Frank Sinatra's recorded legacy
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Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's musical career began in the
swing era The swing era (also frequently referred to as the big band era) was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been aroun ...
in 1935, and ended in 1995, although he did briefly retire in 1971, before returning to music in 1973. Sinatra is one of the most influential music artists of the 20th century, and has sold 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all-time.
Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
called Sinatra "the greatest singer of the 20th century". In addition to his music career, Sinatra was also a successful film actor, having won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...
for his role as Private Angelo Maggio in '' From Here to Eternity'' (1953).


Influences

Sinatra's vocal style represented a strong departure from the " crooning" style of his idol,
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
. Sinatra's generation represented the first generation of children that had grown up in the era of the microphone, and the amplification of sound enabled singers to sing in a much softer, personal and nuanced style. However Sinatra, as he himself once noted, ''sang more'', by which he meant that he introduced a
bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...
sound to the tradition begun by Crosby. And, more importantly, he might be said to have brought the Crosby tradition to artistic completion, taking it to levels of intensity and depth of feeling that, because of the displacement of the Crosby – Sinatra tradition by rock and roll and subsequent genres, are unlikely to be achieved again. Two other great performers of the 1930s and 1940s were significant influences on Sinatra: Billie Holiday and Mabel Mercer. Sinatra regularly heard " Lady Day" in New York clubs in the 1940s and learned from her the importance of authenticity of emotion. From Mercer he learned the importance of the element of "story" in a song. For Sinatra a song is a three- to four-minute narrative — sometimes even the story of himself, his own life, his own heartaches, his own feelings of buoyancy — and this is why Ella Fitzgerald could say of him, "With Frank, it's always this little guy, telling this ... story." The archetypal examples of the Sinatra song as story could later be found in two selections from his 1958 Capitol album, '' Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely'': " Angel Eyes" and " One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)".


Sinatra's voice

Sinatra made a point of studying Tommy Dorsey's trombone playing as a means of cultivating a more free-flowing vocal style — he noticed that Dorsey used a small airhole at the side of his mouth to sneak breaths when playing. Sinatra would employ a similar technique, and so be able to hold notes for incredibly long durations. In addition to this, Sinatra started to jog and swim underwater to develop his lung capacity — which enabled him to continue a musical phrase through a stanza without pausing, or breaking the note, for breath. Sinatra's legato-style of singing/ phrasing took pop singing in new directions when most singers of the 1940s were keen to emulate
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
. As happens with many singers, Sinatra suffered at least one period of major vocal difficulty, which he remedied with the help of Metropolitan Opera baritone Robert Merrill. As a song-stylist, Sinatra's jazz-infused approach to singing seemed to occur with the end of the " Big Band" era and ushering in of an era that favored the vocalist and made him/her the focus, not the bandleader and his band. According to music critic Henry Pleasants "The voice itself was a typical Italian light
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
with a two octave range from G to G, declining, as it darkened in later years, to F to F and with greater potential at the top than he was commonly disposed to exploit. He could and sometimes did depress the larynx and 'cover' as classical singers do, to sustain a full rounded tone in moving up the scale. On his recording 'Day by Day,' for example he gives out with full-voiced, admirably focused D's and E's and even lands a briefly held but confident high G just before the end." His early recordings found him singing in near-tenor range, hitting a high F on "All or Nothing At All" (1939) or "Where's My Bess" (1946), whilst being equally adept in the lower register, the low E on his 1962 recording of "
Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical ''Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississipp ...
" being a prime example of such. His phrasing was also impeccable, getting to the heart of a song by emphasizing words and lines in ways that made a song more personal, whilst his ability to hold notes, sing above or behind the beat and rest on a note were hallmarks of a singer fully in command of his instrument.


