Frank+Sinatra

=Introduction= “May you live to be a hundred, and may the last voice you hear be mine”, (Lehman). Frank Sinatra was a memorable singer and actor. Sinatra was widely known, not only for his smooth and flirtatious voice, but also for his controversial life. He knew how to make the women love him, and the men want to kill him. Singers of today still try to embody his unique style, but no one can compare to his amazing work. All in all, everybody either wanted him, or wanted to be him. =Personal Background= Frank Sinatra was born on December 12th of 1915(Brown). Frank Sinatra lived in rather harsh conditions. Frank was born in Hoboken, New Jersey and lived there for most of his life. Frank and his family suffered during the Great Depression, just as other people had suffered during that period of time (Kit). As Frank grew, he became more and more intrigued with music. Frank started off by performing in small clubs (Nelson). As Frank escalated, he began to get noticed, and soon after, started performing with big bands. Frank began touring with a big band with a low budget, and had to sleep on the bus (Ruth). After a while, Frank grew tired of performing with this band, and went solo in 1942 (Lehman). Frank’s popularity was soon off the charts. People began to think of Frank as a pop classic (Ruth). He was so popular that he became extremely close with the Kennedys (Brown). The only direction Frank was going, was up. He had thirty one gold records, and was bestowed with a plethora of honors (Kit). Along the way, Frank had some difficulty keeping his popularity. Frank was tied to mobs and to a gangster named Lucky Luciano, who was known for his notoriety. Frank got out of the mobs afterwards since he was a close friend of President Kennedy (Brown). Frank had a long lasting career that spanned for over fifty years. Frank ended his career for good in 1994 (Heller). Frank later died on May 14, 1998 (Lehman). Most people claim that his best work was from 1953 to 1961 (Lehman). Frank was a man who was truly able to master his voice and music (Nelson). =Personality Traits= Frank Sinatra was an amazing singer, and an indomitable man. Sinatra was a highly powerful man who had an enormous attitude (Nelson). He was an honest man who really did not care what people thought of him (Brown). A great aspect of Sinatra was that he was an incredibly hard worker. Sinatra got what he wanted by working for it (Lehman). Frank Sinatra had quite a contradicting personality (Lehman). At times, Sinatra would be recognized as an emotionless womanizer, and at other times, people believed that he could melt the coldest of hearts (Heller). He was a redoubtable man who was undeniably legendary (Brown). Sinatra often had people doubt their respect for him because of his frequent occurrences at various parties (Lehman). Frank Sinatra was very socially active throughout his life (Kit). It is amazing how incredibly influential Sinatra was, and how he still influences the artists of today. He had an impeccable craftsmanship and was highly dedicated to every word he sang (Ruth). Sinatra had so much charisma, he would be able to bring everyone to their feet (Brown). No one else can even pretend to be as amazing as Sinatra. Although many people appreciated his music, he was very unappreciative of artists who tried to copy other artists’ style (Nelson). Frank Sinatra can only be described as Frank Sinatra (Brown). =Obstacles= Frank Sinatra had to overcome many struggles. There was a plethora of controversy with Sinatra. He was tied to many organized crimes (Kit). Sinatra being tied to gangs made his sales fluctuate (Nelson). Him being tied to notorious gangsters was not the only thing that made him lose sales. People seemed to be growing tired of Frank Sinatra. Teenagers wanted cool, hip music, and they believed that his music was too parental. Sinatra's popularity went down because people started to hate him. The more he tried, the harder it was for him to produce a successful album (Nelson). Sinatra's albums did not sell well for one whole year (Lehman). Sinatra suffered throughout his career. He began to have trust issues and comfort issues (Kit). To make matters worse, he had a plethora of marriages that did not last long. Sinatra slowly began to lose everything. He lost his wives, his voice, which then led him to lose his fans (Lehman). Frank Sinatra soon after grew depressed, and he hoped that this was all just a small bump in the road (Kit). =Historical Significance= Frank Sinatra influenced the lives of many people. He was a radio phenomenon of the 1930s and was undeniably one of the world’s greatest entertainers. Frank left a marvelous legacy, from his unique and flirtatious singing style, to his on stage persona (Brown). Many singers of today refer to Sinatra’s music to recreate it as their own. An abundance of musicians owe their careers to Sinatra (Ruth). Sinatra took the world by storm in one swift move. People all around the world craved to have, just a taste, of his music (Ruth). Numerous amounts of people recognized Sinatra as “The Voice” in the 1940s (Lehman). He was a part of many people’s lives and impacted all of them. Frank stuck the world’s consciousness immensely (Heller). Frank Sinatra was a very inventive artist. Sinatra introduced a new style of music that no one had ever heard before. He created singing familiar numbers in unfamiliar ways (Nelson). Large amounts of people looked up to Sinatra. He had become America’s new model for masculinity (Lehman). Sinatra’s popularity was surprising since young people considered his music to be heard by old people (Nelson). Frank Sinatra left a great impact in the music world. Frank Sinatra is still very alive, even though he is very dead. A plethora of people still remember Sinatra’s extraordinary voice. He did it all; from being the first male artist to provoke female hysteria, to winning many Oscars for his acting (Brown). People loved Sinatra so much, they decided to build a Frank Sinatra Memorial Park in his hometown(Heller). Every New Year, in Times Square, Frank’s famous song “New York, New York” is traditionally played and sung along to (Ruth). People have and always will love Frank Sinatra. In conclusion, Sinatra was one of the most influential artists of all time. He is admired by rock singers and many other singers as well. Although nobody liked his "old people" music at first, people soon began to idolize him (Nelson). Frank Sinatra's music and legacy will never be forgotten. As short as Frank Sinatra was, he sure did make a gigantic mark in music history. media type="youtube" key="sHm-WCrKfrs" width="576" height="352" Young Frank Sinatra singing one of his most popular songs, "Luck Be a Lady" live. =References= Brown, David."The Fabulous Frank." Town and Country Monthly. 01 Aug. 2005: 98. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #6 Heller, Dick."Sinatra's enduring legacy." Human Events. 28 Jul. 2003: 26. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #2 Kit, Borys., Fernandez, Jay A.."Ol' Blue Eyes is back." Hollywood Reporter. 14 May. 2009: 1. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #1 Lehman, David."Frankophilia: Why Sinatra is our greatest singer, period." American Heritage. 01 Nov. 2002: 30. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #4 Nelson, Michael."New Sinatras; Swing, Swagger, and Sadness." Popular Music and Society 4(2004):523. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #5 Ruth, Jim."Separating Sinatra from the Pack; Big band tour celebrates the music of the singer who did it his way.." Sunday News; Lancaster, Pa.. 10 Mar. 2002: H1. eLibrary. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. SE #3