Francis Albert Sinatra. Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey - died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles. American actor, singer (crooner) and showman. Nine times he became the winner of the Grammy Award. He was famous for the romantic style of singing songs and the "velvet" timbre of his voice.
In the 20th century, Sinatra became a legend not only in the musical world, but in every aspect of American culture. When he died, some journalists wrote: “To hell with the calendar. The day Frank Sinatra died - the end of the 20th century. Sinatra's singing career started back in the 1940s, and by the end of his life he was considered the standard of musical style and taste. The songs performed by him entered the classics of pop and swing style, became the most striking examples of the pop-jazz manner of singing "crooning", several generations of Americans were brought up on them. In his younger years, he had the nickname Frankie (eng. Frankie) and the Voice (eng. The Voice), in later years - Mr. Blue Eyes (eng. Ol Blue Eyes), and then - Chairman (eng. Chairman). Over 50 years of active creative activity, he recorded about 100 invariably popular single discs, performed all the most famous songs of the largest US composers - George Gershwin, Col Porter and Irving Berlin.
In addition to his musical triumph, Sinatra was also a successful film actor, whose highest point on the career ladder was the Oscar, awarded to him in 1954 for Best Supporting Actor. His “piggy bank” contains many film awards: from the Golden Globes to the US Screen Actors Guild Award. Over the course of his life, Sinatra starred in more than 60 films, the most famous of which were "Firing to the City", "From Here to Eternity", "The Man with the Golden Arm", "High Society", "Pride and Passion", " Ocean's Eleven and The Manchurian Candidate.
Frank Sinatra was awarded the Golden Globe, the US Screen Actors Guild and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for life achievements, and a year before his death he was awarded the highest US award - the Congressional Gold Medal.
Francis Albert Sinatra was born on the second floor of an apartment building on Monroe Street in Hoboken on December 12, 1915. His mother, nurse Dolly Garavante, spent a horrendous few hours giving birth to a boy. On top of all that, he developed frightening lifelong scars from the forceps used by the doctor. The reason for such a difficult birth could be the extraordinary weight of the baby - almost six kilograms.
Frank's father was Martin Sinatra, a shipyard worker and boilermaker, and Dolly's mother was the local chairman of the Democratic Party in Hoboken. Both immigrated to the US from Italy: Martin from Sicily, and Dolly from the north, from Genoa. After the birth of his son, Martin had trouble finding a permanent job on the docks, so he began to participate in boxing fights, where he quickly became a local favorite. As for Dolly, it was she who was the head of the family: a gloomy, dynamic woman who loved the family, but focused more on social and political work than family work. Due to various obligations at work, she often left Frank with her grandmother for long periods of time.
In the spring of 1917, America entered the war. Martin was too old to be recruited, so he continued his regular jobs at the docks, bar, ringside, and, later, the Hoboken Fire Department. After the end of the war, Dolly came to grips with the Hoboken immigrants, and left the boy to his grandmother and aunt. Unlike his peers, two-year-old curly-haired boy Frank grew slowly and less progressively.
From an early age he was interested in music, and from the age of 13 he worked with the help of a ukulele, a small musical installation, and a megaphone, in the bars of his city. In 1931, Sinatra was expelled from school for "disgraceful behavior." As a result, he never received any education, including music: Sinatra sang by ear, never having learned the notes.
From 1932, Sinatra had small radio appearances; since he saw his idol Bing Crosby at a concert in Jersey City in 1933, he chose the profession of a singer. In addition, he also worked as a sports journalist for a local newspaper during the Great Depression in the 1930s, after he left college without a degree. Cinema aroused great interest in him; his favorite actor was Edward G. Robinson, who then starred primarily in gangster films.
With the group "The Hoboken Four" Sinatra won in 1935 the competition of young talents of the then popular radio show "Major Bowes Amateur Hour" ("Amateur Big Bowes Hour") and some time later went with them on his first national tour. After that, he worked for 18 months from 1937 as a showman in a New Jersey music restaurant, which was also visited by stars such as Col Porter, and, along with radio appearances, laid the foundation for his professional career.
In 1938, Sinatra was arrested for having an affair with a married woman (in America in the 1930s, this was considered a criminal offense). A career hung in the balance. He avoids criminal punishment.
The impetus for Sinatra's career was given by work in the famous swing jazz orchestras of trumpeter Harry James and trombonist Tommy Dorsey in 1939-1942. He signs a lifetime contract with Dorsey. Subsequently, the big mafia Sam Giancana helps the young singer to terminate it. This episode will later be described in the novel "The Godfather" - it is believed that one of the characters - singer Johnny Fontaine - was written off from Sinatra.
In February 1939, Sinatra married his first love, Nancy Barbato. In this marriage in 1940, Nancy Sinatra was born, who later became a famous singer. She was followed in 1944 by Frank Sinatra Jr. (in 1988-1995 the leader of the Sinatra Orchestra) and in 1948 Tina Sinatra, who works as a film producer.
In 1942, the singer was invited to perform at a Christmas concert in New York at the Paramount cinema, where he was seen by agent George Evans, who made Frank a star, a favorite of American teenage girls, in two weeks of performances.
In 1944, Sinatra was declared unfit for military service due to an eardrum damaged at birth. Many years later, Sinatra beats up a journalist who wrote that Sinatra paid off his military service using his connections.
In the late 1940s, Sinatra began a creative crisis in the genre, coinciding in time with a stormy romance with actress Ava Gardner.
1949 was the hardest year in Sinatra's career: he was fired from the radio, and six months later plans to hold concerts in New York were grossly violated, Nancy filed for divorce, and the affair with Gardner turned into a loud scandal, Columbia Records refused him studio time.
In 1950, his contract with MGM was terminated, and a new agent from MCA Records also turned his back on Sinatra. At the age of 34, Frank became a "man of the past."
In 1951, Sinatra married Ava Gardner, whom he divorced six years later. In the same year, Sinatra lost his voice after a severe cold. The misfortune was so unexpected and difficult that the singer was about to commit suicide.
Hollywood producers invite Sinatra to try his hand at the screen. In 1953, he starred in From Here to Eternity, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
He has a successful career as a radio presenter - he hosts a show on NBS Radio, which gathers a large audience of listeners.
He was invited to various film projects, the most successful of which were The Man With the Golden Arm (1955), Ocean's Eleven (1960), The Manchurian Candidate ( 1960), "Detective" ("The Detective", 1968).
Sinatra's hit High Hopes in 1959 stays on the national chart for 17 weeks - longer than any other song by the singer.
