Role of the Performer: Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was a musical artist and actor born on December 12, 1915, in New Jersey. His father was a tavern owner, and his mother was a midwife and was involved in politics. After listening to a recording of Bing Crosby, Frank began singing throughout his teenage years and was even taking part in a glee club exercising his talented voice. After his success in singing became known to many others, Sinatra joined Tom Dorsey's band in 1940.
After 2 years of touring, Franks desire for a solo career only grew as he left the band in 1942 taking on all the risks of being an artist by himself. Quickly following his decision to leave, the songs he sang became chart topping singles. During his time as a singer, he also pursued a career in acting through which he starred in multiple famous movies at the time. His fame only grew but this time from acting. In 1953 Frank Sinatra starred in 'From Here to Eternity' and even won an Oscar for his performance. While his acting career became very popular, Frank still was releasing music. He signed with Capitol Records in 1953 but ended it in 1962.
Throughout the 1960's he continued what he set out to do as a teen. After a false call of retirement in 1971, Frank kept performing music until 1995. In his life as a singer, he recorded many famous songs such as 'Strangers in the Night', 'My Way', and 'Thats life'. His acting career also was very successful acting in a multitude of famous movies. Throughout his career Frank created 'Reprise Records' and became known as one of the most famous singers in America at the time. After being married four times and living a successful life as an actor and singer, Frank passed away on May 14, 1998.
'Fly Me To The Moon'
The song has a bass, piano, flute, trumpet, and percussion all playing at intervals to rhyme Franks deep range of voice. The song has a slow bpm and has a very jazzy feel with high highs of instruments.
'My Way'
This song has a bass, piano, percussion, trumpet, and violin (with multiple other instruments not frequently used) to create an amazing slow rhythmed song. The melody is also consistent.
Frank Sinatra is an iconic voice many of us may not recognize in the songs we hear today. For example, the original 'Jingle Bells' song was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857. Though, many of you only listen to the performance of Frank Sinatra. Songs performed by other composer songs are important because it provides listeners with an alternate voice and style of the song. This truly opens up music for any type of people to listen and enjoy. Frank was important because his performances of many famous songs were amazing combined with his voice. Without his covers, the famous 'My Way' or 'Thats Life' would not exist. His role truly helped America open up to different genres of music because of his voice and style.
In my opinion, Frank Sinatra is an amazing singer. I never realized how many songs I have heard are sang by him. I believe he was very crucial for America at the time especially during World War 2. His voice inspired others to follow their dreams. He didn't write very many songs, but it does not detract from his talent or uniqueness. I personally love the song 'Thats Life' because of his deep range in voice. Franks deep range of voice and amazing intervals in his songs truly shows his talent in singing.
Sources:
'Frank Sinatra American Singer and Actor' written by the editors of encyclopedia britannica Published: December 8, 2022
'Frank Sinatra' Written by unknown author Published: April 15, 2021
I really enjoyed Sinatra's rendition of "Just One Of Those Things." https://youtu.be/BOg3B9cELgQ
ReplyDeleteHis voice has a lot of dynamic range. It is pretty amazing how prolific his career was. He performed for much of his life!
This is a great blog post about Frank Sinatra! I like how you included his impact during World War 2 and what he did in the US. I do agree that he is an amazing singer with a unique voice!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I think you should add is more details of the musical elements of "Fly me to the moon" and "My Way". I would like to see a more in-depth analysis of these songs.
I found this article about more facts about "Fly me to the Moon" that I think you might find useful:
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/frank-sinatra/fly-me-to-the-moon