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Frank Sinatra, 1915-1998
Hailed as "the first modern pop superstar," Frank Sinatra also found favor with jazz enthusiasts who valued his enduring sense of "swing." Sinatra launched his singing career in his native New Jersey, and scored a breakthrough in 1939 when an engagement at a local nightclub led to his recruitment as a vocalist with Harry James's big band. Six months later, he switched to Tommy Dorsey's orchestra where, backed by the Pied Pipers, he recorded his first chart-topping single -- "I'll Never Smile Again" (1940). A string of hits followed, and in 1942 Sinatra embarked on a solo career that flourished for several years before suffering a steep decline. An Oscar-winning role in the film From Here to Eternity (1953) helped revive his fortunes, as did a contract with Capitol Records. No longer a young crooner, Sinatra now expressed a hipness and worldly sophistication in his singing that was perfectly in tune with the times. |