From the late 1950s, Sinatra performed in Las Vegas with pop stars such as Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, Joe Bishop and Peter Lawford. Their company, known as the "Rat Pack", worked with John F. Kennedy during his 1960 presidential campaign. Recordings and performances with the big bands of Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Billy May, Nelson Riddle's studio swing orchestras and others were very successful, earning Sinatra the fame of one of the masters of swing.
In 1966, Sinatra married actress Mia Farrow. He was 51 and she was 21. They separated the following year.
Ten years later, Sinatra married for the fourth time - to Barbara Marks, with whom he lived until the end of his life.
In 1971, at a charity concert in Hollywood, Sinatra announced the end of his stage career, but since 1974 he continued his concert activity.
In 1979, Sinatra recorded one of his masterpieces - "New York, New York", becoming the only singer in history who managed to regain popularity and love of the public after fifty years.
In 1988-1989, the "Together Again Tour" was held (after the departure of Dean Martin, it was renamed "The Ultimate Event").
In 1993, Sinatra recorded his last album, Duets.
Frank Sinatra's last appearance on stage was on February 25, 1995, when he played at a golf tournament in Palm Springs.
On May 14, 1998, Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack at the age of 82. The funeral was conducted by Cardinal Roger Mahoney. A funeral service was held at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.
Sinatra is buried next to his father and mother at Desert Memorial Park Cemetery in Cathedral City, California. The inscription on the singer's tombstone reads: "The best is ahead" (Eng. The Best Is Yet to Come).
The most famous songs of Frank Sinatra:
"My Way"
"Blue Moon"
"Jingle Bells"
"Let It Snow"
Strangers in the Night
"New York, New York"
"It Was a Very Good Year"
"Moon River"
"The World We Knew (Over And Over)"
"Fly Me to the Moon"
"Something Stupid"
"I Won't Dance"
"I've Got You Under My Skin"
"America the Beautiful"
"You Make Me Feel So Young"
Moonlight in Vermont
"My Kind of Town"
"Love and Marriage"
"That's Life"
"I Get a Kick out of You"
"Summerwind"
Albums of Frank Sinatra:
1946 - The Voice Of Frank Sinatra
1948 - Christmas Songs By Sinatra
1949 - Frankly Sentimental
1950 - Songs By Sinatra
1951 - Swing And Dance With Frank Sinatra
1954 - Songs For Young Lovers
1954 - Swing Easy!
1955 - In The Wee Small Hours
1956 - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
1956 - This Is Sinatra!
1957 - A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra
1957 - A Swingin' Affair!
1957 - Close To You And More
1957 - Where Are You
1958 - Come Fly With Me
1958 - Sings For Only The Lonely (Only The Lonely)
1958 - This Is Sinatra Volume 2
1959 - Come Dance With Me!
1959 - Look To Your Heart
1959 - No One Cares
1960 - Nice "N" Easy
1961 - All The Way
1961 - Come Swing With Me!
1961 - I Remember Tommy
1961 - Ring-A-Ding-Ding!
1961 - Sinatra Swings (Swing Along With Me)
1961 - Sinatra's Swingin "Session !!! And More
1962 - All Alone
1962 - Point Of No Return
1962 - Sinatra And Strings
1962 - Sinatra And Swingin" Brass
1962 - Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain
1962 - Sinatra Sings Of Love And Things
1962 - Sinatra-Basie An Historic Musical First (feat. Count Basie)
1963 - Sinatra's Sinatra
1963 - The Concert Sinatra
1964 - America I Hear You Singing (feat. Bing Crosby & Fred Waring)
1964 - Days Of Wine And Roses Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners
1964 - It Might As Well Be Swing (feat. Count Basie)
1964 - Softly As I Leave You
1965 - A Man And His Music
1965 - My Kind Of Broadway
1965 - September Of My Years
1965 - Sinatra"65 The Singer Today
1966 - Moonlight Sinatra
1966 - Strangers In The Night
1966 - Sinatra At The Sands (feat. Count Basie)
1966 - That's Life
1967 - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim)
1967 - The World We Knew
1968 - Cycles
1968 - Francis A & Edward K (feat. Duke Ellington)
1968 - The Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas
1969 - A Man Alone The Words And Music Of McKuen
1969 - My Way
1970 - Watertown
1971 - Sinatra & Company (feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim)
1973 - Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back
1974 - Some Nice Things I've Missed
1974 - The Main Event Live
1980 - Trilogy Past Present Future
1981 - She Shot Me Down
1984 - L.A. Is My Lady
1993 - Duets
1994 - Duets II
1994 - Sinatra & Sextet Live In Paris
1994 - The Song Is You
1995 - Sinatra 80th Live In Concert
1997 - With The Red Norvo Quintet Live In Australia 1959
1999 - "57 In Concert"
2002 - Classic Duets
2003 - Duets With The Dames
2003 - The Real Complete Columbia Years V-Discs
2005 - Live From Las Vegas
2006 - Sinatra Vegas
2008 - Nothing But the Best
2011 - Sinatra: Best of the Best
Filmography of Frank Sinatra :
1941 Las Vegas Nights
1945 - Anchors Aweigh
1946 - While the clouds are floating / Till Clouds Roll By
1949 - Dismissal to the city / On the town
1951 - Double Dynamite / Double Dynamite
1953 - From Here to Eternity / From Here to Eternity - Private Angelo Maggio (received an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor)
1954 - Unexpected / Suddenly - John Baron
1955 - The Man With the Golden Arm
1956 - High Society / High Society - Mike Connor
1956 - Around the world in 80 days / pianist in a saloon
1957 - Pride and Passion / The Pride and the Passion - Miguel
1958 - And they ran up / Some Came Running - Dave Hirsch
1960 - Ocean's Eleven / Ocean's Eleven - Danny Ocean
1962 - The Manchurian Candidate - Captain/Major Bennett Marco
1963 - List of Adrian Messenger / List of Adrian Messenger, The - cameo
1963 - Four from Texas / 4 for Texas - Zach Thomas
1964 - Robin and the 7 gangsters / Robin and the 7 Hoods - gangster Robbie
1965 - Von Ryan's Train / Von Ryan's Express - Colonel Ryan
1980 - The First Deadly Sin / The First Deadly Sin - Edward Delaney
◊ The rating is calculated based on the points accrued in the last week
◊ Points are awarded for:
⇒ visiting pages dedicated to the star
⇒ vote for a star
⇒ star commenting
Biography, life story of Frank Sinatra (Frank Sinatra)
Frank Sinatra is an American singer, showman, film and television actor.
