act that had girls actually swooning over him. Although later acts like The Beatles and Elvis would top Sinatra's popularity worldwide, it's still an unprecedented statistic that Frank drew his crowds in by singing classics, and not rock and roll music. He's the best-known vocalist of the entire Swing genre.

Throughout the 1950s, it was rumored that Sinatra had ties with mafia figures. Some chalk this up to nothing more than anti-Italian discrimination, but his gambling habits, bar-room fights, and manner of dress all led people to believe that Sinatra was secretly an acting member of the mob.

Sinatra started an extremely successful movie career, appearing in classics like From Here to Eternity and Guys and Dolls. In the 1960s, Sinatra joined forces with a few popular acts of the day, including his close friend, Dean Martin, as well as Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.

Together, the group they formed was called The Rat Pack. The group dynamic was incredible; The Rat Pack played sell-out shows across the whole country, offering a blend of comedy and music.

After the super group began to fizzle out in the late 60s, Sinatra surprised critics with the release of his biggest hit, My Way, in 1969. Later in his career, Frank broke away from the standards that had made him a legend, and decided to sing songs produced by rock composers. At the time, this move wasn't appreciated by Frank Sinatra die-hards, but they didn't stay angry at the Chairman for long.

In 1971, Sinatra called it quits, only to reappear two years later. Sinatra's latter years were somewhat unkind to the singer. He began to suffer memory lapses, and that beautiful, clear voice that made him a legend began to severely fade.

Sinatra died in 1998 from a heart attack; he left three children and was married four times in his illustrious life: Nancy Barbato (1939-51), Ava Gardener (1951-1957), Mia Farrow (1966-68), and finally Barbara Marx (married in 1976) to who he was still married when he died.

Tags: joey bishop, the rat pack, bing crosby, ol' blue eyes, francis albert sinatra, hoboken, the beatles, elvis, swing music, from here to eternity, guys and dolls, nancy barbato, ava gardener, mia farrow, barbara marx,
Posted In: Biographies, Entertainment History, Actors and actresses,

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