Frank Sinatra

My favourite singer is Frank Sinatra. He was born on December 12, 1917, in Hoboken, New York.

People have become aware of Sinatra's existence even as early as 1942, when his singing was backed by the accompaniment of Tommy Dorsey's band. But what had he previously been doing? In the early 'thirties, young Frankie had graduated from Demarest High School, where he sang, at times, at the pupils' gatherings. In 1933 he tried to become a journalist and eventually went into service at The Observer in New Jersey. However, three years later, he happened to hear Bing Crosby singing in a concert and he made up his mind to give up his job at the newspaper and to take up a singer's career. Together with three instrumentalists, he set up the group "Hoboken Four"; they succeeded even in winning, in 1937, the first prize at an "open" amateur contest, "The Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour".

After he sang in several broadcasts, he was given an appointment at the pub "Rustic Cabin" in Teaneck - here he was both singer and... chief waiter! It was Sinatra's first contract - 50 dollars a week. Here Harry James, who offered him another contract for two years, heard him in 1939. But in no time Fortune smiled again upon him: the well -known Tommy Dorsey having heard a record of James's band, was so highly impressed by the qualities of Sinatra's voice, that he gave he and appointment at once. Their cooperation resulted also in several most successful records.

Cosmin Tanase
"D. Zamfirescu" School, Focsani, Romania
Teacher: Petru Dumitru <petrudumitru@netscape.net>