Introduction
Frank Sinatra has so long and invincibly topped the lists of the most-most (songs, artists, voices, and so on) that it is more like some kind of artistic deity than a living person. His name really comes to mind first when it comes to those people-symbols who in the mass consciousness undividedly embody American musical culture. Behind all the abundance of records published by Sinatra, behind his almost dimensionless catalog, which continues to swell year by year, not for long and miss the very essence of his talent. Meanwhile, Sinatra is not just a minion of fate and a well-promoted showman, but, first of all, a fantastic interpreter, receptive to the trends of the times and able to preserve the best examples of American pop music for several generations of music lovers of all races and nationalities.
Childhood and youth
Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915. He was the only child of Dolly and Anthony Martin Sinatra. Her father worked as a boilermaker and a shipyard worker, her mother was a nurse by education, but after the birth of her son, she took the post of chairman of the Democratic Party in Hoboken. The family of the future American superstar had nothing to do with music.
Frank got life, as they say, with a fight. The child was very large - as much as six kilograms. The birth was long and very difficult. Until the end of his days, Frank was reminded of the hard-won right to life by the numerous scars from the tongs with which the doctor helped him leave his mother's womb.
After the baby was born, the Sinatra family had a hard time. Money was sorely lacking. The head of the family had to take up boxing so that the family had a steady income. However, Martin felt confident in the ring, and the public quickly fell in love with him.
CONTINUED BELOW
Frank was raised by his grandmother and aunt. That is, almost no one followed him. The boy was fond of music, already at the age of thirteen he independently learned to play the ukulele. But with education, things were much worse - he was expelled from school, he did not graduate from the institute.
Frank started working as a teenager. He dreamed of becoming a journalist, and at first he got a job as a loader in the editorial office of the Jersey Observer newspaper, then he retrained as a copyist. But even the duties of a reporter were still not trusted to him. Then Frank entered the school of secretaries, studied typing and shorthand. Finally, his reporting on minor sporting events began to get into print. One day, 19-year-old Frank, who occasionally sang for his own pleasure, entered a popular local radio talent competition. Along with three other contestants, the promoters sent him on a test tour, naming the newly formed vocal quartet the Hoboken Four.
Life path. Career and personal life
After the tour, Sinatra signed his first professional contract. They paid him $25 a week. For this relatively generous reward, he had to not only sing at the roadside bar The Rustic Cabin in a provincial town, but also perform the duties of a waiter, master of ceremonies and comic actor. With more or less firm ground under his feet, Frank was finally able to marry his childhood love, Nancy Barbato. In the 40s, they had three children: Nancy Sandra, Frankie Wayne and Christina.
In 1939, one of Sinatra's recordings was heard on the radio by trumpeter Harry James, who had recently left Benny Goodman and was forming his own big band. Sinatra suited him just fine. In July 1939, 23-year-old Frank Sinatra made his first professional studio recording. Thus began his ascent to the heights of the world song Olympus. In the ensemble of Harry James, he lasted six months, and in January 1940 he accepted a much more tempting offer from Tommy Dorsey (Tommy Dorsey). To the accompaniment of the Dorsey big band, Sinatra recorded a whole clip of extremely popular songs, 16 of which were in the top ten hits within two years. The most significant milestone of this period is the composition I "ll Never Smile Again, then hit No. 1, and in the future - a member of the Grammy Hall of Fame. According to the artist's confession, his vocal style was born from the imitation of Tommy Dorsey's trombone. One way or another, but the singer Sinatra became the star of numerous radio shows, and at the same time made his debut on the big screen, so far only as the soloist of the ensemble.In 1941, he starred in the film Las Vegas Nights, a year later he appeared in the film Ship Ahoy.
In January 1942, a new chapter in Sinatra's biography opens: he holds the first independent session in the studio and records four solo numbers, one of which - Night and Day by Cole Porter (Cole Porter) - is noted in the charts. Frank left Dorsey, but for some time he was not allowed to record in the studio. But he got his own radio show Songs By Sinatra and a lot of offers to perform. On New Year's Eve, he played the first act at a Benny Goodman concert at New York's Paramount Theatre. It was the last straw that overflowed the cup: Frank Sinatra, who fused jazz, blues and swing so charmingly, in the eyes of young people embodied the ideal image of a real pop idol, who has yet to cause incredible excitement for many decades. The companies that owned the rights to his early recordings are releasing Sinatra's records in batches. For two years, his songs hit the charts one after another, two of them, created with Dorsey, become number one hits - There Are Such Thing and In the Blue of the Evening.
Finally, the management of Columbia Records offers Frank Sinatra a solo contract and harnesses him to work, recording his voice a cappella or accompanied by one choir. With all the minimalism of the arrangements, Sinatra's charm is so deadly that in a year he gives out five hits that finish in the Top 10.
In 1943, the artist became a regular participant in the popular radio cycle Your Hit Parade, sang in productions on Broadway for four months, and hosted his own program Songs by Sinatra on the radio. Then his full-fledged film career starts. In the film Reveille With Beverly, he sings the song Night and Day, and in the film Higher and Higher he gets a small role - he plays himself. He showed his acting skills to the fullest in the 1944 film Step Lively.
The taboo on audio recording that operated during the Second World War somewhat slowed down Sinatra's singing career, but in November 1944 the ban was lifted, and the singer, already lured by the MGM label, plunges into work with pleasure. To no less pleasure of the listeners, his songs are still pleasing to the ear and are always popular. During 1945 alone, eight new singles crossed the border of the American Top 10. These were compositions by various authors, including themes from musicals: If I Loved You, You "ll Never Walk Alone, Dream, Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week) and so on.
The artist has a special sympathy for the author's tandem Jules Styne (Jule Styne) and Sammy Cahn (Sammy Cahn), who, at the insistence of Sinatra, are invited to work on his first musical Anchors Aweigh. During his half-century career, Sinatra will record more songs by Kahn (a poet who worked with various composers) than any other author. The musical film Anchors Aweigh, released in the summer of 1945, became the box office leader of the year.
The next year finds the artist in the same intense pursuits: his own show on the radio, constant recordings in the studio, live concerts. He had to act in only one film (Till the Clouds Roll By), but the songs were jamb. Among the songs that finished on the first lines of the charts are the works of Irving Berlin (Irving Berlin) They Say it "s Wonderful and The Girl That I Marry, Stein and Kahn Five Minutes More. The Voice of Frank Sinatra song collection famously conquered the pop chart .
