Frank Sinatra: biography, best songs, interesting facts, listen

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra - American singer, actor, director and showman. It is considered one of the most influential and popular artists of the 20th century. In total, sold more than 150 million records with songs performed by the singer. Being a real icon of popular music of that time, mainly in America, he was eleven times declared the winner of the Grammy music award. Known to the general public with a special timbre of his voice and lyrical style of vocal performance.

short biography

Born December 12, 1915 in the town of Hoboken (New Jersey), USA. Frank's parents emigrated from Italy, moving to the United States in early childhood. Having settled on the east coast of the country, they began a new life in which the future star appeared. The father of the musician tried in America a lot of professions from the loader and the bartender to the fireman and professional boxer. Mother was engaged in a household, some time worked as a nurse. Subsequently, when the future singer grew up a bit, she became involved in political activities as the leader of the local cell of the Democratic Party.

Hoboken, in which Sinatra grew, was a city of immigrants with a fairly low standard of living. Frank never got any education. At school, he was not fascinated by natural science subjects; he did not take on humanitarian disciplines either. The creative nature, who did not tolerate a rigid framework, made itself felt. Since childhood, the future performer did not differ exemplary behavior. As a result, an expulsion from the school followed, which did not upset him much. After all, the only passion of Frank was music.

The first activity that paved the way to fame is the work of the “Three flashes” driver by the novice group. Then the young man himself becomes a performer in this group, which is henceforth called the “Four of Hoboken”. At that time, Frank got a little more than twenty dollars a week for his work. Subsequently, Sinatra recalled that he was extremely happy about this: "For the opportunity to perform on stage and see my face on posters, I myself was ready to pay extra."

The first tours began imperceptibly. At the same time, Frank marries a young girl from the modest family of Nancy Barbato, who will give birth to three children. Their marriage lasted from 1939 to 1951. In the future, the musician married three more times. His second wife is Ava Gardner - an American actress, a Hollywood star, an Oscar nominee. She was married to a popular artist from 1951 to 1957. For the third time, the singer married Mia Farrow, a famous Hollywood actress. Subsequently, she often starred in the films of Woody Allen, who loved to call her his muse. This marriage lasted two years, from 1966 to 1968. Barbara Marks, the American model and dancer, became the last wife of America’s idol. The final marriage was the strongest and lasted from 1976 to 1998 until the star's death. Sinatra had three children from his first marriage: daughters Nancy and Tina, as well as a son, Frank.

Frank Sinatra died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Interesting Facts:

• The singer had no musical education, he did not learn the musical notation. He managed to perform works, focusing solely on his ear.
• Sinatra was one of the showbiz figures involved in the John Kennedy election campaign.
• In honor of the musician called the small celestial body, discovered in 1989. This is the asteroid Sinatra 7934, which is visible only in a powerful telescope.
• Frank has not graduated from any educational institution, as he was expelled from elementary school in his fourth year for poor academic performance and behavior.
• In 1938, the artist was briefly arrested for seducing a married woman. At that time in America it was considered an offense.
• In 1943, the then US President Franklin Roosevelt invited the musician to a reception at the White House.

• He was declared unfit for service in the US military as a person who has an unrecoverable defect from the moment of birth. The reason for this is the trauma of the eardrum during childbirth.
• In October 1944, riots broke out by fans of Frank Sinatra. For their suppression had to attract police forces.
• In 1947, he received the Thomas Jefferson Prize for his work in the fight against intolerance.
• In Hobokon, where the singer was born, on October 30, 1947 twenty thousand people were preparing the city for the holiday, which the performer was going to visit.
• In 1948, the Sinatra family moved to Carolwood Drive in Los Angeles, where the great cartoonist Walt Disney lived next door.
• The singer led his own entertainment television show on the American channel CBS, it existed from 1950 to 1952.
• In 1955, the face of the artist first appeared on the cover of the cult magazine "Time", which further spurred his popularity among the widest sections of the population.
• According to surveys of the Playboy magazine from 1957 to 1963, Frank was named the best jazz vocalist of the United States seven times.
• Showman loved dogs. In childhood, the mother did not allow him to start a dog. Subsequently, having matured, he repeatedly made a four-legged friend for himself.
• Sinatra played in one picture with Grace Kelly, who later became the princess of Monaco.
• In 1957, a new series of television shows with Frank Sinatra on ABC channel began. This show set a record for the high cost of airtime during that period. Among the star guests of the project, viewers could see Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Natalie Wood, Dean Martin and others.
• The musician made a proposal to a Hollywood star Lauren Bacall soon after the death of her husband Humphrey Bogart, a friend of Frank. Although the continuation of the relationship did not happen, this fact did not slip away from the public.
• The artist actively participated in charity events. In particular, in 1962 he made a world tour in support of children's charitable foundations. He paid many expenses from his own pocket.
• In 1963, criminals kidnapped the son of a musician and demanded money. As a ransom, the kidnappers were transferred 240,000 US dollars. As a result, Frank's son was safely released. Subsequently, with the participation of the FBI, the criminals were identified and arrested.
• In honor of his fiftieth birthday, the singer participated in a grand television show, where he performed many of his hits and compositions, including little known to the general public. This program subsequently received an Emmy Award as the best music program on television.
  
