On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we put on our tuxes, get a little class, and talk about the cuckoo life, career, and rise to power of the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New York and grew up in a house with a strict mother who was alleged to give abortions to women illegally as part of her wet-nurse practice. His father once drove shotgun on a booze run for Lucky Luciano, and his uncle and his godfather were members of the Genovese crime family: he lived a mob-influenced childhood in the streets of New York.

Through all of this, young Frank developed a love of music. He would watch nightly shows in his neighborhood and was given a ukulele at a young age. He joined the glee club to get practice, took diction lessons to be able to pronounce words perfectly, and after seeing Bing Crosby perform, devoted his time to do one thing—be better than Crosby was.

To do this, he started in small clubs and eventually won a contest (think American Idol but, somehow, even more lame) with a group called the Hoboken Four and was sent on a national radio tour as a prize. From here, he got exposure and was signed to sing for a big band. That led to him singing for the famous Tommy Dorsey band where Sinatra found national recognition, making several number one singles with the band. Eventually, he wanted to go solo, and he had a hard time because Dorsey was a slave driver and had a contract for 43% of all future earnings that made a true solo career for Frank Sinatra an impossibility. Be it through a lawsuit or mafia ties (as rumor suggests), Dorsey let Sinatra out of the contract, and the rest was history.

Sinatra became the first mega act in the United States. He was big like The Beatles or Elvis was, with hordes of girls swooning at his presence. His popularity grew during World War Two, and then it peaked and fell hard in the early fifties. He couldn’t even fill small casinos or nightclubs in New York.

Why did he fall off? How did he get back on top again? What helped him win an Oscar, and how did he get into making movies? When did the Rat Pack form? What connected Frank Sinatra to Las Vegas, and exactly what involvement did he have with the Mafia? Was he really at the infamous mob boss retreat in Havana, Cuba in 1947? Listen, laugh, learn.

 

“It Was a Very Good Year” in studio. Dope as hell: https://vimeo.com/195230171

Video: Rat Pack, Johnny Carson and Quincy Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fctcvKMEWy4

*) Highlight of Ball Busting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvY8o1UYw6s