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Who was Frank Sinatra?
One of the most popular singers of the 20th century and an Academy award winning actor, Frank Sinatra was the darling of the American audiences for decades at a stretch. Counted among the all-time best selling artists, his albums have sold more than 150 million records worldwide. Having entered show business during the 1930s, he gave his last performance in the 1990s! Over his incredibly long career he has entertained several generations of music lovers and cinema goers with his melodious voice, acting skills and charismatic personality. From a young age little Frank knew that he was meant to be a singer. While in high school he was unruly and rowdy and dropped out without graduating. A big fan of Bing Crosby, he had started singing for tips as a child and became a professional in his teens. After playing with some bands he launched his solo career and found great success which prompted him to venture into films. There too he was successful though success did not come easily to him. He experienced his share of difficulties though he always managed to bounce back. Being both a popular singer and a critically acclaimed actor greatly added to his mass appeal and he is considered to be one of the greatest entertainers in American history.
Career
He started performing in night clubs after leaving school and joined a local band called The Three Flashes in 1935 which was renamed The Hoboken Four upon his joining. They appeared in Edward Bowes’s show ‘Major Bowes Amateur Hour’.
During the late 1930s he joined Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra which gave a big boost to his career. Soon Sinatra became a very popular singer because of his association with Dorsey though the relationship between the two men soured. He left the band in 1942.
In 1946, he released his first studio album, ‘The Voice of Frank Sinatra’ which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and retained its position for the next seven weeks!
Over the next few years he released ‘Songs by Sinatra’ (1947), ‘Christmas Songs by Sinatra’ (1948), ‘Frankly Sentimental’ (1949) and ‘Dedicated to You’ (1950). However, none of these albums was as successful as the first one.
He ventured into Hollywood as an actor during 1940s and in 1953 the film ‘From Here to Eternity’ was released. The story revolved around three soldiers stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a super hit.
In 1960 his album ‘Nice ‘n’ Easy’ was released. It reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart where it spent nine weeks. It was nominated for the Grammy Award as Album of the Year, Best Male Vocal Performance, and Best Arrangement.
He acted in the World War II adventure film ‘Von Ryan’s Express’ in 1965 which was about a group of Allied prisoners who attempt a daring mass escape after Italy's armistice with the Allies in September 1943.
He brought out a concept album ‘Watertown’ in 1970 which is the tragic story of a man whose wife leaves him and their two children and moves to a big city. The album received mixed reviews upon its release.
In 1971, Sinatra announced that he was retiring. But he could not stay away from the work he loved for long and was soon back to show business. Over the next several years he continued producing albums and appeared in many films much to the delight of his devoted fans.
