Frank Sinatra
The Chairman of the Board
Over his 60-year career, he won a dozen Grammy Awards and three Academy Awards.[1] Born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Francis Albert Sinatra worked as a singer, conductor, and actor.[2][3] Often called "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra is considered among the 20th century's most impactful entertainers.[2]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Francis Albert Sinatra
- Born
- 12 December 1915
- Birthplace
- Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.
- Died
- 14 May 1998
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Resting place
- Desert Memorial Park
- Years active
- 1935–1995
- Occupation
- Singer
- actor
- activist
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He weighed 13.5 lbs at birth and was delivered with forceps, causing scarring on his left cheek and neck.[4] He began singing professionally as a teenager and got his first break in 1935 when his mother persuaded a local group to let him join.[5] He did not serve in the military during World War II, as Army files reported he was rejected for psychiatric reasons.[6] In 1953, the film From Here to Eternity marked the beginning of a career revival.[7]
Sinatra formed his own label, Reprise Records, in 1960.[8][1] Without ever studying musical notation, Sinatra acquired songs solely through listening.[5][1] After a performance at the Paramount Theatre in June 1939, Harry James, a bandleader, gave Sinatra a contract lasting two years.[9] In November 1939, Sinatra departed from James's band, taking over as Tommy Dorsey's lead singer from Jack Leonard.[10]
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams", released near the end of April 1940, became Sinatra's initial charting vocal success with Dorsey.[11] On June 1, 1943, Sinatra became a solo artist by signing a contract with Columbia Records.[12]
What the cited sources add
A 1945 Guardian article reported that Sinatra's annual earnings were around $1,250,000.[13] The same article noted that teen-age girls called "bobby-soxers" constituted the main part of his audience.[13] The FBI watched Sinatra for almost 50 years, amassing some 2,403 pages of records on him.[1] The Rat Pack, including Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin, never referred to themselves by that name, instead calling themselves the Summit or the Clan.[1]
Sinatra was married to actress Mia Farrow from 1966 to 1968.[1] Sinatra played a benefit show for Martin Luther King, Jr. at Carnegie Hall in 1961.[1]
References
- D'Andrea, Niki, "Top Ten Things That Make Frank Sinatra Cool", Phoenix New Times, July 7, 2011. facts only, no text reused. phoenixnewtimes.com
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "TIME 100 Persons of The Century", June 14, 1999 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Frank Sinatra obituary", BBC News, May 16, 1998; Sinatra 1995, p. 15; Sinatra 1986, p. 3; Petkov Mustazza 1995, p. 113 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sinatra 1995, p. 15; Kaplan 2011, p. 4–5; Sinatra at the Sands (1966), Reprise Records; Sinatra 2011, p. 193; Talese, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold", Esquire, October 8, 2007 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: D'Andrea, Niki, "Top Ten Things That Make Frank Sinatra Cool", Phoenix New Times, July 7, 2011; Young Young 2007, p. 474 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Santopietro 2008, p. 427; Holland, "Sinatra FBI Files Opened", December 19, 1998, p. 10; Newton 2003, p. 314; "The Vault — Frank Sinatra", FBI (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kidder Oppenheim 2008, p. 157; Santopietro 2008, p. 427; Summers Swan 2010, p. 44, 47; Kaplan 2011, p. 4–5; Kaplan 2011, p. 4–5; Kaplan 2011, p. 4–5; Sinatra 1986, p. 3 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Granata 2003, p. 50; "Label Retrospective: Sinatra forms Reprise Records on this day in 1960", Rhino (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coyne, Kevin, "Sinatra's First, Freed at Last", The New York Times, October 22, 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kelley 1986, p. 20–23 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whitburn 1986, p. 136; Whitburn 1986, p. 136; Bronson, "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits", Billboard Books, 1997, p. 202 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Frank Sinatra" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sinatra 1986, p. 3; Peters O'Brien Sayers 1982, p. 123, 157; Shaw 1968, p. 67; Tyler 2007, p. 267 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Frank Sinatra and the 'bobby-soxers'", The Guardian, January 10, 1945. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Frank Sinatra (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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