By Elliott West
“The best revenge is massive success”.
Frank Sinatra
Introduction
His songs are played at birthdays, weddings, funerals and songs that many lovers have smooched to. He is, of course, Frank Sinatra, a man whose voice and lyrics transport you back to the bright lights of New York and the bustling casinos of Las Vegas. A star of the Hollywood screen and a singer who made numerous best-selling records, Francis Albert Sinatra was the ultimate crooner, the king of swing and the only man I have seen wearing a trilby hat to perfection. He is the rocks in your scotch, silky smooth with a touch of brilliance. A singer whose songs I can spend hours listening to and a legend that only Matt Monroe comes close to.
With an estimated 150 million record sales, this lad from New Jersey mixed with chianti-enriched Italian blood from Italian parents was someone who mixed business with pleasure, brushing shoulders with the Mafia and forever associated with the Brat Pack comprising of himself, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior. A group of friends who liked to party, drink, smoke and indulge with the opposite sex. A virtual roulette life where the ball always landed on a lucky number. Inspired by the music of Bing Crosby, Frank got his lucky break when he was signed to Columbia Records in 1943 and the rest as they say was just history. A kind man who gave millions to charity, Sinatra could be funny, and sincere but if you crossed him, beware of the consequences!
Rags to Riches
Born to immigrant Italian parents, Antonio and Natalina in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1915, Frank grew up in the Great Depression where times were hard and food was even harder to find. This was a time when swing music was all the rage and band leaders such as Harry James and Tommy Dorsey were all the rage. Frank had the drive and motivation to make it, determined to move away from the bad old days and become successful as a solo artist. He wouldn’t have to wait long because his record deal with Capitol would lead to a string of hits. Sinatra became so successful that he was able to set up his record label in 1960, Reprise Records. A successful run that included the release of My Way but ended in his first retirement in 1971. After relaxing and doing nothing for two years, Sinatra was persuaded out of retirement by an increasing volume of begging fanmail. Although it was supposed to be to release one new album, it led to several albums, including a residency at Caeser’s Palace and the release of New York New York in 1980.
Film Career
Sinatra was perfect for film. He had the voice, moves and was a good actor too. Unlike his early days of boxing, Frank had become debonair and smoked a cigarette with ultimate style. Yet Frank himself wasn’t that confident about his acting skills. That certainly didn’t show on the big screens he would win Academy awards for his performances in From Here to Eternity in 1953 and films such as On the Town, Guys and Dolls, High Society and Pal Joey for which he received a Golden Globe award He later said on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson that his favourite film was The Man with the Golden Arm.
The Sinatra Way
Frank Sinatra lived life to the full and was probably one of the few people that could walk into a room and people would stop in their tracks. His impact on the music industry was enormous and he carried on singing well into his twilight years. Frank was a showman and it ran in his blood. He hated the lies that journalists wrote about him and he was quite capable of carrying out a threat if he needed to. Frank died in 1998 after two heart attacks. Suffering from ill health in the last years of his life, he was prone to high blood pressure and had the early signs of dementia. His last words reportedly being “I’m losing” to his daughter Tina.