By 1947, Frank Sinatra embodied the image of America's greatest pop star. But, like a true workaholic, he did not slow down the pace of work. Radio broadcast cycles, five significant film roles, including the big-budget musical On the Town, regular targeted assaults on the song charts. Hit number one Mam "selle plus a dozen more Top 10 finalists. Two strong albums Songs by Sinatra (1947) and Christmas Songs by Sinatra (1948).
By the end of the 1940s, his popularity began to show the first signs of decline. However, he is still a welcome guest on radio (where he hosts his own show, Meet Frank Sinatra), and, with the advent of television, a rising TV star. In 1950, the singer opened The Frank Sinatra Show, a series of entertaining musical television programs that lasted two years. The filmography is replenished with an interesting role in the drama Meet Danny Wilson (1952), in which three songs were performed by him - That Old Black Magic, I "ve Got a Crush on You by Gershwin and How Deep Is the Ocean? Berlin.
The singer's relationship with Columbia's bosses was never smooth, and in the early 50s there was a serious conflict with music director Mitch Miller, who recognized the only recipe for success: completely new material and ingenious, catchy arrangements. It is clear that Sinatra hated this pursuit of fashion. Before finally leaving the label, he managed to release four hit singles, including an unusual version of the folk standard Goodnight, Irene.
Having broken with Columbia 12 years after the start of his solo career and having managed to rise to unthinkable heights of popularity during this time, Frank Sinatra is left with nothing: no contract with a label or film company, no agreements with radio or television channels. The concerts stopped, the agent left him. Moreover, in 1949, after his affair with actress Ava Gardner (Ava Gardner) received scandalous publicity, he divorced Nancy. In 1951, Gardner became his wife, but after a couple of years they separated, and in 1957 they officially divorced.
It was necessary to start all over again and agree to virtually any conditions. Sinatra agreed to cooperate with Capitol Records, which offered him a very tough contract. After a year and a half break (during this time the singer lost his voice and, according to rumors, even attempted suicide), in the summer of 1953 his name appeared again in the Top 10 with the new single I "m Walking Behind You. The next important milestone was shooting in the feature film From Here to Eternity, which tells about the events of the Second World War, Sinatra's acting art received very high praise from professionals, so much so that in March 54 the artist walked out of the Oscars with an award for best supporting actor. and in the radio play Rocky Fortune, in which he got the role of a detective.
Sinatra's new creative partner is arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle. In tandem with him, the singer recorded a number of his best works and experienced a new rise in popularity. The first No. 1 hit since 1947, Young-at-Heart soon became a pop classic. The film of 1955 had the same name, in which the actor was entrusted with the main role. The Riddle-produced Songs for Young Lovers, Sinatra's first concept work, featured classics by Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart with modern arrangements. The heartfelt performance of Sinatra, the intonation richness of his interpretation made romantic melodies and graceful lyrics play with new colors. This album, as well as Swing Easy! published in its footsteps, rose to the top five hits.
By the mid-1950s, Frank Sinatra had successfully revived his waning status as a pop star and established actor. In many ways, he enjoyed even more respect and popularity than in the mid-40s. His new single Learnin "the Blues topped the sales chart in 1955, along with the ballad collection In the Wee Small Hours, which was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The 1956 film The Tender Trap gave him not only another interesting role, but also a fresh hit Love Is The Tender Trap, written by Kahn and his new collaborator, composer James Van Heusen.
In the 50s, the artist recorded with equal vigor both slow ballads and love songs, and energetic compositions arranged for the dance floor. One of the pinnacles of this trend remains the predominantly dance album 1956 Songs for Swingin "Lovers!"
In the late 50s, Frank Sinatra, the consummate idol of the youth, had to face stiff competition from the emerging rock and roll. Rival number one was, of course,. It was impossible for a 40-year-old musician to compete with much younger and such defiantly talented artists in the fight for the hearts of teenagers. Nevertheless, it was still too early to write him off. If things weren’t perfect for him with unambiguously killer hits, then his name appeared regularly in the album rating. The compilation of singles This Is Sinatra!, released by him for the Capitol label, was noted in the top ten and received a gold certificate.
Arrangements atypical for him - a string quartet - the musician used during the recording of the LP Close to You. The album was released at the start of an eventful 1957. In the summer, his fans were already snapping up the new record A Swingin "Affair !, and in the fall they were hunting for the collection of ballads Where Are You? Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra Incredible as it may seem, all five of these LPs made it to the US Top 5 one after the other during 1957. And over time, the Christmas standards collection sold millions of copies.
With the same high bar, Frank Sinatra began the next year, 1958. Two records topped the sales chart - Come Fly with Me, dedicated to travel, and Only the Lonely, a collection of ballads awarded "gold". Two more LPs from 1958, This Is Sinatra, Volume Two, and The Frank Sinatra Story, did well on the charts.
At the same time, Sinatra laid the foundation for a collection of prestigious music awards. True, he received the first Grammy not for the content, but for the design of the Only the Lonely album. The jury noted the design and graphics of the envelope. But the trouble is the beginning. The next Grammy distribution ceremony was doubly successful for the singer: his new studio attempt Come Dance With Me! was awarded the title of the best album of the year, and Sinatra himself was crowned with laurels as the best pop vocalist.
Number two, number eight, and again number two, the 1959 albums Come Dance With Me!, Look to Your Heart, and No One Cares surpassed that bar in the sales chart. Sinatra becomes the personification of creative stability and the consistently high quality of material, performance and arrangements. The next eight releases from 1960-61 consistently feature in the US top ten. The accuracy of his hitting right on target with the fertility that only a few could afford is like science fiction. Damn charm, mesmerizing artistry and outstanding talent as an interpreter were combined with a well-thought-out market strategy. Romantic, slow collections of songs alternated with selections of energetic tracks capable of rousing even pensioners to their feet.
In the second half of the 50s, Sinatra, although he acted quite actively, sang in his films not so often. The opportunity to combine two things he loves came in the film version of Cole Porter's musical Can-Can, the soundtrack of which was another successful exhibit in the collection of his hits.
By this time, the singer was no longer satisfied with the relationship with Capitol Records. In December 1960, he created his own recording company, Reprise Records, where he spends at least half of his studio time. Hence such an abundance of releases in the early 60s (including a record six discs in 1962). Sinatra's first single, released by the Reprise label, The Second Time Around, was named the best record of the year by the organizers of the Grammy ceremony.
By the mid-60s, Sinatra began to be pretty squeezed not only (in the singles chart), but also victorious (in the album rating), which no one could compete with. Sinatra, of course, had his own regular audience, and quite a large one. Yes, and his talent still acted hypnotically. 1965-66 - the time of another rise in popularity, the third peak in his half-century career. During these two years, the singer received the Grammy award five times, which crowned two triumphal albums September of My Years and A Man and His Music (a review of his creative career), as well as two singles - It Was a Very Good Year and Strangers in the Night - immortal classics of the song genre - for the best pop vocal. The album September of My Years, a symbiosis of vocal jazz, traditional and modern pop music, famously topped the sales chart and reached platinum status.
