Who is Frank Sinatra?

Frank Sinatra is one of the most famous singers of the twentieth century, with a singing career full of achievements and awards.

His lifetime

Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915. His fame came through his singing (jazz and swing), where Sinatra had a wide variety of successful songs and albums, he also played many distinguished movie roles, which earned him an Academy Award for his role in the movie (From Here to Eternity). Frank Sinatra left behind a large collection of albums such as (Strangers in the Night) (My Way) (New York) before his death on May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Early life

He is the only son of immigrant parents from Sicily. Sinatra weighed 6.1 kg at birth and had to be delivered with the aid of forceps, which caused severe scarring to his left cheek, neck, and ear, and perforated his eardrum—damage that remained for life. His mother worked as a midwife, and his father was illiterate. Sinatra went to high school and after a while dropped out and worked as a reporter delivering newspapers.

Achievements

In his beginnings, he worked as a singer in the high school choir, then he began to try singing in nightclubs for a small amount of money to support his day. He was greatly influenced by the famous singer (Bing Crosby). Sinatra got his first chance to sing in 1935, when he joined a local band called The 3 Flashes. After a series of performances on theaters and radio, Sinatra became the band’s lead vocalist. Thereafter, Sinatra worked on a motel on the highway, then had the opportunity to record his first song called (Our Love). Radio stations began broadcasting his songs. After a while, Sinatra signed a two-year contract with the famous trumpet player (Harry James), and began recording the first set of his songs including (All Or Nothing at All). After Sinatra joined the famous trombonist (Tommy Dorsey) and the special jazz band, and after making several albums and songs, Sinatra decided to pursue his career alone instead of being a member of a band.

Sinatra made his first appearance in his first two films in 1943 (Reveille with Beverley) and (Higher and Higher). He won a special Academy Award in 1945 for a 10-minute short movie about raising awareness of racial and religious difference. He also won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie (Here to Eternity), then was nominated again for an Oscar for the movie (The Man with the Golden Arm). At the end of the fifties he decided to establish his own brand (Reprise Records), in addition to establishing his own company for Film Production (Artanis). In 1966, Sinatra released his famous song (Strangers in the Night), which topped the charts at the time and won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Then he recorded (Something Stupid) with his daughter, Nancy Sinatra, which ranked top for a whole month in the spring of 1967. Before the end of the sixties, Sinatra recorded his famous song (My way), which was adapted from the melody of a French song (Comme d’habitude) adding new words. Sinatra briefly retired from singing in the early 1970s and returned to the music scene with his album “Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back” in 1973. In 1985 he was honored by President Reagan as the highest honor ever given to a citizen.

Famous Quotes

• May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.
• If you possess something but you can’t give it away, then you don’t possess it. It possesses you.
• The best revenge is massive success.
• Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.

Personal life

Sinatra married in 1939 to (Nancy Barbato), they had three children before their marriage ended in 1951. He married again to actress (Anna Gardner), after a while he separated from her, then married (Mia Farrow). Finally, for the fourth time from (Barbara Blakee) and they remained married until Sinatra died.

Death

Sinatra held his last concert in 1995 in California, and died on May 14, 1998 due to a heart attack in Los Angeles at the age of 82, leaving behind a career extended for more than 50 years.

Facts about Frank Sinatra

• Every year, May 12th is considered “Frank Sinatra Day” in recognition of his influence on American culture.
• Sinatra holds three honorary degrees, an Honorary Doctorate litterarum humanarum from the University of Nevada, an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Loyola Marymount University.
• More than 150 million albums have been sold, making him one of the best-selling artists in history.
• Sinatra has been described as “the greatest singer of the 20th century” and “the greatest singer in the history of the United States of America”.
• Sinatra won the Grammy Award 11 times, the Golden Globe Award four times, the Peabody Award given to the most influential television and radio personalities in 1966, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, which is the highest honor that can be awarded to an American citizen, in addition to having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.