Sinatra as a conductor

Between 1946 and 1983, Sinatra conducted seven albums and occasionally conducted live orchestras on stage. His first recordings on which he wielded the baton were instigated by producer Mitch Miller, who approached Columbia boss Maine Sachs to request that Sinatra conduct some of the work of
Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") ...
, later released as ''
Frank Sinatra Conducts The Music Of Alec Wilder ''Frank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder'' is an album of compositions by Alec Wilder, conducted by Frank Sinatra, released in 1946. Track listing The original COLUMBIA (78, M-637) 1946 album contained tracks 1–6. Tracks 7–13 ar ...
''. In 1956, Sinatra recorded the first album in the Capitol Records tower, not as a vocalist, but as a conductor on the album '' Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color''. In 1957 and 1959, he conducted albums for
Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...
— '' The Man I Love'' — and
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
— ''
Sleep Warm ''Sleep Warm'' is an album recorded by Dean Martin for Capitol Records in three sessions between October 13, 1958 and October 15, 1958 with arrangements by Pete King and orchestra conducted by Frank Sinatra. Described in the liner notes as a " ...
'' — the latter, charting inside ''Billboards Top 40. A lesser-known project for his own label, Reprise, entitled ''
Frank Sinatra Conducts Music from Pictures and Plays ''Frank Sinatra Conducts Music from Pictures and Plays'' is a 1962 studio album conducted by Frank Sinatra, and arranged by Harry Sukman. This was the first album that Sinatra conducted for his new record label, Reprise Records. Track listin ...
'' remains relatively obscure, and it was 20 years before Sinatra conducted in a studio again, for
Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...
on the album ''
Syms by Sinatra ''Syms by Sinatra'' is a 1982 album by Sylvia Syms, arranged by Don Costa, and conducted by Frank Sinatra . Track listing # " Hooray for Love" ( Harold Arlen, Leo Robin) # "All My Tomorrows" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) # "By Myself" (Arth ...
'', which featured the final arrangements of Don Costa. The following year Sinatra conducted for trumpeter Charles Turner on the album '' What's New?''.


Genres

Sinatra would certainly have been considered a 'pop' singer before the rock and roll era, and the epithets ' traditional pop" or more specifically "classic pop" have perhaps been coined to describe Sinatra's style. In addition, Sinatra would and did tackle several styles and genres of music throughout his career, with differing degrees of success. There still exists a debate as to whether Sinatra was a jazz singer. He certainly performed with many of the finest jazz musicians and, in fact, headlined the Newport Jazz Festival and toured with the Red Norvo Quintet. There are very few occasions when Sinatra was recorded scat singing, but minor nuances and slight deviations from the vocal line are a hallmark of the material he recorded, and he was also known for his impeccable jazz timing and phrasing. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine the Sinatra after 1953 without the influence of jazz. It is no accident that he would be Lester Young's ideal singer in the band Young had hoped to lead, nor that Miles Davis identified Sinatra's phrasing as an influence on his own. The list of Sinatra's jazz admirers is long and stellar, including such figures as Count Basie,
Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
, Oscar Peterson and Jaco Pastorius.


