Francis Albert Sinatra grew up in North Jersey; his dad was a boxer and a saloonkeeper, his mom a midwife and a big shot in local Democratic politics. A high school dropout, Frank idolized Bing Crosby and parlayed his first big break, winning a radio Amateur Hour contest, into a gig singing with the Harry James band before moving on and finding huge success as lead vocalist for Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra beginning in 1940. When he left Dorsey to go “solo” in ’42, “Sinatramania”, much like “Elvismania” in the ’50s and “Beatlemania” in the ’60s was cresting. Early hits included “All or Nothing at All”, “I’ll Never Smile Again”, “Oh! What It Seemed to Be”, and “Five Minutes More”.

         Sinatra’s early success, however, failed to last as divorce and reputed mob connections caused his popularity to plummet by the late ’40s. Dropped in 1952 from his record label, it took acting success to restart his faltering career, but by the mid-’50s he was back full force with the celebrated albums In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!

         A cultural icon by the 1960s, he continued to enjoy success despite the soaring popularity of British bands with such indelible releases as “Strangers in the Night”, “That’s Life”, and his signature song, “My Way”. Toward the end of his career Sinatra was widely recognized as one of the premier vocalists of the 20th-century as well as one of the best selling artists of all-time. A ferocious perfectionist with a brilliant way with phrasing and a knack for conversational intimacy in his vocal style, Sinatra retains his popularity and influence to this day.

         -Steve Williams (5/18/23) – Blog Post #11