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# 74 •nECEMBER 14 , 2015
American music history
is populated with great
vocalists who have made
their mark on our collective music culture. However, there is one name that
stands out more than the
other recording and performing greats. He was an
artist of such uncommon
talent that he was known
simply as “The Voice.” Learning to sing mostly on
his own, Sinatra was popular music’s first true “teen
idol,” who made girls
known as “bobbysoxers”
scream and swoon. But
Sinatra was more than a
singer and performer. His
career is a study of artistic
excellence and the quest
for perfection.
Are there things about his
life, aside from his artistic
side, that are not very well
known but need to be
told?
I want to focus on Sinatra’s
philanthropy, benevolence, social activism, and
patriotism. Sinatra was not
a perfect human being.
None of us are. He was a
tough kid from the streets
of Hoboken, New Jersey,
who grew up to be a top
flight entertainer. He was
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tough with critics and people who disrespected or
did not treat him well. He
did not suffer fools gladly
and he could be harsh,
vulgar, and insulting. His
infidelity is well known,
but I am not here to dwell
on that or his carousing
lifestyle. He was who he
was.
Nonetheless, he remained
a loving son, father, and
grandfather. He treated
his first wife, the former
Nancy Barbato - still alive
at 97 years young - like she
was always his first love
and always took care of
her needs, no matter what
they might be. He was a
fiercely loyal friend who
would do anything for
you. But, once you insulted him or disrespected
him or his family, you were
gone from his life. I must
candidly admit that this is
a trait that Frank probably
inherited from his Sicilian-born father, Marty. Or,
more so from his fiercely
protective, politically sav-