Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle: A Musical Match Made In Heaven
Frank Sinatra is rightful known today as an entertainment icon, but many forget that there was a time when he was just another washed up teen idol trying to reinvent himself artistically and revive his career. After his teen idol stardom ended, Sinatra went through a rough period that he described as 'all Monday's' when his personal life was in shambles, his professional prospects non-existent and his financial status in ruin.
To make things even worse, his bosses at Columbia Records were mis-managing his talent in an ill-advised effort to make him a 'novelty singer'. This included a short lived pairing with Mitch Miller--the very low point of which was a horrible record called 'Mama Will Bark'. Here the greatest voice of the 20th Century recorded a duet with a busty actress named Dagmar and a dog impersonator barking and howling in the background. These records were poorly received by the public--not a surprise in retrospect--and in 1952 Columbia Records dumped Sinatra.
In 1953, June Hutton and Jo Stafford brought him to the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Dave Dexter, Jr. This led to a deal with the label, which began an era that many 'Sinatra-philes' consider his best work. Frank worked with Axel Stordahl (June Hutton's husband, with whom he had worked at Columbia) and these sessions produced some decent recordings, including "I'm Walking Behind You" and "Lean Baby", but nothing incredibly significant. Dexter wanted Frank to try something different, and with Stordahl leaving to accept a job with Eddie Fisher in New York, he agreed reluctantly to a pairing with Nelson Riddle.
To say that the pairing 'clicked' from the start is a severe understatement. The first Sinatra/Riddle session produced 'I've Got The World On A String'. Riddle's arrangement gave the Ted Kohler/Harold Arlen chestnut a new life and complimented Sinatra's more mature vocal styling perfectly. It wasn't a huge hit at the time, reaching only #14 on the charts, but has since become a classic. Sinatra himself loved the song and would continue to perform it live for the rest of his life--frequently using it to open his performances.
When examined in a modern context, Sinatra's career 'reinvention' is almost mind boggling. It's difficult to envision a star of today popular with the teenage set--like The Jonas Brothers for example--becoming accepted as a serious vocalist for adults. Sinatra not only became a critical and popular sensation, but would go down in history as arguably the most important entertainer ever in American popular culture. None of this would have happened were it not for the magical pairing of Sinatra with Nelson Riddle. - 23806
To make things even worse, his bosses at Columbia Records were mis-managing his talent in an ill-advised effort to make him a 'novelty singer'. This included a short lived pairing with Mitch Miller--the very low point of which was a horrible record called 'Mama Will Bark'. Here the greatest voice of the 20th Century recorded a duet with a busty actress named Dagmar and a dog impersonator barking and howling in the background. These records were poorly received by the public--not a surprise in retrospect--and in 1952 Columbia Records dumped Sinatra.
In 1953, June Hutton and Jo Stafford brought him to the attention of Capitol Records A&R man Dave Dexter, Jr. This led to a deal with the label, which began an era that many 'Sinatra-philes' consider his best work. Frank worked with Axel Stordahl (June Hutton's husband, with whom he had worked at Columbia) and these sessions produced some decent recordings, including "I'm Walking Behind You" and "Lean Baby", but nothing incredibly significant. Dexter wanted Frank to try something different, and with Stordahl leaving to accept a job with Eddie Fisher in New York, he agreed reluctantly to a pairing with Nelson Riddle.
To say that the pairing 'clicked' from the start is a severe understatement. The first Sinatra/Riddle session produced 'I've Got The World On A String'. Riddle's arrangement gave the Ted Kohler/Harold Arlen chestnut a new life and complimented Sinatra's more mature vocal styling perfectly. It wasn't a huge hit at the time, reaching only #14 on the charts, but has since become a classic. Sinatra himself loved the song and would continue to perform it live for the rest of his life--frequently using it to open his performances.
When examined in a modern context, Sinatra's career 'reinvention' is almost mind boggling. It's difficult to envision a star of today popular with the teenage set--like The Jonas Brothers for example--becoming accepted as a serious vocalist for adults. Sinatra not only became a critical and popular sensation, but would go down in history as arguably the most important entertainer ever in American popular culture. None of this would have happened were it not for the magical pairing of Sinatra with Nelson Riddle. - 23806
About the Author:
David Glisan is a journalist covering MMA and boxing. He is also the music editor for The Savage Science, a website covering both MMA and music, and is a published expert on many genres of music including heavy metal and jazz vocals. He contributes to many MMA news websites and provides UFC news for the broadcast and online sports media. He's also a published expert on boxing, pro wrestling and judo.
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April 12, 2018 at 11:54 PM
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