Frank Sinatra: The Voice of American Pop and Swing
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor whose career spanned six decades, becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Hailing from Hoboken, New Jersey, his main achievement was defining the Great American Songbook and popular music for generations, with iconic albums like "Come Fly with Me" and "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!"
Early Career
Born in 1915, Frank Sinatra began his musical career singing in local nightclubs before joining the Harry James and later the Tommy Dorsey orchestras in the late 1930s and early 1940s. His early solo recordings for Columbia Records in the 1940s, including "All or Nothing at All," catapulted him to initial fame as a teen idol, a period often called the "bobby soxer" hysteria.
Breakthrough
Sinatra's career faced a downturn in the early 1950s, but his dramatic comeback was cemented with his Academy Award for acting in "From Here to Eternity" in 1953 and his subsequent signing to Capitol Records. This era, known as his "Capitol years," saw a artistic renaissance with a series of landmark concept albums arranged by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Gordon Jenkins, which redefined vocal pop and swing music.
Key Tracks
I've Got You Under My Skin - This Cole Porter standard, arranged by Nelson Riddle for the 1956 album "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!", is a quintessential example of Sinatra's confident, swinging style with a big band.
My Way - Though originally a French song, Sinatra's 1969 version became his personal anthem and one of his most signature and enduring late-career hits.
Fly Me to the Moon - Popularized by Sinatra's 1964 recording with the Count Basie Orchestra arranged by Quincy Jones, this song became inextricably linked with his Rat Pack persona and the space age.
Strangers in the Night - This 1966 single became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, winning a Grammy for Record of the Year and representing his successful foray into more contemporary pop sounds.
New York, New York - Adopted as the anthem for New York City, this 1980 track from his "Trilogy" project became a show-stopping finale in his later concerts.
Throughout the 1960s, Sinatra led the famed "Rat Pack," starring in films and performing sold-out shows in Las Vegas, which solidified his status as an entertainment icon. He founded his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1961, releasing albums like "Sinatra-Basie" and the ambitious "September of My Years." His genre-defining work in traditional pop and vocal jazz earned him numerous Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Artists with a similar mastery of the American standard and vocal jazz tradition include Tony Bennett, who shared a long career and dedication to the Great American Songbook. The smooth, orchestrated pop style can also be heard in the work of Dean Martin, his fellow Rat Pack member. For a female vocalist from the same era with impeccable phrasing, listen to Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song.
Frank Sinatra's music remains a staple on classic pop and jazz radio stations, easy listening formats, and dedicated standards channels. His vast catalog of recordings from the Columbia, Capitol, and Reprise eras continues to receive regular airplay.
The music of Frank Sinatra, the iconic voice of swing and pop, can be discovered and enjoyed through the radio stations featured on this website.