Songs and albums

Sinatra left a vast legacy of recordings, from his very first sides with the Harry James orchestra in 1939, the vast catalogs at Columbia in the 1940s, Capitol in the 1950s, and Reprise from the 1960s onwards, up to his 1994 album '' Duets II''. Some of his best known recorded songs include: * '' Great American Songbook'' entries such as " Night and Day", " I've Got You Under My Skin", and "
Fly Me To The Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions ...
" * Comic numbers such as "
Love and Marriage "Love and Marriage" is a 1955 song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation ( ASCAP). Frank Sinatra versions "Love and Marriage" was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 televi ...
" (used as the theme for American television comedy '' Married... with Children'') * Torch songs such as "
One for My Baby "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. Background Harold Arlen described the ...
", " Angel Eyes", and "
Drinking Again "Drinking Again" is a 1962 torch song, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Doris Tauber. The song has been recorded by Frank Sinatra (''The World We Knew''), Dinah Washington ('' Drinking Again''), Aretha Franklin ('' Unforgettable: A Tribute ...
" * " It Was a Very Good Year" and "
Summer Wind Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, w ...
", which capture his mid-1960s persona of sentimental nostalgia * " That's Life", " My Way", and "
New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
", which convey his late-stage attitude of bombastic defiance. Three of his songs made No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after the advent of the rock and roll era: "Learnin' the Blues" (1955), " Strangers in the Night" (1966), and " Somethin' Stupid" (1967), the last a duet with daughter Nancy. Of all his many albums, ''
Sinatra at the Sands ''Sinatra at the Sands'' is a live album by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, and conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live in the Copa Room of the former Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1966. It was ...
'', recorded live in Las Vegas in 1966, with Sinatra in his prime, backed by Count Basie's big band, remains his most popular and is still a big seller. Whether in nightclubs, casinos, arenas, or stadiums, Sinatra was one of the most mesmeric entertainers of the twentieth century, capable of turning the largest venue into a simulacrum of an intimate club. There are, however, few recordings or videos of his concerts. In addition to the Sands performance with Basie, three performances of Sinatra at the very peak of his career were captured: '' With Red Norvo Quintet: Live In Australia, 1959'', ''
Sinatra '57 in Concert ''Sinatra '57 in Concert'' is a 1999 live album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. It is a complete recording of a concert performed at the Seattle Civic Auditorium on June 9, 1957. Arranger Nelson Riddle conducted the 26-piece orchestra ...
'', a performance in Seattle with an orchestra conducted by
Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...
and '' Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris'', recorded in June 1962. Sinatra is also credited with putting out perhaps the first
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
. 1955's ''
In the Wee Small Hours ''In the Wee Small Hours'' is the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra. It was released in April 1955 by Capitol and produced by Voyle Gilmore with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. All the songs on the album deal with themes suc ...
'' is the prime example: a set of songs specifically recorded for the album, using only ballads, organized around a central mood of late-night isolation and aching lost love (supposedly due to his separation from Ava Gardner), with a now-classic album cover reflecting the theme. '' Rolling Stone'' magazine later named ''In the Wee Small Hours'' as No. 100 on its list of the 500 best albums of all time, an impressive showing given that its rankings reflect the outlook of the rock generation. The following year's '' Songs For Swingin' Lovers'' took an alternate tack, recording existing pop standards in a hipper, jazzier fashion, revealing an overall exuberance; ''Rolling Stone'' placed it No. 306 on the above list. It was the advent of the long-playing record that opened the door to these famous concept albums of the 1950s, but Sinatra's first efforts in this direction go back to the Columbia years and '' The Voice'', when the 78 rpm disc made "album" less of a metaphor than it would become with the single-disc LPs of the 1950s. ''The Voice of Frank Sinatra'' was released on March 4, 1946 — it was re-issued as a 10" record in 1958. Four more albums would follow over the next five years, as would a Christmas album and a project in which Sinatra conducted the songs of Alec Wilder. Other notable Sinatra albums include '' Where Are You?'' from 1957, which was his first stereo album and his first album recorded with Gordon Jenkins, '' Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely'' (1958), a bleak, introspective album, which Sinatra later claimed was his finest work. The lavish ''
The Concert Sinatra ''The Concert Sinatra'' is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra that was released in 1963. It consists of showtunes performed in a 'semi-classical' concert style. Marking a reunion between Sinatra and his frequent collaborator, arranger ...
'' (1963) offered re-recordings of "
Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical ''Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississipp ...
" and " You'll Never Walk Alone", backed by a 73-piece orchestra. 1965's ''
September of My Years ''September of My Years'' is a 1965 studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released on Reprise Records in August 1965 on LP and October 1986 on CD. The orchestral arrangements are by Gordon Jenkins, their fifth album collaboration. ...
'', according to critic
Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
"summed up the punchy sentimentality of a whole generation of American men". ''
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...
'' (1967) was a late foray into
bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...
, with Antonio Carlos Jobim. 1973's comeback album '' Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'' was Sinatra's first album after being away from recording for three years; 1980's '' Trilogy: Past Present Future'' was an ambitious
triple album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
using three arrangers that attempted to portray the past, present, and future of his career. 1981's ''
She Shot Me Down ''She Shot Me Down'' is a 1981 album by Frank Sinatra. This was the final album Sinatra recorded for the record label he founded, Reprise Records, and generally considered an artistic triumph that evokes the best of Sinatra during this stage ...
'' is sometimes considered the last great Sinatra album. A collection of what Sinatra called "saloon songs", it includes
Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") ...
's "A Long Night". Speaking to
Robin Douglas-Home Cecil Robin Douglas-Home (8 May 1932 – 15 October 1968) was a British aristocrat, jazz pianist and author. Life Robin Douglas-Home was the eldest son of the Honourable Henry Douglas-Home from his first marriage to Lady Margaret Spencer. His u ...
in 1961, Sinatra said, with regards to the making of his many concept albums, "First I pick the mood for an album, and perhaps pick a title. Or perhaps it might be that I had that title and then picked the mood to fit it... Then I get a shortlist of maybe sixty possible songs and out of these I pick twelve to record. Next comes the pacing of the album, which is vitally important... Once we choose songs that will be in a particular album, I'll sit with Bill Miller, my pianist, and find the proper key. Then I will meet with the orchestrator... Usually we wind up doing it the way the arranger feels it should be done, because he understands more than I do about it..."


