The Unforgettable Legacy Of Frank Sinatra And Nelson Riddle
Frank Sinatra is now known as the greatest popular singer in history and canonized as 'The Chairman of the Board'. That wasn't always the case, however. It's easy to forget that there was a period of time when he was just another aging teen idol trying to stay relevant in the music business. He also had personal problems that are famous--particularly his tempestuous romance with actress Ava Gardner--as well as damaged vocal chords. There was a point after his 'bobbysoxer' success that he was in bad shape financially and professionally.
To make matters worse, the impresarios at Columbia Records were abusing his talent in an effort to revive his album sales. His pairing with producer Mitch Miller was particularly disastrous. The nadir of this unholy alliance was probably the recording of "Mama Will Bark", where the greatest voice of the 20th century shared the microphone with a buxom actress named Dagmar (sort of a Rhonda Shear of her day) and some other 'vocalist' howling and barking like a dog in the background. Not surprisingly, Sinatra's recordings with Mitch Miller were not a resounding commercial success and in 1952 he was dropped by Columbia.
His luck was soon to improve, however, as a number of his colleagues including former Tommy Dorsey vocalists June Hutton and Jo Stafford got him in the door at Capitol Records. This began a nine year relationship that produced some of the finest work of Sinatra's career. Initially, Frank worked with June Hutton's husband, Axel Stordahl. These sessions produced some decent music including "I'm Walking Behind You" but wouldn't last long. Frank wanted to go in a different direction, which became a necessity when Stordahl left to take a gig with Eddie Fisher in New York. After a lengthy search for a replacement, Sinatra reluctantly agreed to work with an experienced big band conductor named Nelson Riddle. The Capitol Records executives were excited about the matchup, but Sinatra had to be convinced.
The Riddle/Sinatra collaboration was an unabashed success. Their early sessions produced among other songs "I've Got The World On The String" which is something of a 'shot heard round the world' for Sinatra's career and popular music in general. The well known standard was given new vibrancy with Riddle's buoyant arrangement and Sinatra's new found vocal maturity. The song was only a modest commercial success at the time, reaching #14 on the single charts, but became a classic. It was also a favorite of Sinatra himself, and he continued to perform the song live, frequently as a show opener, for the rest of his life.
When the phoenix-like rebirth of Frank Sinatra's career is put into a modern context, it becomes even more remarkable. Today one can scarcely imagine a 'teenybopper' idol--say, Jordan Knight from 'New Kids on the Block' or one of the Jonas Brothers-being able to sustain a serious musical career at all after their initial stardom among the adolescent set. Frank Sinatra not only revived his career, but left an imprint on America popular music--and its culture--that is unlikely to ever be equaled. "I've Got The World On A String" can easily be considered the 'big bang' in the creation of Frank Sinatra's world that we all inhabit. It is a celebration of the good life, of which the music of Frank Sinatra will always remain an intrinsic part. - 18762
To make matters worse, the impresarios at Columbia Records were abusing his talent in an effort to revive his album sales. His pairing with producer Mitch Miller was particularly disastrous. The nadir of this unholy alliance was probably the recording of "Mama Will Bark", where the greatest voice of the 20th century shared the microphone with a buxom actress named Dagmar (sort of a Rhonda Shear of her day) and some other 'vocalist' howling and barking like a dog in the background. Not surprisingly, Sinatra's recordings with Mitch Miller were not a resounding commercial success and in 1952 he was dropped by Columbia.
His luck was soon to improve, however, as a number of his colleagues including former Tommy Dorsey vocalists June Hutton and Jo Stafford got him in the door at Capitol Records. This began a nine year relationship that produced some of the finest work of Sinatra's career. Initially, Frank worked with June Hutton's husband, Axel Stordahl. These sessions produced some decent music including "I'm Walking Behind You" but wouldn't last long. Frank wanted to go in a different direction, which became a necessity when Stordahl left to take a gig with Eddie Fisher in New York. After a lengthy search for a replacement, Sinatra reluctantly agreed to work with an experienced big band conductor named Nelson Riddle. The Capitol Records executives were excited about the matchup, but Sinatra had to be convinced.
The Riddle/Sinatra collaboration was an unabashed success. Their early sessions produced among other songs "I've Got The World On The String" which is something of a 'shot heard round the world' for Sinatra's career and popular music in general. The well known standard was given new vibrancy with Riddle's buoyant arrangement and Sinatra's new found vocal maturity. The song was only a modest commercial success at the time, reaching #14 on the single charts, but became a classic. It was also a favorite of Sinatra himself, and he continued to perform the song live, frequently as a show opener, for the rest of his life.
When the phoenix-like rebirth of Frank Sinatra's career is put into a modern context, it becomes even more remarkable. Today one can scarcely imagine a 'teenybopper' idol--say, Jordan Knight from 'New Kids on the Block' or one of the Jonas Brothers-being able to sustain a serious musical career at all after their initial stardom among the adolescent set. Frank Sinatra not only revived his career, but left an imprint on America popular music--and its culture--that is unlikely to ever be equaled. "I've Got The World On A String" can easily be considered the 'big bang' in the creation of Frank Sinatra's world that we all inhabit. It is a celebration of the good life, of which the music of Frank Sinatra will always remain an intrinsic part. - 18762
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 noted authority 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 show biz history and judo.
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