My Father and Sinatra
I never really wrote something about my dad except fictionally which is based upon true events.
You may not know this, but in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s, my father was often mistaken for Frank Sinatra. Like many men of his generation, he emulated the personal style of Frank Sinatra…the way he dressed and carried himself. He told me at one time he had gone to a Manhatten night club with my mother and the owner came up to him and asked him to sing…thinking he was Mr. Sinatra. Now the thing is, my father did sing with Frank’s recordings and as a salesman he played them when he drove, and he was always running into Sam Goody to see what was available on vinyl or tape. Later on I exposed him to compact discs…that was it for him! He was hooked…I asked him if he ever got to see Frank in person. He said he went to see him at the Paramount Theater and he often told me about Sinatra’s comeback after “From Here To Eternity”…how he was the greatest entertainer in show business. He used to teach me about all of the great song writers and arrangers and musicians of that era. I loved those men…especially Nelson Riddle, Gordan Jenkins, Axel Stordhal, Billy May, Johnny Mandel, Neal Hefti, Sy Oliver, Quincy Jones, and Don Costa. He not only taught me about his artistry as vocalist, we loved his humor. Dad would light up if I played a DVD of a classic Sinatra performance. I guess we shared that in common.
As a side note, my father had a cousin who played for Sinatra as a studio musician. I couldn’t believe I found him listed as a trombone player for “Our Love Is Here to Stay.” He also was a vocalist for Ray Anthony…Dick Noel. “Count Every Star” was his biggest hit as a vocalist.
If you asked my father about when he found music, he discovered it at fourteen. His said a little girl he had a crush on played a record for him. My dad said, “What is that?” She said, “That’s music.” It was a 78 recording of “Deep Purple” by Artie Shaw with the beautiful Helen Forrest as the vocalist. My dad asked Helen to go out with him…but that’s another story, for another time…
(I am not posting a picture of FS and my dad in sailor suits…they both were 120 lbs.!)
My Father and Frank Sinatra
Mr. S.
Comments