Posted on 03/25/2022 2:38:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It’s a well-known fact that outlaw country hero Willie Nelson is a “huge” fan of the iconic crooner Frank Sinatra. Famously, the duo collaborated for a string of shows in Las Vegas. Showing just how far Nelson had risen since his humble Texas beginnings, Sinatra even opened for him in 1984 at the Golden Nugget Casino.
However, Nelson has admitted that he holds one regret from his friendship with the ‘My Way’ legend.
The friendship of Sinatra and Nelson first blossomed out of mutual love for the other’s craft. “Practically everything he’s recorded, I’ve loved it. I’m a huge Sinatra fan,” Nelson told Today.
When you stop to think about it, there are many parallels in the vocal delivery of both figures. Nelson’s vocal delivery contains the dulcet, powerful hues of Sinatra, which undoubtedly came from him repeatedly trying to emulate his idol as a young upstart.
Nelson has even covered Sinatra songs over the past, and of singing his hero’s songs: “I don’t think anybody expected me to sound like Frank, even though I wish I could. I don’t have that good of a voice.”
Sinatra was reciprocal in his love for Nelson. Per an account in AARP, he was known to label Nelson, his favourite musician after hearing his critically acclaimed 1978 album, Stardust, which features moments such as ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Moonlight in Vermont’. During that same interview with The View, Nelson happily said that receiving praise from Sinatra is “as good as it gets”.
However, Nelson doesn’t remember all of his time with Sinatra so happily. His regret came after one of the life-affirming shows in Las Vegas, where Nelson was forced to forgo an opportunity that many have dreamed of.
“One night we played a show in Vegas, and he invited me by his place to hang out, and I couldn’t,” Nelson revealed to Today. “I had to get on a bus and go to LA, and I always regretted that I didn’t get to hang out with Frank.”
It’s unclear what pressing issue was pulling Nelson to Los Angeles, as anyone in their right mind would have dropped what they were doing in an instant, and headed straight over to Sinatra’s place. To have been in the company of Sinatra was one thing, but to be invited to his place to hang out is a different matter entirely.
We can only presume that whatever Nelson had to do was serious. To kick back with Sinatra and be regaled of the swinging days of the Rat Pack would have been incredible. There’s no wonder that Nelson kicks himself.
Listen to Willie Nelson’s cover of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ below.
Some celebrity didn’t get to go party with another celebrity decades ago, and this is news?
Gak~
i’ll never smoke weed with willie again... 😎
I can’t see Frank hanging out, getting all doped up with Willie’s stash. Willie Nelson did do a great album of pop classics back in the 70s. Stardust is a fantastic album.
That’s no celebrity! That’s Willie!
I found it interesting; but I’m a geek for all things Texas music.
Silly.
When you are a musician and you are contracted to play a show, you do it. The Show Must Go On. End of subject. Frank would not only have understood, *any* musician, any entertainer, except the most unprofessional and drug-addled knows you gotta get on the road, or on the plane, or on stage, regardless of opportunity, personal tragedy, or any other circumstances
From what I have read about Sinatra, back in the 1950’s at the height of his fame, Frank had a custom of calling his buddies up late into the night and going to clubs or drinking and playing cards.
Most of his group, Peter Lawford (for a while)
Joey Bishop (for a while) and Sammy Davis were quick to drop everything and rush over to Frank’s place, keep him company for a few hours.
One of the few who would at times ‘just say no’ to those midnight invites was Deam Martin. Dean liked to be alone most nights and quiet down. If Frank had a problem with that, Oh Well.
Never cared for Nelson or Sinatra.
Yes, I read Martin did not like a lot of loud parties, but his wife and others did. But he was known to call the police pretending to be a neighbor to have them shut down parties at his house.
Well, how about that? Two “entertainers” who sang off-key praising each other!
Did they even realize each other’s shortcomings as “singers?”
Ha-ha! I doubt if Dean made those phone calls while trying to disguise his voice. There was no way to disguise that famous bourbon-smooth baritone with a twist of Steubenville, Ohio.
Maybe the police knew it was him.
“Never cared for Nelson or Sinatra.”
You cared enough to click on this thread and even post!
“Well, how about that? Two “entertainers” who sang off-key praising each other!
Did they even realize each other’s shortcomings as “singers?””
What is your problem?
Frank Sinatra was a pretty good Bing Crosby impersonator. (More or less he said that.)
Yeah, exactly. And it was written like a cliffhanger.
I like Dave Alvin's cover.
Old Blue Eyes prefered three ice cubes, two fingers of Jack Daniel's, and one splash of water.
Yes I did!
I have no problems. Maybe I should explain:
Having been a submarine sonarman in the 60s, I was almost addicted to audio of any kind and electronics. After the military, I became a B.S. E.E. ( Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineer. )
In the late 80s - early 90s I had a small, audio studio. It was not for people to record their music. Rather, it was for my own, personal analysis of any kind of audio but mostly recorded music as well as underwater sounds of any kind.
My spectrum analyzer told me that Sinatra sang off-key for the recordings of Sinatra’s music I had at the time. I ‘beat,’ if you know what that means, electronically speaking, Sinatra’s voice against the ‘notes’ being played by the musicians. He sang almost all of the music off-key, according to my spectrum analyzer. I believed and still do believe the spectrum analyzer and not my ears. At the time I had print-outs of these analyses but in 1993 we had a house fire which destroyed all of the equipment as well as the print-outs. I did not replace any of it because I had started my own small, computer company and had not room for the computer shop and the audio studio.
I know that anyone who would or has done the same tests would tell you them same thing. I have simply imparted the results of my analysis, without judgment.
I had done this same analysis with other singers of the those days, also.
The same is true of Willie Nelson. Electronics do not lie. What else can I say?
If you were offended then the offense was committed by the spectrum analyzer. ;-)
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