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Frank Sinatra: The singer sings his song

5 January 2005, 18:00 PM
LIFESTYLE
Frank Sinatra's appeal never dies. "No one sells a song like Francis Albert Sinatra," a music critic once wrote. And this held true through nearly six decades of sweeping changes in music and pop culture. Cutting his first record in 1939, in his long career he made around 1,800 recordings, gathered nine Grammys and won recognition as the foremost singer of the last century.

Perhaps Sinatra's mass appeal is best summed up by a date: 1996, the year he won his last Grammy for the album Duets II. The second in a series of albums, Duets paired Sinatra with contemporary artists like Bono of U2 and Gloria Estefan, and symbolised resurgence in the popularity of swing era music in the 1990s.

Sinatra decided to enter the music world in 1933 after attending a concert by his idol, Bing Crosby. Then followed gigs at local clubs and bars, which led to a radio contest in which Sinatra, teamed with another trio, took first prize. Subsequently, after a series of concerts and radio shows, in 1939 he fronted for bandleader Harry James.

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In 1940, Sinatra signed up with band legend Tommy Dorsey. The team made several hit records in the World War II era. Later years saw Sinatra's singing career on the upswing. His string of hits included New York, New York and the all-time favourite My Way. Other classics were Night and Day, Witchcraft, Strangers in the night, September of my years and a duet with his daughter Nancy, titled ,Something Stupid.

Sinatra won popular acclaim for his attention to detail and his philosophy of "reading" the lyrics with an unmatched clarity which wrung emotion from each line."What is the point of singing wonderful lyrics if the audience can't understand what is being said or heard?" once questioned Sinatra.

In the 1960s, Sinatra formed his own record label, Reprise Records. He topped the charts again with the albums Nice and Easy and Strangers in the Night. At the 1994 Grammy Awards in New York, Sinatra was honoured for a lifetime of musical accomplishments with the prestigious Legend award.

Filmgoers also know Sinatra's name. Among the films that he has starred in are Higher and Higher (1944), Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and Von Ryan's Express (1965).

He died on May 14, 1998.