• In 1971, as a reward for his participation in charity and social events, Sinatra received a special award. It happened at the 43rd Academy Awards.

• He became a grandfather in 1974, when Nancy had a daughter. Later, Frank had two more grandchildren.
• In 1979, during a visit to Egypt by a musician, a concert was held, which was initiated by the then President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat. It is noteworthy that this concert took place almost before the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Cheops.
• In 1980, the singer took part in the election campaign of US presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. This happened 20 years after similar work on the campaign of John F. Kennedy.
• 175 thousand people gathered at the Maracana Stadium in Brazilian Rio de Janeiro, in 1980 to listen to live performances of their favorite performer in 1980.
• In the 1980s, the artist was the face of iconic television advertising for resorts in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. This happened after the signing of a profitable agreement with Steve Wynn.
• He was honored with one of the highest non-military awards of the USA - the presidential Medal of Freedom. It happened in the mid-80s.

• Celebrating his 75th birthday, the singer in December 1990 set off on a jubilee world tour.
• On the day Sinatra died, the lights on Las Vegas went out, and the Empire State Building skyscraper was highlighted in blue to the color of the eyes of a cult artist.

Best songs

"New York, New York"

The composition "New York, New York" is one of Frank Sinatra's business cards and is strongly associated with him. The story of its appearance is interesting. The theme was first voiced in Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York in 1977. Then she performed Liza Minnelli. Composer D. Kander and poet F. Ebb specially wrote a song for this tape. In the future, the single was with minor changes to the text by Frank Sinatra for his album "Trilogy: Past Present Future" ("Trilogy: Past Present Future").

The popularity of the composition grew after its performance by the singer in Radio City Music Hall in October 1978. In 1979 there was a recording for the above album. Subsequently, two more studio versions of the song performed by a musician were made: in 1981 and 1993.

To date, the single truly iconic and widely replicated by mass culture. Many social events in the urban district of New York are not complete without its execution. The writing is the anthem of many sports teams. For example, a song by Frank Sinatra plays at the end of each game the New York Rangers. Also, each year on New Year's Eve in Time Square in New York this melody sounds.

"New York, New York" - listen

"My way"

The history of the composition "My way" began in 1967 in France. It is performed by Claude Francois under the name "Comme d'habitude", and after a few months of Sinatra cover to the poems of Paul Ancy. Immediately after that, the single took off to the top of the American and British charts. An interesting fact is that the composition often sounds at a funeral. This is not accidental, since poems are the narration of a person who has passed a long life path in which there is no room for disappointment.

"My way" - listen

"Strangers in the night"

At first, the musician himself considered the song "Strangers in the night" not very successful. Nevertheless, this work was later included in the new album of the singer of the same name. And as a result, a surge in popularity in 1966, reflected in the top positions of the charts of popular music. For this album, the performer received two Grammy awards. As for the melody, then, perhaps, everyone has heard it at least once.

"Strangers in the night" - listen

Frank Sinatra House

The singer moved to Palm Springs in the 1940s. Then it was a small unremarkable town. Only later did he acquire the status of a fashionable resort and the traditional residence of many Hollywood stars. The construction of this house was led by architect Stuart Wilms. Subsequently, he recalled that Sinatra came in 1947 and said: "I want the house here." The mansion cost his master more than 150 thousand dollars. The musician wanted the house to be built within a few months by the new year, which was done. A new home in Palm Springs witnessed Frank's married life with Nancy Barbato and Ava Gardner. The building has fully preserved the original layout and decoration of the premises. Currently, the owner of the property leases it, including short-term.

Frank Sinatra's connection with the mafia

In the minds of many people, the musician appears as a popular artist, closely associated with the structures of the ethnic mafia of the mid-20th century. The publication of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather contributed to this to a large extent. One of the characters of the work, Johnny Fontaine, as if painted by the author from the image of Frank Sinatra. Perhaps this is a small amount of truth. After all, the future artist grew up in a rather criminal region inhabited by immigrants from southern European states. It is no secret that in these areas at that time there was organized crime, which to one degree or another permeated many strata of society. This was facilitated by the great depression in the yard. The economic crisis has pushed people to engage in near-criminal earnings schemes. At the dawn of his career, the singer has repeatedly appeared in nightclubs with a dubious reputation. Later, the musician participated in a number of events attended by, presumably, persons who did not quite get along with the law.

