Hoboken (AP) – Leaning casually against a utility pole, one hand in his pocket and the other on the brim of his hat, stands Frank Sinatra in bronze above the Hudson River. Behind him, across the river, stretches the panorama of the New York metropolis, for which Sinatra once wrote the definitive soundtrack with the song “New York, New York.”
Below is Hoboken, New Jersey, where the legendary singer and actor was born in 1915. On the occasion of Sinatra’s 106th birthday, his hometown honored him with a statue of artist Carolyn Palmer in 2021, at Frank Sinatra Park in Frank Sinatra Street, next to the Frank Sinatra Theater and right across from the “Blue Eyes” restaurant, named after the artist. legendary eyes. Sinatra died on May 14, 1998 exactly a quarter of a century ago, but not only in Hoboken remains unforgettable.
A musical about Sinatra
A musical about Sinatra is slated to open in Birmingham, UK, this fall, followed by a Broadway run in New York. “We hope it provides viewers with new perspectives and insights into my father’s beloved music and his enduring legacy,” said Sinatra’s daughter Tina, who is involved with the project.
With songs like “New York, New York,” “Fly Me To the Moon,” “Strangers In The Night,” and “My Way,” his father had become a global star by the 1930s. All told, ” Ol’ Blue Eyes” has sold over 800 million records and acted in almost 60 movies. Microphone in hand, cable trailing casually behind him, Sinatra walked up the luminous stairs to the stage, back in the golden age of show business, he was “The Voice.”
It all started in December 1915 in Hoboken with a difficult delivery. During the operation, she ruptured an eardrum and the newborn she suffered injuries that would remain visible as scars on her face for the rest of her life. The house in which she originally lived with her family, in a modest residential area of the old industrial city of Hoboken, has now been demolished.
The new modern building in the same location is called “Frank’s Place”, as it says above the entrance and also on a trash can in front of it. “Francisco Alberto Sinatra. La Voz was born here,” announces a star plaque next to the front door.
the singing waiter
Sinatra later dropped out of school a few blocks away, made a living as a singing waiter, and his early records sold poorly, but he eventually broke through with gigs on ever-larger stages. Sinatra was able to stage himself, the hoboken boy became a world star.
When rock ‘n’ roll came along, Sinatra’s music was initially cancelled, he stuck with swing and jazz, went to Las Vegas and Hollywood. Sinatra, who was a friend of several US presidents and who was repeatedly said to have mob connections, received an Oscar for his supporting role in the Pearl Harbor drama “To the Eternal End.”
However, he kept coming back to Hoboken and eventually bought his parents a bigger house there. One of the family’s favorite restaurants, “Leo’s Grandevous” Italian, still exists; the restaurant is now advertised with a Sinatra mural and the catchphrase “Come eat with me.”
Sinatra was married four times, the relationship produced three children, of whom only Tina and Nancy are still alive, who rose to fame as a singer with the hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” In addition, Sinatra is said to have had numerous headline-grabbing romances, including with German actress Marlene Dietrich. “Frank Sinatra,” he is reported to have said of him afterwards, “is the Mercedes-Benz among men.”
“Bacon nerd. Extreme zombie scholar. Hipster-friendly alcohol fanatic. Subtly charming problem solver. Introvert.”
