In A Man And His Music, the ‘man’ refers to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, the one and only Mr Frank Sinatra. If you are going to pay tribute to one of music’s most iconic singers, then who better?
Francis Albert Sinatra was of Italian heritage, born to immigrant parents in 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was the only child of Natalina Garaventa and Antonino Martino Sinatra, who boxed under the name Marty O’Brien (a little nod there to our very own Joseph O’Brien).
Frank had been interested in music from a young age, particularly big band jazz. His early influences were people like Gene Austin, Rudy Vallée, Russ Colombo, and Bob Eberly but it was no secret that he idolised Bing Crosby. For his 15th birthday, his uncle bought Frank a ukulele, with which he performed at family gatherings.
Frank began singing professionally as a teenager and much like our own main man Joseph (who’s also a talented guitarist), Frank didn’t read music, he played by ear.
He got his big break in 1935 when his mother Natalina persuaded a local group The Flashes to let him join. It was only later that members of the group would admit that the only reason they let him in was because he owned a car. However, let him in they did and the group later became known as the Hoboken Four.
There’s so much that could be said about the man that is Frank Sinatra, his life, his music and his career. However that, in a nutshell, is where it all started. So, do please come and see us when we are out on tour and witness the magic of one of Frank’s live shows, re-imagined by Joseph O’Brien and the A Man And His Music team.
‘I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family – and I don’t think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.’
― Frank Sinatra