♫First Modern Superstar of Popular Music♫

With the passing of time comes the passing of great performers. One of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century is remembered on this day in music history, not only as an award-winning singer, but also film actor credited with numerous awards. In the 50s and 60s, he had a dazzling array of records and film appearances winning an Oscar for his supporting role in From Here to Eternity in 1953. 

Today in Music History: May 14, 1998

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra

December 12, 1915 - May 14, 1998

Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, forging a career as an award-winning singer and film actor.

The age of "Crooners" was at its height during the 1940s. The term "Crooners" was coined after male vocalists who often displayed powerful, professionally trained voices. Their stage demeanor portrayed an intimate posture and stage presence. Frank Sinatra was dubbed a "crooner" but he declined to accept the term. When questioned in an interview  he remarked he did not consider himself or Bing Crosby "crooners".

 Sinatra emerged from an Italian-American family in Hoboken, New Jersey, to become the first modern superstar of popular music, with an entertainment career that spanned more than five decades. In the first incarnation of his singing career, he was a master of the romantic ballads popular during World War II. After his appeal began to wane in the late 1940s, Sinatra reinvented himself as a suave swinger with a rougher, world-weary singing style, and began a spectacular comeback in the 1950s. [Source: This Day in History]

 Classic Frank Sinatra from his 1950's television variety series.
The song was written in 1946 by Joseph Myro and Mack Gordon.

The Rat Pack...

One doesn't reflect on the life of Frank Sinatra without mentioning The Rat Pack. The title actually began centered around Humphrey Bogart. At the death of Bogart in 1957, Sinatra became "leader" of his own entourage. The group consisted of a loose confederation of actors, comedians, and singers lumped together by the media under the name "Rat Pack" in the early 60s including, along with Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. 

Signature Song...

One of the most memorable songs performed by Frank Sinatra is "My Way". Paul Anka discovered this song while visiting France, and re-wrote the lyrics as "My Way" when he returned to New York. Anka says it was 3 a.m. on a rainy night when the words came to him. Anka, who was a very popular singer, pitched the song to Frank Sinatra, who recorded it on December 30, 1968. 

This became Frank Sinatra's signature song, but he couldn't stand it, saying he "loathed" the song. In his later years, he described the song as "a Paul Anka pop hit which became a kind of national anthem." In a 2000 interview with the BBC show Hardtalk, Sinatra's daughter Tina said, "He always thought that song was self-serving and self-indulgent. He didn't like it. That song stuck and he couldn't get it off his shoe."
[Source: songfacts.com]

Frank Sinatra "My Way" 1969 

"My Way" Paul Anka with Frank Sinatra

"My Way" Duet Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley

Frank Sinatra "My Way" 1993

Andre Rieu & Orchestra 'Tribute to Frank Sinatra' MY WAY

 

Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack on May 14, 1998, in L.A. That year, his FBI dossier, 1,275 pages covering 50 years of surveillance, was released. The document revealed no shocking secrets.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...