Posted on 04/14/2012 6:21:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
As the BBC quest to find The Voice goes on, the original and the best singer given that title was Frank Sinatra, says Richard Havers.
Seventy years ago, on a November evening in 1942, Robert A. Weitman, one of the most influential men in American entertainment had been persuaded to drive out from Manhattan to Newark, New Jersey, to check out the singer who had recently left Tommy Dorsey’s band to go solo.
According to Weitman, who was the manager of the prestigious Paramount Theatre on 43rd Street and Broadway at Times Square in New York City, not since Rudy Vallee had he seen a singer who induced so much squealing from young girls in an audience. The singer was Frank Sinatra.
Weitman was impressed enough to offer Sinatra a booking at the Paramount on a show to be headlined by Benny Goodman – one of the most popular bandleaders in America. They were booked into the theatre for four weeks from December 30th 1942 to play the tried and tested formula of a 2 for 1 show that included a movie – in this case, Star Spangled Rhythm starring Victor Moore and Betty Hutton – along with live entertainment featuring ‘theKing of Swing’, Benny Goodman and his famous Orchestra, his young vocalist, Peggy Lee, and the Radio Rogues along with Moke and Poke providing the laughs. Frank Sinatra, who had turned 27 a couple of weeks earlier was included as an extra-added attraction and billed as, ‘The Voice That Has Thrilled Millions’.
On the opening night, after Benny had worked his way through numbers including ‘Taking A Chance on Love’, his theme song, ‘Let’s Dance’ and Peggy had sung ‘Why Don’t you Do Right’ it was time for Frank. Benny Goodman’s introduction could not have been more low key, “
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
My son sings in a men’s choir; has for years. One day I asked him who the greatest male vocalist was and he immediately responded that it was Sinatra.
He pointed out that his pitch is perfect; every note is spot-on. He told me to listen to the details of his singing. I have, and enjoy him even more.
About that time, Dad mentioned an incident involving Sinatra that soured him on the guy. It may have taken place during the convention; I don't recall exactly.
Old Sam Rayburn was speaker of the House and LBJ's political mentor. He approached Sinatra in his customary glad-hander way, and reportedly Sinatra rudely brushed him off. Dad said that Sinatra had said "Get your filthy hands off me," or something presumably to that effect.
The Sinatra-Rayburn incident from Dad may have influenced my taste, or lack thereof, for Sinatra; I did not for many years pay much attention to him.
However, I did continue in the devlopment of my appreciation of music, influenced by my parents and older siblings; various (but not all) kinds.
Over the many years since 1960, I certainly heard my share of Sinatra’s music and also my share of stories about Sinatra the performer and the man. At length, I have come concur with the high esteem in which the world holds his art.
Just recently, I heard a very early recording of Sinatra; must have been pre-1940. Interestingly, his singing did not yet stand out from the crowd, at least to my ears. He was just starting out on the road to his unique mature style.
Among male solo vocalists, alongside Sinatra I would place Martin, Cole, Bennett, and Tormé.
Interesting.To have been a fly on the wall...
For nonstop boorishness by Not-So-Hotra, check out the 1986 unauthorized bio “His Way”. People caught reading it in public in New Jersey often got beaten up.
I will always owe the. Stooges for teaching me the alphabet.
The movie wasn’t bad. You just have to like the Stooge’s style.
It could have been less crude, but it delivered what it promised. Still, I’ll stick with the original shorts.
Well, that belonged on another thread, sorry!
I used to be a bigger Sinatra fan. This bothers big fans i know, but I find post comeback Sinatra to be too maudlin and well into self parody. It just isn’t my taste.
We saw it yesterday. It was okay. I thought the Moe character did a pretty good job with the voice. Some of the sequences, such as when they thought the guy was messing with the sisters and they took care of him, simply underscored what a huge degree of physical talent the original guys had. The overall plot was okay. It wasn’t any more unbelievable than anything else out there. I liked the extreme level of loyalty they showed each other and the nuns and their wanting to do the right thing, however unclear they were about exactly what that meant. It was also pretty funny that they put Jersey Shores on an appropriate intellectual level.
Smart kid! He’s right. Every note is just pure. To me it’s the smoothness of the transitions between notes that makes him the best. It’s just silky. Not to mention great songwriting and lyrics. Just the epitome of cool.
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