Frank Sinatra was an American pop music artist, producer, and film actor. He was born on December 12, 1925, and died on May 14, 1998. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra started singing at a young age.
His parents were Italian immigrants who raised him as a staunch Roman Catholic. He attended primary school in his New Jersey hometown. However, he did not complete primary school education because he was expelled for unruly behavior. He attended school for only 47 days.
His main occupation after the expulsion was the delivery of newspapers. Also, he worked as a riveter at a local shipyard to support himself.
A photo of Frank Sinatra (Frank Sinatra-IMDb)
Despite doing several jobs that had no connection to music, Sinatra’s main interest, and passion was music. He began singing at a young age. Early exposure to music was one of the factors that contributed to his success.
His interest and prowess in music were developed naturally because he never attended music school or any music class.
His professional music career began in the 1930s as a teenage boy. His genre of music was classified under several categories that included traditional pop, big band, jazz, vocal, and swing.
Sinatra got an early breakthrough when he became a member of a band known as The Three Flashes. After Sinatra became a member, the band changed its name to The Hoboken Four. The band won a contract to perform around America displaying its talent on both radio and stage.
After a few years, Sinatra quit the band and returned home. He attained mainstream success in 1943 when he joined Columbia Records. He worked with the company between 1943 and 1952.
By the 1950s, his career had deteriorated. His main fans were teenagers and young people. However, as he attained the age of 30, his appeal among teenagers waned and his music career faded. He later joined Capitol records where he reinvented himself and recorded 22 songs.
His tenure at Capitol was considered the most productive years of his career. Unfortunately, he parted ways with the company in 1959. He later signed to Reprise Studios, which he co-founded.
In 1971, he won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while in 1954 he won an Oscar award for his role in the movie “From here to eternity.” He received the Ella Award in 1990 from the Society of Singers. In 1994, he was awarded The Legend Award at the Grammy Awards ceremony.
Other awards included Laurel Awards, Golden Globes award, NYFCC award, Screen Actor Guild Award, and Palm Spring International Film Festival award. One of his greatest recognition was induction into the Gaming Hall of Fame.
His most popular songs include Strangers in the Night, Summer Wind, It was a Very Good Year, Somewhere in your Heart, and Forget Domain. Others include This Town, The World We Knew, and That’s Life.
These songs were included in his compilation album titled Frank Sinatra’s Greatest Hits that was produced by Reprise Records. His major collaborations were with Ervin Drake, Carson Parks, Nancy Sinatra, Sammy Cahn, Giorgio Calabrese, and Norman Newell among others. Sinatra worked with other bands such as The Three Flashes and The Dorsey band.
He was controversial for his political ideologies and alleged involvement in organized crime. He was linked to criminal figures such as Carlo Gambino and Lucky Luciano. The FBI documented his criminal record in 2,403 pages. On the other hand, his political affiliation was unpredictable.
He shifted his allegiance from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the 1970s. As an actor, Sinatra acted in movies such as The Man in the Golden Arm, From Here to Eternity, The House I Live In, Pal Joey, the Manchurian Candidate, and The Devil at 4 O’clock.
Works Cited
“Frank Sinatra-IMDb” 2013. Web.