Frank: A Musical Journey

Blog

11/16/2017
As we probably remember from the year-long party that took place just a couple years ago to celebrate 100 years, Frank Sinatra was born in 1915.  Did you ever wonder what life was like in the United States back then?  Let me tell you!   (...)
11/10/2017
Quite often names don’t really have a lot of meaning, but there are times when they can tell a story.  A long-time custom in show business has been to change your name to something deemed better suited for the public.  Maybe the name is difficult to pronounce or is too similar to another famous person.  Perhaps you’d just like something that sounds a little less boring.  Of the five core members of the Rat Pack that would go on to become household names, three were born with a less familiar moniker.  Do you know why? (...)
11/03/2017
When you talk a lot about Frank Sinatra, you usually end up mentioning one particularly funny man who made a career at being a pain in the side for everyone - Don Rickles.  You’d hear stories, see them on The Tonight Show, they performed together, and they were friends.  For two people, both with rather cantankerous public personas, they got along together marvelously. (...)
10/26/2017
When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you don’t need anyone to explain that a great accompanist can make a good singer sound exceptional.  For Frank Sinatra, when it came to the piano, the man for the job was Bill Miller.  Do you know the name?  Here’s a little about the guy Ol’ Blue Eyes would call, “my partner at the piano.” (...)
10/19/2017
It was a match made in Heaven, and it just so happens that the first track on their debut collaboration, Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First, was “Pennies from Heaven.”  That first album together happened in 1962 and their last studio album was in 1964, but these two legends paired up again in 1966 for Frank’s first live album, Sinatra at the Sands, although they would perform together more.   (...)
10/12/2017
Frank Sinatra was no stranger to the White House, yet his visit there to perform on April 17, 1973 for a State Dinner welcoming Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti appeared to be something really special for the singer.  He did ten songs, a mini-concert arranged to impact everyone lucky enough to be in attendance, and nobody left that historic building disappointed. (...)
09/22/2017
When you look at Frank Sinatra’s Emmy bio it says, 0 wins, 3 nominations.  That’s almost unbelievable.  His shows have won Emmy's, such as A Man and His Music, but he was never handed the coveted television award himself.  With all the television specials, programs, and appearances, you’d have thought he would have won a few, but I think the reason he didn’t becomes obvious when you look at the times he was nominated, such as in 1974 for his Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra special, and he was up against Barbra Streisand, John Denver, and the eventual winner, Lily Tomlin.  So, why didn’t he win? Hey, he probably should have, but there was some great competition. (...)
09/07/2017
Frank Sinatra hosted the Academy Awards in 1963, something he seemed very comfortable doing, respectfully honoring all the chosen nominees, cracking a few jokes, and even delivering a short-but-sweet speech on the troubles with Hollywood.  His soliloquy is poignant in that you could probably jump ahead fifty-plus years and it would still be relevant. (...)
08/31/2017
During his lifetime Frank Sinatra was rumored to have a way with the ladies, and with hindsight as it is, we now know that rumor was reality.  When he was only 23 he was arrested for seduction, he was married four times and had a long list of lovers, including some extremely prominent names.  Yet, when Frank’s ladies speak about him, it’s generally praise he receives.  Need some examples?  Let’s look at a few! (...)