Charts and hits

Frank Sinatra holds the unique distinction of singing on the first ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' No. 1 single, "I'll Never Smile Again" (1940) — which sold 900,000 copies — and had the first ever No. 1 album in the UK, '' Songs For Swingin' Lovers'' (July 28, 1956). This same album is also the only album to chart among the UK top twenty singles, peaking at No. 12 on June 15, 1956. In 1959, the album '' Come Dance with Me!'' also entered the UK singles chart peaking at No. 30 the same week it would start a 30-week run on the album chart, going as high as No. 2. From his first released single in 1940 — as the singer with Tommy Dorsey's band — to the 1980 release of " Theme from New York, New York", Frank Sinatra had 209 hits on ''Billboards pop singles charts. Of those, 127 made the Top Twenty, 70 made the Top Ten and 10 reached the No. 1 position — " I'll Never Smile Again" (1940), "
There Are Such Things "There Are Such Things" is a popular song by Stanley Adams, Abel Baer, and George W. Meyer, published in 1942. The first and most popular version of the song was performed by Tommy Dorsey's orchestra with vocals by Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pip ...
" (1942), "In the Blue of the Evening" (1943), "All or Nothing at All" (1944), "Oh What It Seemed To Be" (1945), "Five Minutes More" (1946), "Mam'selle" (1947), "
Learning the Blues "Learnin' the Blues" is a big band popular song written by Dolores "Vicki" Silvers. The song was originally recorded by Philadelphia singer Joe Valino, along with the Gene Kutch Orchestra. Frank Sinatra versions In 1955, "Learnin' the Blues" w ...
" (1955), " Strangers in the Night" (1966) and " Somethin' Stupid" (1967). Of Sinatra's 56 Top Twenty albums on ''Billboards pop album charts, 42—including soundtracks — reached the Top Ten and 6 made the No. 1 position — '' The Voice of Frank Sinatra'' (1946), '' Come Fly With Me'' (1958), '' Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely'' (1958), '' Come Dance with Me!'' (1959), '' Nice 'n' Easy'' (1960) and '' Strangers in the Night'' (1966). He also has the longest time span of charting Top Ten albums on the ''Billboard'' album chart, 62 years with '' The Voice of Frank Sinatra'' going to No. 1 in 1946, and '' Nothing But the Best'' going to No. 2 in 2008. Sinatra's 1958 album '' Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely'' spent 120 weeks on ''Billboards album chart, peaking at No. 1. His next album, '' Come Dance with Me!'' (1959) spent 140 weeks on ''Billboard'', peaking at No. 2. " My Way" (1969) is the longest charting U.K. single of all time, with 122 weeks spent on the chart, peaking at number 5. The single re-entered the chart 8 times between 1970 and 1972. A 1995 re-release spent 2 weeks on the chart. In the UK, 42 Sinatra albums have made the Top Ten. Fifty-four Sinatra albums have made the Top Twenty, the longest charting of those albums being the 1997 compilation ''My Way: The Very Best of Frank Sinatra'', which, to date, has charted for 128 weeks achieving 5 x platinum status. Six of Sinatra's albums reached the No. 1 position on the UK album chart, with a further five peaking at No. 2.


See also

* Alphabetical list of songs recorded by Frank Sinatra * Frank Sinatra discography * List of Frank Sinatra's awards and accolades


References

{{Frank Sinatra
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...