What made Frank Sinatra so special?

By all accounts, Sinatra played a key role in shaping the musical and emotional direction of his albums with Riddle and other arrangers, playing a more active role than singers had before him. “More than any artist of his time, he delineated what he wanted to hear,” Granata says. “And he adored great musicianship.”

Was Paul Anka friends with Frank Sinatra?

“My life as a teenager ended at 16,” Anka says. After years of friendship, Sinatra eventually tasked Anka with writing a song for Sinatra’s final album before he retired, which led Anka to penning “My Way.” When Anka played the song for Sinatra at the legend’s Las Vegas home, Sinatra decided on the spot to record it.

Who was Frank Sinatra biggest influence?

Frank Sinatra knew a myriad of people who helped him gain the confidence to follow his passions and become one of the most recognizable performers in history. Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday were two major influences on Sinatra’s life and career.

Is Paul Anka part of the Rat Pack?

Flash-forward several decades later, and Anka’s life plays like a VH1 Behind the Music special. He wrote songs for Buddy Holly, became a “junior associate of the Rat Pack and moved to Italy where he claims he topped the charts.

Who was Paul Anka inspired by?

In fact, it was Anka’s admiration of Sinatra that helped him transition from a ’50s rock ‘n’ roller, famous for hits like “Diana” and “Lonely Boy,” to a more adult performer, following in the footsteps of Bobby Darin and transitioning into a Las Vegas showroom star long before Elvis Presley, who also recorded “My Way.”

Who did Frank Sinatra inspire?

Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra was greatly influenced by the intimate, easy-listening vocal style of Bing Crosby and began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey….