Frank Sinatra would be 100 years old December 12, 2015. He is not really of our era, but of the GG (great grandparent) era as a singer. I remember our GG (great grandmother) telling us how she skipped school to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount when she was in high school. Every time the media shows the picture of the screaming teenage girls, I scan for her face. But, although we may consider that Frank Sinatra is not of our era, he is. Frank Sinatra is immortal. When our GG (great grandfather, my father) was ill and in a wheelchair, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Liza Minnelli were coming to perform together in South Florida. Grandpa and I got tickets for all the GGs. We took them to the show. It was a memory that also lives forever.
Our grandchildren may learn a lot by their introduction to Frank Sinatra on his centennial. It gives us an opportunity to share family memories, as Frank Sinatra is intertwined in our generational lives. And, our grandchildren have been recently introduced to him. Sofia Vergara’s wedding song was “The Way You Look Tonight,” a Sinatra classic. I bet the newlyweds wished they could have him singing to them. Here’s the original version on You Tube:
Also, according to the Sun Sentinel, November 11, 2015, “Honoring Old blue eyes: Lady Gaga and Celine Dion have been added to the list of performers singing in the honor a friend Sinatra’s centennial next month. Zac Brown and henry Connick Junior will also perform at Sinatra 100 and all star Grammy concert on December 12, in Las Vegas, The recording Academy announced Tuesday. Sinatra, who died on in 1998 at 82 would’ve turned 100 on December 12. Previously announced performers include Garth Brooks, Tony Bennett, Carrie Underwood, Alicia keys, John legend, Adam Levine and Usher.” Our grandchildren may not know Frank Sinatra, but they surely know these performers who are honoring him. If you miss it, try On Demand and other sources to watch it with your grandchildren.
In addition, the New York Times, Back Story, October 21, 2015, gives us information about Frank Sinatra to share with our grandchildren. If you live near New York, you can take the grandchildren to the Grammy Museum:
“Celebrations for the centennial of Frank Sinatra’s birth get into full swing, so to speak, today in Los Angeles with two posthumous Grammy awards for the singer known as “the Chairman of the Board,” “the Voice” or “Ol’ Blue Eyes.”
“These awards – unlike the nine Grammies he received before his death in 1998 at age 82 – are bestowed by the Grammy Museum, which today also opens the exhibit “Sinatra: An American Icon.” New recordings, a special Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select whiskey blend and even an app (Frank Sinatra 100) are also part of this year’s observances.”
“Sinatra, who had more than a dozen Top 40 hits, mostly in the 1960s, was born Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J. He holds the record – 57 – for the most albums to make the Billboard 200.(The Hoboken Historical Museum has its own exhibit, “Frank Sinatra: The Man, the Voice and the Fans.”). The Grammy Museum exhibit, which debuted at Lincoln Center in New York earlier this year, is open until the next Grammy Awards, in February. It includes a re-creation of Sinatra’s favorite Studio A at Capitol Records in Hollywood, his original paintings, and many personal effects from the Sinatra family’s personal archives. His signature fedora is there.” Wikipedia fills in the blanks with information we probably know, but do not remember: “Frank Sinatra was an American jazz and traditional pop singer, songwriter, actor, producer and director, who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide. . . .Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), and towards the end of his career he became associated with playing detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967).”
Each of us has a wonderful Frank Sinatra song we love. Just go to www.youtube.com and find yours to share with the grandchildren. This Grandma picked Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Liza Minnelli and a “New York Medley” on YouTube to share that which their GGs saw and loved: Frank Sinatra recorded ‘New York, New York,” in 1980, and it was a top 40 hit. We grandmas can remember that wonderful song. You Tube has Frank Sinatra singing the song in a live performance which shows his amazing personality and delivery on stage.
And for those Frank Sinatra fans, according to the New York Times, September 29, 2015, there is a new treat in store in honor of his centennial. This would make a great holiday gift for the GGs in our life. Buy at Amazon:
“Titled “Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955),” the collection from Legacy Recordings includes 91 previously unreleased performances recorded during the height of Sinatra’s popularity.
“The 4-CD box set contains more than 100 songs and focuses on Sinatra’s work on the radio, tracing his career from his early New Jersey beginnings through his move to Vegas and subsequent career rebirth in the early `50s. His first-ever radio performance, “S-H-I-N-E” with the Hoboken Four in 1935, is included, as well as duets with Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman and Doris Day.”
“The recordings were pulled from Sinatra’s collection, as well as the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the Paley Center for Media. The recording engineer Andreas Meyer and the producer Charles L. Granata remastered and restored the original glass and aluminum radio transcription discs and magnetic tape masters to high-resolution quality.”
Frank Sinatra in modern high-resolution quality. He would be pleased.
Joy,
Mema
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