THE CHAIRMAN – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:   Today is the 100th birthday of Frank Sinatra, generally ranked as America's finest male popular singer.  (On the female side I think the honor is shared by Ella Fitzgerald and Jane Froman.) 

Bing Crosby, noting that Sinatra's was a voice that appeared once in a lifetime, asked, "Why did it have to be my lifetime?"

Why does Sinatra remain important?  Why are so many commemorating his centennial?  Even CBS ran a Sinatra TV special this past week, although Sinatra died 17 years ago.  His importance as a singer can be understood just by listening to any of his mid-career recordings.  The kid from Hoboken, who'd been a teenage heartthrob, had developed into a mature singer who respected the songs he sang and those who created them.  (He would even credit the arranger when announcing his songs at a live appearance.)  His voice was mellow and pure, his interpretation of the lyric unsurpassed.  Sinatra studied English grammar in the 1950s, the better to understand what words meant.

He was also important because he came along during the years when the Great American Songbook was being written.  Opinions on dates will differ, but the Songbook consists of songs written from roughly 1911 through the early 1960s.  The Songbook was pushed aside by the music industry in favor of rock 'n roll and some of the later forms, but it was never replaced.  Sinatra remained true to the great tradition.  He refused to go along with the latest trend, and yet retained his audience.  He constantly taught America what a great song sounded like, that melody was key, and that lyricists could be minor poets.

He was also important because he symbolized, musically, the World War II generation.  When he died in 1998, I genuinely believed it marked the passing of that era, an era of greatness.  Sinatra was part of the golden age of American music, the golden age of Hollywood, and the golden age of television.  Not much gold today. 

So we celebrate 100 years of Frank Sinatra.  He is still with us.  The Sirius XM satellite radio service has a channel called "Siriusly Sinatra."  I listen every time I'm in my car.

December 12, 2015