to 1930 to 1931
to 1939 to 1943
to 1944 to 1953
to 1956 to 1978
to 1987
to Featured Artists
| Singing brilliantly with no musical training, FRANK SINATRA (b. Hoboken, NJ, Dec.12, 1915 d. May 14,1998) was discovered by bandleader Harry James, who spotted his talent for evocative singing, and who gave him his first chance to record in 1939. In 1942, Sinatra joined the Tommy Dorsey Band for a while before starting off on the solo career that would establish him as America's foremost pre-rock rock star. His swinging, romantic phrasings, combined with his good looks and his bad-boy offstage image made him a compelling entertainer and sex-symbol into the 60's. He was also innovative, being the first to use long-play recording technology to create coherent albums rather than collections of singles. Like other musicians of the time, he crossed over into acting, at first appearing only in musicals but eventually starring in dramas like The Manchurian Candidate. He retired in 1971, but still makes occasional appearances.
|