Sinatra At The Sands - Album

Francis Albert Sinatra December 12 1915 – May 14 1998 Was An American Singer Actor And Producer Who Was One Of The Most Popular And Influential Musical Artists Of The 20th Century. He Is One Of The Best-Selling Music Artists Of All Time Having Sold More Than 150 Million Records Worldwide. Born In Hoboken New Jersey To Italian Immigrants Sinatra Began His Musical Career In The Swing Era With Bandleaders Harry James And Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra Found Success As A Solo Artist After He Signed With Columbia Records In 1943 Becoming The Idol Of The "bobby Soxers". He Released His Debut Album The Voice Of Frank Sinatra In 1946. Sinatra's Professional Career Had Stalled By The Early 1950s And He Turned To Las Vegas Where He Became One Of Its Best Known Residency Performers As Part Of The Rat Pack. His Career Was Reborn In 1953 With The Success Of From Here To Eternity With His Performance Subsequently Winning An Academy Award And Golden Globe Award For Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra Released Several Critically Lauded Albums Including In The Wee Small Hours 1955 Songs For Swingin' Lovers! 1956 Come Fly With Me 1958 Only The Lonely 1958 And Nice 'n' Easy 1960 . Sinatra Left Capitol In 1960 To Start His Own Record Label Reprise Records And Released A String Of Successful Albums. In 1965 He Recorded The Retrospective September Of My Years Starred In The Emmy-Winning Television Special Frank Sinatra A Man And His Music And Released The Tracks "Strangers In The Night" And "My Way". After Releasing Sinatra At The Sands Recorded At The Sands Hotel And Casino In Vegas With Frequent Collaborator Count Basie In Early 1966 The Following Year He Recorded One Of His Most Famous Collaborations With Tom Jobim The Album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It Was Followed By 1968's Collaboration With Duke Ellington. Sinatra Retired For The First Time In 1971 But Came Out Of Retirement Two Years Later And Recorded Several Albums And Resumed Performing At Caesars Palace And Reached Success In 1980 With "New York New York". Using His Las Vegas Shows As A Home Base He Toured Both Within The United States And Internationally Until A Short Time Before His Death In 1998. Sinatra Forged A Highly Successful Career As A Film Actor. After Winning An Academy Award For From Here To Eternity He Starred In The Man With The Golden Arm 1955 And Received Critical Acclaim For His Performance In The Manchurian Candidate 1962 . He Appeared In Various Musicals Such As On The Town 1949 Guys And Dolls 1955 High Society 1956 And Pal Joey 1957 Winning Another Golden Globe For The Latter. Toward The End Of His Career He Became Associated With Playing Detectives Including The Title Character In Tony Rome 1967 . Sinatra Would Later Receive The Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award In 1971. On Television The Frank Sinatra Show Began On ABC In 1950 And He Continued To Make Appearances On Television Throughout The 1950s And 1960s. Sinatra Was Also Heavily Involved With Politics From The Mid-1940s And Actively Campaigned For Presidents Such As Harry S. Truman John F. Kennedy And Ronald Reagan Though Before Kennedy's Death Sinatra's Alleged Mafia Connections Led To His Being Snubbed. While Sinatra Never Formally Learned How To Read Music He Had An Impressive Understanding Of It And He Worked Very Hard From A Young Age To Improve His Abilities In All Aspects Of Music. A Perfectionist Renowned For His Dress Sense And Performing Presence He Always Insisted On Recording Live With His Band. His Bright Blue Eyes Earned Him The Popular Nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes". Sinatra Led A Colorful Personal Life And Was Often Involved In Turbulent Affairs With Women Such As With His Second Wife Ava Gardner. He Went On To Marry Mia Farrow In 1966 And Barbara Marx In 1976. Sinatra Had Several Violent Confrontations Usually With Journalists He Felt Had Crossed Him Or Work Bosses With Whom He Had Disagreements. He Was Honored At The Kennedy Center Honors In 1983 Was Awarded The Presidential Medal Of Freedom By Ronald Reagan In 1985 And The Congressional Gold Medal In 1997. Sinatra Was Also The Recipient Of Eleven Grammy Awards Including The Grammy Trustees Award Grammy Legend Award And The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. After His Death American Music Critic Robert Christgau Called Him "the Greatest Singer Of The 20th Century" And He Continues To Be Seen As An Iconic Figure. Sinatra Died With His Wife At His Side At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center In Los Angeles On May 14 1998 Aged 82 After A Heart Attack. Sinatra Had Ill Health During The Last Few Years Of His Life And Was Frequently Hospitalized For Heart And Breathing Problems High Blood Pressure Pneumonia And Bladder Cancer. He Was Further Diagnosed As Having Dementia. He Had Made No Public Appearances Following A Heart Attack In February 1997. Sinatra's Wife Encouraged Him To "fight" While Attempts Were Made To Stabilize Him And His Final Words Were "I'm Losing." Sinatra's Daughter Tina Later Wrote That She And Her Sister Nancy Had Not Been Notified Of Their Father's Final Hospitalization And It Was Her Belief That "the Omission Was Deliberate. Barbara Would Be The Grieving Widow Alone At Her Husband's Side." The Night After Sinatra's Death The Lights On The Empire State Building In New York City Were Turned Blue The Lights At The Las Vegas Strip Were Dimmed In His Honor And The Casinos Stopped Spinning For A Minute. Sinatra's Funeral Was Held At The Roman Catholic Church Of The Good Shepherd In Beverly Hills California On May 20 1998 With 400 Mourners In Attendance And Thousands Of Fans Outside. Gregory Peck Tony Bennett And Sinatra's Son Frank Jr. Addressed The Mourners Who Included Many Notable People From Film And Entertainment. Sinatra Was Buried In A Blue Business Suit With Mementos From Family Members—cherry-Flavored Life Savers Tootsie Rolls A Bottle Of Jack Daniel's A Pack Of Camel Cigarettes A Zippo Lighter Stuffed Toys A Dog Biscuit And A Roll Of Dimes That He Always Carried—next To His Parents In Section B-8 Of Desert Memorial Park In Cathedral City California. His Close Friends Jilly Rizzo And Jimmy Van Heusen Are Buried Nearby. The Words "The Best Is Yet To Come" Plus "Beloved Husband & Father" Are Imprinted On Sinatra's Grave Marker. Significant Increases In Recording Sales Worldwide Were Reported By Billboard In The Month Of His Death. read less