The special demeanor of Frank Sinatra on stage and in life, characteristic of representatives of many sectors of society at that time, played a role. A significant contribution to the formation of the image of the star as a person associated with the criminal world, also made the theme of the movie in which he was filmed. All this in the complex complemented his artistic image with a semi-criminal tint. It should be said that in the middle of the 20th century, this image turned out to be a winning one and the singer did not refuse to use it.

Top Sinatra Movies

Frank Sinatra took part in the production of 64 films as an actor. The showman's acting debut is a role in the lyrical comedy "Las Vegas Nights" in 1941. Well, the very last time a showman appeared on a wide screen in the television series Private Detective Magnum in 1987. Below are the most famous and titled work with the participation of the musician.

• Ocean's Eleven (1960). Crime thriller with Frank Sinatra in one of the main roles.
• "Candidate from Manchuria" (1962). The famous political thriller from director John Frankenheimer.
• "From henceforth and forever and ever" (1953). Romantic drama about the boxer. Picture awarded an Oscar as the best film.
• "Dismissal in the city" (1949). Lyrical comedy, which was later recognized as one of America’s best musical films.
• "The Man with the Golden Hand" (1955). Romantic drama based on the novel by N. Olgren with a musician in the lead role.
• "Raise Anchors" (1945). Comedy film directed by George Sidney.
• "High Society" (1956). Romantic picture, Louis Armstrong participated in the production.
• "This is a young heart" (1954). Romantic drama directed by Gordon Douglas with Frank in the title role.
• "Around the World in 80 Days" (1956). Adventure film directed by M. Anderson based on the novel by Jules Verne. This movie won five Oscars and other awards.
• "It happened in Brooklyn" (1947). Musical romantic comedy with Frank Sinatra in one of the main roles.
• "Detective" (1968). Crime drama directed by Gordon Douglas.
• "Paris when it's hot" (1964). A comedy in a romantic style, in which Audrey Hepburn also participated. Is a remake of the French film "Henriette's Feast".
• "Meet me in Las Vegas" (1956). Melodrama in the style characteristic of American cinema of the time.
• "Girl in cement" (1968). Thriller with elements of drama with the singer in the lead role.
• "The first mortal sin" (1980). An exciting thriller in which the singer played the role of an elderly policeman.
• "Never was so little" (1959). Military drama, the events of which unfold during the Second World War.
• "New kind of love" (1963). Romantic comedy that won an Oscar for the best elaboration of the actors' costumes.
• "Hole in the head" (1959). Comedy picture with Frank in one of the main roles. Later awarded the Guild of American Directors for his achievements in directing full-length movies.
• "Kings go on the road" (1958). Relatively short (49 min.) Melodrama, shot in black and white.
• "Road to Hong Kong" (1962). Musical comedy with an adventure bias of a joint Anglo-American production.

Sinatra Music in Movies

Frank Sinatra's soundtracks were used in a huge number of films, TV shows, and television programs. These are both pictures with the participation of the musician himself, and without it. And after the death of the singer himself, his work continues to live in the soundtracks of recent films. We list the works remembered by the audience, in which the voice of the artist sounds.

Top Sinatra Movies

Frank Sinatra was the idol of millions during his lifetime. It is not surprising that a lot of documentary and biographical projects were filmed about him, including with his participation. The musician in the days of his anniversaries more than once gave top-level concerts, which were broadcast on television and later mounted as television programs. Imagine some of the most successful.

• The Texaco Star Theater (Episode 5.16). Frank Sinatra is the guest of the popular TV show at the turn of the forties and fifties.
• The 26th Academy Award show. The next awards ceremony of the American Film Academy.
• Person to Person (Episode1). Documentary television program dedicated to the singer.
• Sinatra: All or Nothing at All. Mini-series, the hero of which - Frank himself.
• Frank Sinatra: The Man and the Myth. Документальный телевизионный фильм с большим количеством кинохроники.
• That's Dancing! Мюзикл с элементами документалистики.
• Frank Sinatra: Concert for the Americas. Телевизионная версия концерта.
• The Costume Designer. Короткометражный документальный фильм.

Фрэнсис Синатра стал одним из символов Америки середины 20-го века. Выходец из простого народа, обладающий незаурядным талантом, смог пробиться к вершинам массовой культуры того времени. Это поистине явилось воплощением американской мечты. Representatives of the widest segments of the population, regardless of nationality and religious beliefs, were captivated by his velvet voice, demeanor, acting talent. Undoubtedly, the singer deservedly occupied a worthy place in the history of world culture.