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Francis Albert Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey later became known as Frank Sinatra and one of the greatest entertainers of his generation. American singers – Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday, influenced Frank Sinatra. Sinatra then developed a signature vocal phrasing in his music that influenced generations of popular vocalists. Sinatra anticipated the decline of big-band instrumental jazz music, and helped establish an enthusiastic climate for popular singers.

One of the songs Frank Sinatra is most known for singing is the hit My Way. Frank Sinatra’s career began after he signed his first performing contract, when he was 24. He got his start singing with Tommy Dorsey’s band in the 1930’s. He then scored his first number one song a little more than a year later, “I’ll Never Smile Again”. Sinatra’s popularity began to rise through airtime as a radio singer during World War II. He soon left Dorsey’s band for a solo career that lead him to several hits and great success in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Young At Heart, All the Way, Witchcraft, Strangers in the Night, and that’s Life were some of his hit songs. In the 1940s Sinatra embarked on a solo career and became the idol of the “bobby-soxers”. They were teenage girls who swooned over his crooning, soft-voiced singing. During this time period he also appeared in many film musicals such as, Anchors Aweigh (1945), Till the Clouds Roll By (1947), and On the Town (1949). Sinatra is also well respected as a jazz singer.

During the 1950s and 1960s Sinatra also teamed with a number of talented jazz arrangers, including Nelson Riddle, Neal Hefti, Quincy Jones, and Billy May. He produced a number of albums that are now regarded as classic recordings. These recordings include Swing Easy (1955), In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Manansala 2 Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958), Nice ‘N’ Easy (1960), and Strangers in the Night (1966). In the 50’s, Sinatra was also one of the first to approach albums as cohesive works, instead of collections of singles.

His releases from moody volumes like In The Wee Small Hours, and Only The Lonely to bouncing tunes like Swingin’ Session and Come Fly With Me laid the foundation for concept albums. The natural swing feel and jazz-style phrasings of his singing, including his use of dynamics and delayed rhythms, have influenced numerous musicians. Many songs recorded by him, such as All of Me (1952), Come Fly With Me (1958), All The Way (1957), and I’ve Got You Under My Skin (1956), are still widely performed.

His songs still remain to have the distinctive style when he performed them. During the ‘50s, his movie career also took off. In 1953 he won an Academy Award for his non-singing performance in From Here to Eternity. He also won an Oscar award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1953 movie From Here to Eternity. He also appeared in classic films like, Guys and Dolls, High Society, Manchurian Candidate and Ocean’s 11, which teamed him with the other members of the “Rat Pack,” which included Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin.

In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra recorded with the big bands of American jazz musicians Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Frank Sinatra was a soulful crooner that established himself as he branched out into films. After leaving Capitol Records in 1961, Sinatra became one of the first to wear the artist-mogul hat when he founded Reprise Records. Manansala 3 Sinatra enjoyed his most recent chart success in 1993 with the album Frank Sinatra Duets, which debuted on the album charts at number two and featured performances by Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and Bono.

Other contributors to the album included Barbara Streisand, and Julio Iglesias. The album sequel Duets II (1994) won Sinatra his ninth Grammy Award in 1996. Duets II included collaborations with country-and-western star Willie Nelson, jazz singer Lena Horne, and popular singer and songwriter Neil Diamond. Frank Sinatra, the legendary leader of the “Rat Pack” and arguably the greatest entertainer of this century, died of a heart attack Thursday night, May 14, 1998, in Los Angeles at the age of 82.

Sinatra’s approach to song and style has drawn the adoration of modern artists from Bono, the leader of the rock group U2 to the alternative group Hootie and the Blowfish. Over the course of his almost 50 years in show business, Sinatra evolved from pop music’s first swoon-inducing teen idol to a respected vocal stylist to an Academy Award-winning actor. Despite his many accomplishments, Sinatra may be best remembered not for what he did, but for how he did it.

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