No less rapidly than creativity, his personal life flows. The 50-year-old artist is experiencing another heartfelt passion and in 66 he marries actress Mia Farrow (Mia Farrow). A 30-year age difference is not the best soil for a happy marriage. They divorced a year later.
Until the end of the 60s, Sinatra continued to launch sound releases into the musical orbit, none of which was ignored by the public. And although in the second half of the 60s, representatives of a young galaxy of rock musicians were already breathing with might and main in his back, the 50-year-old performer had a large margin of safety. Compilation of the best tracks Greatest Hits! (1968) went platinum, and the new album Cycles, which featured songs by contemporary authors Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Webb and others, sold 500,000 copies. Another "gold" was awarded to the collection of songs My Way, specially written for Sinatra by another icon of the 60s - Paul Anka (Paul Anka).
So, heroically fighting with time, age and passing fashion, the musician celebrated his 55th birthday and in 1971 announced his retirement from the stage. But after such a rich working biography, it was beyond his strength to indulge in idleness for a long time. Two years later, he returned to the studio and at the same time on television. The fresh album and the new special TV show were called the same - Ol "Blue Eyes Is Back (Blue Eyes is the common nickname for the blue-eyed singer, which became his second "I"). Thus began the last chapter of his career, which ended shortly before his death. For these for more than two decades, he appeared in the studio much less often, acted less in films and on television, but performed much more actively, fortunately, the vast catalog provided almost inexhaustible resources for compiling any concert programs. the inhabitants of dozens of other cities and many countries of the world had a chance to see and hear a living legend of the 20th century.
His fourth and last wife was Barbara Marks, whom they married in 1976. After the album Some Nice Things I "ve Missed (1973), for seven years Sinatra preferred live performances to studio work, and only in 1980 he broke his silence with a collection of songs on three discs Trilogy: Past, Present, Future. The brightest touch on this impressive canvas turned out to be Theme From New York, New York, the title theme from the popular 1977 film New York, New York. Sinatra's performance turned this composition into a famous pop standard. Thus, Frank Sinatra was the only singer in the history of the twentieth century, the first and last a hit single which was separated by half a century.
Unbound by obligations, Sinatra had the luxury of recording as much as he saw fit. In the 1980s, he saw fit to limit himself to two reservedly received releases. In 1990, the two companies that owned the rights to the artist's catalog, Capitol and Reprise, released two box sets for his 75th anniversary. Each of the releases, The Capitol Years and The Reprise Collection, on three and four discs respectively, sold half a million copies, even though they came out at the same time.
Frank Sinatra interrupted the protracted pause only in 1993, signing a contract with Capitol Records and preparing the long-play Duets - old favorites of the public, recorded with new (and already eminent) heroes of the scene - from Tony Bennett (Tony Bennett) and Barbara Streisand (Barbara Streisand ) to Bono. Although this album did not add anything new to the already existing achievements of the musician, it was competently presented to the public, which had been waiting ten years for new recordings of their idol. Nostalgia proved to be a hot commodity: Duets became Sintara's most popular record and was certified platinum three times. The collection of selected duets Duets II, published a year later, brought the author another Grammy award for the best performance of traditional pop music. Otherwise, it was impossible to evaluate this titanic work, which brought together Streisand and Bono, Julio Iglesias and Aretha Franklin, and a dozen other stars.
Career decline. Death
In 1994 - almost 60 years after the first professional tour - 78-year-old Sinatra played his last concert. Only after celebrating his 80th birthday, in 1995, Frank Sinatra finally officially and completely retired. He did not have long to enjoy the retirement idyll. In May 1998, in Los Angeles, the life of an 82-year-old artist was cut short.
A man has left whose contribution to musical history far exceeds the scale of a single individual. The greatness of the entire array of his work is comparable only to the revolutionary whirlwind raised by
STRANGER IN THE NIGHT. FRANK SINATRA
With such a face, he could become a successful scout - it was impossible to remember him. Small, inconspicuous, with gimlets of bright eyes. But it wasn't his looks that made him successful. The guards called him Napoleon, Marlene Dietrich - "Rolls-Royce" among men, and all other grateful compatriots called him simply Voice. lived a long, turbulent, interesting life, there was everything - both ups and downs. A real American "self made man". More than one generation of people has grown up on his immortal songs, not only in America, but all over the world.
That's how it all started
A native of provincial Hoboken (New Jersey), which he himself considered a "gutter", Francis Albert Sinatra managed not to get any education, but it was said about him that he could even sing a phone book. The idol of his youth, jazz performer Bing Crosby, summed up in the mid-fifties: “Only one singer is a great singer for the whole world. His name - Sinatra».
America's first pop idol was born in 1915 in the family of a boxer and a nurse from Sicily. Nineteen-year-old Dolly was a large woman, so the baby weighed more than six kilograms, and he had to be dragged with forceps. There were no more children in the family. Maybe that's why it's small. Frank nothing was denied. Mother 
she earned money by clandestine abortions, for which she took $ 35: at that time - a decent amount. The boy grew up musical, but incapable of science and hooligans, so he was safely expelled from school. His mother placed him as a courier in a sports newspaper, but even there Frankie did not linger. From adolescence, scandalous fame never left him.
The first position that paved Sinatra the path to fame, became a chauffeur for the Hoboken trio "Three Flashes", but soon he joins the team as a singer and the ensemble changes its name to the "Four from Hoboken". Producer contract with Sinatra costs $ 25 a week: for the opportunity to sing and even see your name on posters Sinatra was willing to pay. And then, in a difficult moment, when the frenzied popularity suddenly began to leave him, he used this tried and tested tool - he performed for free.
Returning home after the first tour, Frank married a modest girl Nancy Barbato. She will be the mother of three children. Sinatra: Nancy, Frank and Christina.
One night in a roadside tavern singing Sinatra heard the head of a large jazz band Tommy Dorsey and signed a contract with Frank. At Sinatra the tympanic membrane was damaged by obstetric forceps, he did not hear well and could not read notes, but he was smart and waited in the wings. One day, watching Dorsey play the trombone, Frank I was surprised to find that he did not inhale deeply, but only slightly opened the hole in the corner of his mouth. Narrow-chested Sinatra begins to do the same, using his voice as a musical instrument. He realizes that you won’t go far with his lungs, and with furious persistence he develops them, swims in the pool for hours and achieves a good result - his voice becomes stronger and more harmonious. Fate rewards him for his efforts, he has the first fans, and on his twenty-fifth birthday, the singer releases his first disc - “Polka Dot Dress and the Rays of the Moon”. An invitation to Hollywood was not long in coming.
