2016-12-12 Mon

“People who understand music hear sounds that no one else makes when Sinatra sings” –Walter Cronkite.

Francis Albert Sinatra (12th December 1915- 14th May 1998) was an American singer, actor, producer, writer, director, a king of nightclubs and one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century.

At age 15, he dropped out of school to follow his idol, Bing Crosby. He began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. In the early 40s, he decided to pursue a solo career and became the idol of ‘bobby soxers’, teenage girls who swooned over his singing. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes".

His debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra released in 1946. His professional career had stalled by the early 1950s and he turned to Las Vegas becoming one of its best-known performers as part of the Rat Pack. He left Capitol to establish his own record label, Reprise in association with Warner Bros., which later bought Reprise. He also set up his own independent film production company, Artanis.

He continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s and returned to the music scene with the album Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back (1973).Throughout his life he had made around 60 films, tens of millions of recordings, television specials, worldwide tours, raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charities, and also became active in politics, supporting Democratic candidates and fighting against racism in pop culture.

He was honoured with the Kennedy Center Honors (1983), the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan (1985) and the Congressional Gold Medal (1997). He also won nine Grammys and two Academy Awards and an Oscar for best supporting actor for From Here to Eternity. Towards the end of his career, he became associated with playing detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967).

The United States Postal Service released a commemorative stamp for Frank Sinatra on May 13th, 2008 – a day before his death anniversary on May 14th. Sinatra’s family marked its release with ceremonies in New York, Las Vegas and Hoboken, New Jersey. The image on the stamp is based on a 1950s photo of Sinatra wearing his trademark fedora and showcasing his blue eyes. 120 million stamps featuring his autograph and valuing 42 cents were issued.