'He was rock 'n' roll before there was rock 'n' roll' - otherwise how else can you explain that even now in the remotest corner of the world should anyone hear 'Strangers in the night exchanging glances ....' they are bound to say: 'Oh, that's Sinatra....' because very few people can still compare to Frank. 'Frank is just like you. Just like me. Only BIGGER.' The power of his voice, unmistakable male charisma, energy, strength of conviction, lust for life - all these signature qualities of his make Frank Sinatra stand out and pass any test of time that is to come...
Having taken no vocal or music lessons and possessing a voice range that was by no means exceptional, Sinatra managed to achieve unprecedented popularity which can be compared only to the tremendous success enjoyed by Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson.What helped him, the only son of Italian immigrants, become a cultural and music icon?
First of all, it was Sinatra’s firm belief that one day he would rise to fame and become singer#1. In 1939 Harry James, an American jazz musician and bandleader, was looking for a vocalist for his band. When he saw Sinatra, he remarked: ‘He considers himself the greatest vocalist in the business. Get that! No one’s ever heard of him! He's never had a hit record, and he looks like a wet rag, but he says he's the greatest." Despite his doubts, Harry James hired the young singer with an inflated ego. Two weeks after his debut with Harry James’s band Sinatra released his first commercial record ‘From the Bottom of My Heart’.
Second, it was his distinctive singing and performing style. Sinatra began his career as a vocalist with various bands and quickly got aware of the fact that he was not the only person people were coming to see and to listen to. However, to be successful it was vital that he should stand out. To get more of the audience’s attention Sinatra started to work at his stage skills making every little thing count. But what was of extreme importance to the up-and-coming singer was his ability to strike a chord with the audience by conveying the impression that he was singing just to them and that any song of his was a private, face-to-face conversation between him and his listeners. Sinatra once said: "What is the point of singing wonderful lyrics if the audience can't understand what is being said or heard?" He tried his hardest to get over to his listeners every nuance of meaning, every emotion that the authors of the lyrics had encoded in their songs.
Thirdly, it was George Evans’s tireless efforts as Sinatra’s press agent that boosted and maintained Sinatra’s popularity when he was only making his name as a singer. George Evans was called the Napoleon of the news media and a master of invention. At first, he distributed free tickets to Sinatra’s shows and rehearsed with young girls how they should respond to different songs on the concert’s playlist. Yet, what was artificially and synthetically started soon gained momentum and turned into a genuine obsession with thousands of teenagers and mature women getting overexcited and hysterical during Sinatra’s show. George Evans also had a hand in inventing Sinatra’s most famous nickname. Sinatra was to take part in the concert and his name was listed fourth on a bill below three other performers but it was accompanied by a slogan ‘The Voice That Has Thrilled Millions’. Looking at this line on the bill George Evans thought that if he reduced it to The Voice, it would make a perfect, memorable nickname for Frank. Now when someone says The Voice there is only one singer most of us think of – the unforgettable Frank Sinatra.
Having taken no vocal or music lessons and possessing a voice range that was by no means exceptional, Sinatra managed to achieve unprecedented popularity which can be compared only to the tremendous success enjoyed by Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson.What helped him, the only son of Italian immigrants, become a cultural and music icon?
First of all, it was Sinatra’s firm belief that one day he would rise to fame and become singer#1. In 1939 Harry James, an American jazz musician and bandleader, was looking for a vocalist for his band. When he saw Sinatra, he remarked: ‘He considers himself the greatest vocalist in the business. Get that! No one’s ever heard of him! He's never had a hit record, and he looks like a wet rag, but he says he's the greatest." Despite his doubts, Harry James hired the young singer with an inflated ego. Two weeks after his debut with Harry James’s band Sinatra released his first commercial record ‘From the Bottom of My Heart’.
Second, it was his distinctive singing and performing style. Sinatra began his career as a vocalist with various bands and quickly got aware of the fact that he was not the only person people were coming to see and to listen to. However, to be successful it was vital that he should stand out. To get more of the audience’s attention Sinatra started to work at his stage skills making every little thing count. But what was of extreme importance to the up-and-coming singer was his ability to strike a chord with the audience by conveying the impression that he was singing just to them and that any song of his was a private, face-to-face conversation between him and his listeners. Sinatra once said: "What is the point of singing wonderful lyrics if the audience can't understand what is being said or heard?" He tried his hardest to get over to his listeners every nuance of meaning, every emotion that the authors of the lyrics had encoded in their songs.
Thirdly, it was George Evans’s tireless efforts as Sinatra’s press agent that boosted and maintained Sinatra’s popularity when he was only making his name as a singer. George Evans was called the Napoleon of the news media and a master of invention. At first, he distributed free tickets to Sinatra’s shows and rehearsed with young girls how they should respond to different songs on the concert’s playlist. Yet, what was artificially and synthetically started soon gained momentum and turned into a genuine obsession with thousands of teenagers and mature women getting overexcited and hysterical during Sinatra’s show. George Evans also had a hand in inventing Sinatra’s most famous nickname. Sinatra was to take part in the concert and his name was listed fourth on a bill below three other performers but it was accompanied by a slogan ‘The Voice That Has Thrilled Millions’. Looking at this line on the bill George Evans thought that if he reduced it to The Voice, it would make a perfect, memorable nickname for Frank. Now when someone says The Voice there is only one singer most of us think of – the unforgettable Frank Sinatra.
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| FRANK SINATRA WITH HIS SECOND WIFE AMERICAN ACTRESS AVA GARDNER |
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