Five thousand letters a week for Frank Sinatra
His film debut was a role in the musical film Las Vegas Nights, where Sinatra sang his first 
real hit: "I will never smile again." Solo debut Frank in New York was deafening. By 1943 the fees Sinatra rose to 50 thousand dollars, he receives the title of the best singer of the year, rapidly acquiring fans. The manifestations of their passionate love were subject to seasonal fluctuations: in winter they shovel snow from under his boots, in warm weather they leave it on the house Sinatra traces of lipstick; indoors, they collect the ashes from his cigarettes, and in the barbershops, the remains of his cut hair. Later, two thousand fan clubs of the singer will be created all over America, and his mail will be five thousand letters a week.
He sings and acts in films, hosts television shows and radio programs. If the first film roles were offered to him in musicals, then later Sinatra becomes a real dramatic actor. His roles are varied: he plays a psychopath, a pianist, a surgeon, a sailor, a drug addict. 
And for the role of a cheerful Italian soldier Angelo Maggio, beaten to death in an army prison ("From Now and Forever"), Sinatra receives an Oscar. The same statuette was awarded to the anti-racist feature short film "The House I Live In", where he filmed for free. In 1964 Frank directed his own film "Only the Brave", for which he received a special award from the Academy. Become a legend in life Frank was honored to look at himself from the outside: in 1992, in the film "Sinatra" he was played by an actor with Russian roots, Philip Krasnoff. And in his native Hoboken, also during his lifetime, a monument was erected.
Frank Sinatra, presidents and ... the mafia
But also "cast in bronze", Sinatra felt insecure in this world. He needed "skinheads" or, at worst, members of governments to feel stronger. Or maybe connections with the powerful of this world simply injected a portion of adrenaline into his blood.
The beginning of his friendship with mafiosi dates back to the mid-1940s. When the boss of the Italian mafia in the US Lucky Luciano was deported 
to Italy Sinatra how a mafia courier smuggled $3.5 million in cash to Cuba. The calculation turned out to be correct: at the airport, the singer was surrounded by such a wall of fans that customs could not really check his case. Caught Sinatra he had never been, but he was also suspected of money laundering, connections with drug dealers, and bribing politicians.
Sinatra considered the prototype of the singer Johnny Fontaine - one of the heroes of Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather". After death Frank daughter Tina, who ran his trading business, confirmed that the mafiosi paid extra money to the owners of the clubs where he sang, invested in his advertising, costumes, and musical instruments. True, not for his blue eyes, but for a percentage of the collection.
Connections Sinatra with presidents date from the same time, and Roosevelt laid the foundation for them, inviting Frank for a cup of tea. As for the Kennedy family, they Sinatra became almost a relative, and not entirely unselfishly: his importunate dream was the post of ambassador to Italy. He organized the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy and the gala concert at his inauguration, he introduced Marilyn Monroe to the Kennedy brothers. And in 1985 Sinatra, a favorite of presidents, received the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
Black and white
with Ava Gardner
Feeling the power of the mafia and power behind you, Sinatra gave free rein to his hysterical and scandalous disposition. He especially hated journalists. Only in Australia did the unbridled Sicilian get a rebuff. After a press conference where he called all male journalists idiots, and female journalists prostitutes, "the price of which is no more than a couple of dollars", the Australians announced a silent boycott to him. Hotel clerks and waiters stared past him when he spoke to them, taxi drivers drove out from under his nose, and airport employees refused to put gasoline on his private jet. As a result, the star who interrupted the tour rolled home in disgrace after the personal intervention of members of the Australian government.
Still, his ballad songs, a fusion of jazz, blues, swing and chanson, were excellent. No wonder he was very fond of French cinema and French singers. In the mid-1960s, his "Strangers in the Night" bypassed the charts by a huge margin. Although he Sinatra didn't like this song.
As for women, despite their large number in the singer's life, they did not give him a sense of reliability. He divorced Nancy, who had three children, in the early 1950s, having met actress Ava Gardner at the premiere of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She was beautiful, famous, sassy, and used foul language incessantly. She was not inferior to him in anything - she humiliated, tyrannized, wiped her feet on him. He is not just 
endured - he was delighted. Nevertheless, they parted, moreover, on her initiative, and then Frank tried to commit suicide.
Ava never remarried, but Sinatra married twice more. Many years later, when he was in his fifties, he met nineteen-year-old actress Mia Farrow. She smoked marijuana, and he couldn't stand it. A year later, the marriage broke up, and Mia, taking only her rocking chair, went to India to meditate with hippies, and then, upon returning, she married Woody Allen. The last wife of the legendary man in 1976 was Barbara Marks.
Death without comment
He knew how to keep his nose to the wind, and even in his almost eighty years he learned to use new technical means. Last disc "Duets" Frank released in 1994. Thanks to the artificial superposition of voices Sinatra sings along with, and others, receiving another Grammy award. At the same time, his last big concert took place at the University of North Carolina. He sang with a teleprompter - memory failed, but one critic wisely remarked: “ Sinatra like the Colosseum. Partially destroyed, but still fascinating." Just celebrating the 80th anniversary Sinatra finally quite officially and already completely retired. He did not have long to enjoy the retirement idyll. In 1998, he died of a heart attack.
DATA
In the late 1950s, when Nikita Khrushchev and his wife arrived in the United States on an official visit, Sinatra was the master of ceremonies for a grand reception for distinguished guests at the 20th Century Fox studio. 400 people gathered at the dinner, and the indefatigable seducer Frank tried to take Nina Khrushcheva to Disneyland right from the reception, in which the security service prevented him.
Sinatra hated drugs. He was extraordinarily generous, often leaving tips in excess of bills. He donated a huge amount of money not to universities, which he did not finish, but to hospitals and programs for the poor - only a billion dollars.
To the 10th anniversary of death Frank Sinatra in the United States, a stamp was issued showing him wearing his famous fedora.
