When considering the greatness of Frank Sinatra--both as an individual and in the music he created--it is important to place his achievements within the context of the man's life. It is easy to forget that there was a time when he wasn't 'The Chairman of the Board' and when he wasn't regarded as the greatest male popular vocalist in history. There was a time when he was just another washed up teen idol trying to figure out a way to jump start his career and continue collecting a paycheck for being a singer. And then there were his personal problems--the love of his life, Ava Gardner had left him, his vocal chords were shredded from overuse, and he was on the skids financially as well as no longer in demand professionally. Frank recalled this time in his life by saying "It was all Mondays."
Not only was Sinatra's career in shambles, but the A&R people at Columbia Records had no clue what to do about it. The low point of their efforts was an attempt to reinvent the greatest popular singer in history as a 'novelty act' by pairing him with producer Mitch Miller. The most wretched by-product for their brief working relationship was a song called 'Mama Will Bark', on which Sinatra shared the mic with a busty singer named Dagmar while some clown barked like a dog and howled in the background. After these dismal recordings failed to jumpstart his career Sinatra was dropped by Columbia records in 1952.
In 1953, June Hutton and Jo Stafford brought him to the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Dave Dexter, Jr. This led to a deal with the label, which began an era that many 'Sinatra-philes' consider his best work. Frank worked with Axel Stordahl (June Hutton's husband, with whom he had worked at Columbia) and these sessions produced some decent recordings, including "I'm Walking Behind You" and "Lean Baby", but nothing incredibly significant. Dexter wanted Frank to try something different, and with Stordahl leaving to accept a job with Eddie Fisher in New York, he agreed reluctantly to a pairing with Nelson Riddle.
The Riddle/Sinatra collaboration was an unabashed success. Their early sessions produced among other songs "I've Got The World On The String" which is something of a 'shot heard round the world' for Sinatra's career and popular music in general. The well known standard was given new vibrancy with Riddle's buoyant arrangement and Sinatra's new found vocal maturity. The song was only a modest commercial success at the time, reaching #14 on the single charts, but became a classic. It was also a favorite of Sinatra himself, and he continued to perform the song live, frequently as a show opener, for the rest of his life.
When examined in a modern context, Sinatra's career 'reinvention' is almost mind boggling. It's difficult to envision a star of today popular with the teenage set--like The Jonas Brothers for example--becoming accepted as a serious vocalist for adults. Sinatra not only became a critical and popular sensation, but would go down in history as arguably the most important entertainer ever in American popular culture. None of this would have happened were it not for the magical pairing of Sinatra with Nelson Riddle. - 23815
Not only was Sinatra's career in shambles, but the A&R people at Columbia Records had no clue what to do about it. The low point of their efforts was an attempt to reinvent the greatest popular singer in history as a 'novelty act' by pairing him with producer Mitch Miller. The most wretched by-product for their brief working relationship was a song called 'Mama Will Bark', on which Sinatra shared the mic with a busty singer named Dagmar while some clown barked like a dog and howled in the background. After these dismal recordings failed to jumpstart his career Sinatra was dropped by Columbia records in 1952.
In 1953, June Hutton and Jo Stafford brought him to the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Dave Dexter, Jr. This led to a deal with the label, which began an era that many 'Sinatra-philes' consider his best work. Frank worked with Axel Stordahl (June Hutton's husband, with whom he had worked at Columbia) and these sessions produced some decent recordings, including "I'm Walking Behind You" and "Lean Baby", but nothing incredibly significant. Dexter wanted Frank to try something different, and with Stordahl leaving to accept a job with Eddie Fisher in New York, he agreed reluctantly to a pairing with Nelson Riddle.
The Riddle/Sinatra collaboration was an unabashed success. Their early sessions produced among other songs "I've Got The World On The String" which is something of a 'shot heard round the world' for Sinatra's career and popular music in general. The well known standard was given new vibrancy with Riddle's buoyant arrangement and Sinatra's new found vocal maturity. The song was only a modest commercial success at the time, reaching #14 on the single charts, but became a classic. It was also a favorite of Sinatra himself, and he continued to perform the song live, frequently as a show opener, for the rest of his life.
When examined in a modern context, Sinatra's career 'reinvention' is almost mind boggling. It's difficult to envision a star of today popular with the teenage set--like The Jonas Brothers for example--becoming accepted as a serious vocalist for adults. Sinatra not only became a critical and popular sensation, but would go down in history as arguably the most important entertainer ever in American popular culture. None of this would have happened were it not for the magical pairing of Sinatra with Nelson Riddle. - 23815
About the Author:
David Glisan is a freelance writer covering MMA and boxing. He is also the music editor for The Savage Science, a website covering both MMA and music, and is a published expert on both heavy metal and jazz. He contributes to many MMA news websites and provides UFC news for the broadcast and online sports media. He's also a published expert on boxing, pro wrestling and falconry.
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