Frank Sinatra's influence on American popular culture has been wide reaching and long lasting. This diverse collection of essays written by historians, music critics, and popular culture personalities offers a myriad of perspectives and commentaries on this multitalented legend. The essays attest to the interest in Sinatra that has spanned six decades and shows no sign of diminishing-even after his death. From singer to actor, from mass media personality to humanitarian and cultural trendsetter, the many contributions of Frank Sinatra are brought to life in this entertaining volume.
Written to appeal to Sinatra fans, these unique essays, including one by Frank Sinatra himself, are organized into three sections. The first examines Sinatra's fame and the ways in which his image was formed, the second looks at his music, and the final group of essays are personal reminiscences by the people who knew him. Together these essays will provide new material for the ever-growing dialogue about Frank Sinatra's place in and influence over twentieth-century American popular culture.
Preface
Introduction by Leonard Mustazza
Celebrity, American Culture, and Frank Sinatra
What's this about Races? by Frank Sinatra
Love in the Western World: Sinatra and the Conflict of Generations by T.H. Adamowski
The Swinger and the Loser: Sinatra, Masculinity, and Fifties Culture by Roger Gilbert
Bobby Sox and Blue Suede Shoes: Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley as Teen Idols by James F. Smith
The Composition of Celebrity: Sinatra as Text in the Liner Notes of Stan Cornyn by Gilbert L. Gigliotti
Sinatra's Fans: Discussions in Three Tenses--The Past, the Present, and the Future by Ken Hutchins
Sinatra: Psychiatric Musings by Lloyd L. Spencer
The Troubadour as Modern Hero
Listening to Frank Sinatra by Gerald Early
At the Heart of American Music by Daniel Okrent
Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording by Charles L. Granata
Sinatra on Broadway by Philip Furia
Sinatra and Jazz by Will Friedwald
Sinatra and the Great American Style by Richard Iaconelli
Theology and Music in a Different Key: Meditations on Frank Sinatra and Eros in a Fallen World by Edmund N. Santurri
Personal Reminiscences
Eye Witness by Stan Cornyn
Sinatra and the Atlantic City Connection by Richard Apt
A Kid in Line Who Made It Backstage by Bill Boggs
Sounds of Sinatra: A Conversation with Sid Mark by Charles L. Granata
Appendix: Career Highlights
Selected Bibliography
Index