Updated: April 14, 2019 by: Elena
Francis Albert Sinatra is an American singer, actor, director and showman. It is considered to be one of the most influential and popular artists of the 20th century. In total, more than 150 million records with compositions performed by the singer have been sold. A true icon of the popular music of the time, predominantly in America, he was the recipient of eleven Grammy Music Awards. Known to the general public for the special timbre of his voice and lyrical style of vocal performance.
short biography
Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. Frank's parents emigrated from Italy, moving to the United States at an early age. Having settled on the east coast of the country, they began a new life in which a future star appeared. The musician's father tried many professions in America, from a loader and a bartender to a fireman and a professional boxer. Mother was a housewife, worked as a nurse for some time. Subsequently, when the future singer matured a bit, she took up political activities as the leader of the local cell of the Democratic Party.
Hoboken, where Sinatra grew up, was a city of immigrants with a fairly low standard of living. Frank never received any education. At school, he was not fascinated by natural science subjects; he also did not gravitate toward the humanities. The creative nature, which did not tolerate a rigid framework, made itself felt. From childhood, the future performer did not differ in exemplary behavior. As a result, he was expelled from school, which did not upset him much. After all, Frank's only passion was music.
The first activity that paved the way to fame was the work as a driver for the novice group "Three Flashes". Then the young man himself becomes a performer in this group, which is now called the Hoboken Four. At the time, Frank was making just over twenty dollars a week for his work. Subsequently, Sinatra recalled that he was extremely happy about this: “For the opportunity to perform on stage and see my face on posters, I myself was ready to pay extra.”
Imperceptibly began the first tour. At the same time, Frank marries a young girl from a modest family, Nancy Barbato, who will bear him three children. Their marriage lasted from 1939 to 1951. In the future, the musician married three more times. His second wife is Ava Gardner, an American actress, Hollywood star, Oscar nominee. She was married to a popular performer from 1951 to 1957. For the third time, the singer married Mia Farrow, a famous Hollywood actress. Subsequently, she often starred in the films of Woody Allen, who liked to call her his muse. This marriage lasted two years, from 1966 to 1968. The last wife of America's idol was Barbara Marks, an American model and dancer. The final marriage turned out to be the most durable and lasted from 1976 to 1998 until the death of the star. Sinatra had three children from his first marriage: daughters Nancy and Tina, and son Frank.
Interesting Facts:
- The singer had no musical education, he never learned musical notation. He was able to perform works, focusing solely on his ear.
- Sinatra was one of the show business figures who participated in the election campaign of John F. Kennedy.
- A small celestial body, discovered in 1989, was named after the musician. This is the asteroid Sinatra 7934, which is only visible through a powerful telescope.
- Frank did not graduate from any educational institution, as he was expelled from elementary school in his fourth year of study for poor academic performance and behavior.
- In 1938, the artist was briefly arrested for seducing a married woman. It was considered a crime in America at the time.
- In 1943, the musician was invited to a reception at the White House by then US President Franklin Roosevelt.
- Became a grandfather in 1974 when Nancy had a daughter. In the future, Frank had two more grandchildren.
- In 1979, during a visit by the musician to Egypt, a concert was held, which was initiated by the then President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat. It is noteworthy that this concert took place almost in front of the Sphinx and the pyramid of Cheops.
- In 1980, the singer took part in the election campaign of US presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. This happened 20 years after similar work on the election campaign of John F. Kennedy.
- 175,000 people gathered at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to listen to their favorite performer live in 1980.
- In the 80s, the artist was the face of the cult television advertisements for the resorts of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. It happened after signing a lucrative deal with Steve Wynn.
- He received one of the highest non-military awards in the United States - the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It happened in the mid 80s.
- Celebrating his 75th birthday, the singer went on a world tour in December 1990.
- On the day Sinatra died, the lights on Las Vegas Street went out, and the Empire State Building skyscraper was illuminated in blue to match the color of the cult artist's eyes.
Best songs
"New York, New York"
The composition "New York, New York" is one of Frank Sinatra's calling cards and is strongly associated with him. The history of its appearance is interesting. The theme was first heard in Martin Scorsese's New York, New York in 1977. Then it was performed by Liza Minnelli. Composer D. Kander and poet F. Ebb specially wrote a song for this tape. The single was later covered with minor changes to the lyrics by Frank Sinatra for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (Trilogy: Past Present Future).
The song's popularity grew after it was performed by the singer at the Radio City Music Hall in October 1978. In 1979, the recording for the above-named album took place. Subsequently, two more studio versions of the song performed by the musician were made: in 1981 and 1993.
To date, the single is truly cult and widely replicated by popular culture. Many public events in the New York metropolitan area are not complete without its performance. The composition is the anthem of many sports teams. For example, a song performed by Frank Sinatra plays at the end of every New York Rangers game. Also every year on New Year's Eve in Times Square in New York, this melody sounds.
"New York, New York" - listen
"My way"
The history of the composition "My way" began in 1967 in France. It was performed by Claude Francois under the title "Comme d'habitude", and a few months later covered by Sinatra with lyrics by Paul Anka. Immediately after that, the single soared to the top lines of the American and British charts. An interesting fact is that the composition is often heard at funerals. This is not accidental, since the poems are the story of a person who has gone a long way in life, in which there is no place for disappointment.
"My way" - listen
Strangers in the Night
At first, the musician himself considered the song "Strangers in the night" not very successful. Nevertheless, this work was subsequently included in the singer's new album of the same name. And as a result, a surge in popularity in 1966, which was reflected in the top positions of the popular music charts. For this album, the artist received two Grammy awards. As for the melody, perhaps everyone has heard it at least once.
"Strangers in the night" - listen
Frank Sinatra's house
The singer moved to Palm Springs in the 1940s. Then it was a small unremarkable town. Only later did it acquire the status of a fashionable resort and the traditional residence of many Hollywood stars. The construction of this house was led by the architect Stuart Williams. Subsequently, he recalled that Sinatra arrived in 1947 and said: "I want a house right here." The mansion cost its owner more than 150 thousand dollars. The musician wanted the house to be built within a few months for the new year, which was done. Frank's new home in Palm Springs witnessed Frank's married life to Nancy Barbato and Ava Gardner. The original layout and decoration of the premises has been completely preserved in the building. Currently, the owner of the property rents it out, including short-term.
Frank Sinatra's connection to the mafia
In the minds of many people, the musician appears as a popular performer, closely associated with the structures of the ethnic mafia of the mid-20th century. This was largely facilitated by the publication of the novel by Mario Puzo "The Godfather". One of the characters in the work, Johnny Fontaine, seems to be copied by the author from the image of Frank Sinatra. Perhaps there is some truth in this. After all, the future artist grew up in a fairly criminal area, populated by immigrants from southern European states. It is no secret that organized crime was present in these areas at that time, which, to one degree or another, permeated many sectors of society. This was facilitated by the Great Depression standing in the yard. The economic crisis pushed people to get involved in near-criminal schemes for earning money. At the dawn of his career, the singer repeatedly performed in nightclubs with a dubious reputation. In the future, the musician participated in a number of events, which were attended, presumably, by persons who did not quite get along with the law.
The special demeanor of Frank Sinatra on stage and in life, characteristic of representatives of many sectors of society of that time, played a role. A significant contribution to the formation of the image of a star as a person associated with the criminal world was also made by the theme of the movie in which he starred. All this in a complex complemented his artistic image with a semi-criminal tinge. It is worth saying that in the middle of the 20th century this image turned out to be winning and the singer did not refuse to use it.
Sinatra Francis "Frank" Albert (1915–1998), American singer and actor.
Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. An only child in a family of Sicilian immigrants. Anthony's father Martin Sinatra worked odd jobs, worked as a fireman, bartender, and performed in the ring. Mother Natalie (Dolly) Della (née Garaventa) was engaged in the production of clandestine abortions, for which she was twice criminally punished. She was also known as an activist of the local branch of the Democratic Party. She madly loved her son: she indulged all his whims, provided him with pocket money, etc.
He was expelled from school for disorderly behavior. For some time he worked in the editorial office of the Jersey Observer newspaper, then - at shipyards.
Decided to become a singer following the example of his idol Bing Crosby.
He first appeared before the public as part of the Hoboken For quartet. He quickly achieved success, especially among the female part of the audience.
Participated in the popular bands of Harry James, Tom Dorsey and others. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he recorded his first swing compositions (I'll Never Smile Again, Night and Day, This Love of Mine).
In 1943, S. began a solo career. Soon his popularity took all-American proportions. Crowds of thousands of Sinatra fans staged uniform riots after his concerts. There was even a movement of the so-called. Bobby soxer - teenage girls who were ready to literally pray for their idol.
Sinatra is rumored to have paid a $40,000 bribe to get a deferment from being drafted into the army during World War II. This circumstance negatively affected his reputation. In addition, at the turn of the 1950s, Sinatra suffered a vocal cord disease that nearly ended his career. However, he managed to make a triumphant return to the stage with the songs "I've Got the World on a String", "I've Got You Under My Skin" and others. Together with the group "Rat Pack" ("Rat Pack"), in which also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and John Bishop, Sinatra traveled all over America. One of his biographers wrote: “In the 1960s, Frank and his Rat Pack were the epitome of badass. Men wanted to be like them, live like them, make love like them; they wanted to have fun all night long like them, put everyone to bed and never think about the consequences.
Simultaneously with the concert activity, Sinatra was very successful in films. In 1953 he won an Academy Award for his supporting role in From Here to Eternity, and in 1955 he was nominated for The Man with the Golden Arm. Sinatra's 1959 album Come Dance with Me won two Grammy Awards. World fame brought him hits "Strangers in the Night" (1966) and "My Way" (1969). For S. firmly established the status of a superstar. The press enthusiastically called him The Chairman of the Board, Ol' Blue Eyes, The Voice.
Significantly increased the personal wealth and authority of Sinatra in society. He turned into a wealthy businessman, owner of a recording studio, hotels, casinos, an indispensable participant in various political campaigns and presidential elections.
Sinatra's personal life turned out to be very stormy. He was married four times and also had many mistresses. February 4, 1939 Sinatra married a modest Italian girl Nancy Barbato (Nancy Barbato), whom he met when he was only nineteen years old. In June 1940, their daughter Nancy was born, later a famous singer. In January 1944, the son Frank was born.
In 1946, rumors about Sinatra's Hollywood adventures with actresses Lana Turner (Lana Turner, 1921–1995) and Marilyn Maxwell (Marilyn Maxwell, 1921–1972) reached New Jersey, where N. Barbato lived with her children. She gave her husband a huge scandal and got rid of another pregnancy. Only in 1948 the third child was born in the family - daughter Tina. The couple separated two years later. The official divorce took place on October 29, 1951. Later, Sinatra admitted: "What I took for love turned out to be just a tender friendship."
It took Sinatra almost ten years to decide on a new marriage. July 19, 1966 he married actress Mia Farrow (Mia Farrow, b. February 9, 1945). It was not easy for Sinatra to find a common language with his wife, who was practically the same age as his children. In 1968, the marriage ended after M. Farrow insisted on filming Rosemary's Baby against her husband's demands.
The fourth and last wife of Sinatra was Barbara Marx (Barbara Blakeley Marx, born 1926), a dancer and ex-wife of Zeppo Marx, the youngest of the five famous comedians of the Marx Brothers group. They got married on July 11, 1976. B. Marx quite successfully supported the family hearth for over twenty years. At the request of Sinatra, she even converted to Catholicism and forgave him petty love affairs.
Sinatra enjoyed special respect among the Italian mafiosi, who supplied him with money and helped solve emerging problems. Rumors about his connections with organized crime were constantly and had good reason. In 1921, one of Sinatra's maternal uncles was convicted of armed robbery and murder. Sinatra's first wife, N. Barbato, was a cousin of one of New York gangster's chief henchmen, Willie Moretti.
Sinatra was friends with the brothers Charles and Joseph Fischetti, who controlled the hotel and gambling business in Chicago and Miami. In 1946, after the famous Charles (Lucky) Luciano was deported from the United States, Sinatra visited him twice in Italy and exchanged heartfelt New Year's greetings. He had a close friendship with the head of the Chicago crime syndicate, Sam Giancana, who always wore the sapphire ring given to him by Frank. Sinatra was constantly invited to various family celebrations hosted by mafia bosses. In 1948, Sinatra performed at the wedding of Frank Costello's daughter, who admired his singing.
The personal file of Sinatra, stored in the archives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, consists of more than two thousand pages, including, it contains information about the extortion of one hundred thousand dollars from businessman Ronald Alpert. However, official accusations against Sinatra have never been made. Scandalous revelations in the press, rather, on the contrary, contributed to the growth of his popularity. Sinatra received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 1995. Sinatra has received a total of eleven Grammy Awards for his creative achievements.
On May 14, 1998, Sinatra died of a heart attack at a Los Angeles clinic. Hundreds of fans, including movie and show business stars, saw him off on his last journey. He was buried next to his parents in a secluded cemetery in Ramon Road.
Rolling Stone magazine named Sinatra the greatest pop singer of the 20th century. Sinatra's star was laid on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Frank Sinatra was the inspiration for Johnny Fontaine, a character in Mario Puzo's The Godfather. In 2008, the US Post Office issued a stamp commemorating the tenth anniversary of the singer's death.
