Frank
12 Dec 1915, born on this day, Frank Sinatra American singer, actor and producer, who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He was the first singer to encounter 'pop hysteria', and his single 'My Way' holds the UK longevity record of 136 weeks on the charts. Sinatra […]
4th Dec 1993, Multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer, Frank Zappa died of prostate cancer. Zappa recorded many albums with The Mothers Of Invention as well a solo recordings including the 1969 album 'Hot Rats' and 1974 album 'Apostrophe'. Zappa recorded one of the first concept albums, 'Freak Out' released in 1966, it was also one of […]
9th August 2007 , Baltimore’s mayor Sheila Dixon proclaimed today as the city’s official Frank Zappa Day, citing Zappa’s musical accomplishments as well as his defence of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. FRANK ZAPPA COSMIK DEBRIS FRANK ZAPPA COSMIK DEBRIS MOTHERS OF INVENTION JEAN LUC PONTY GEORGE DUKE TOM FOWLER BRUCE FOWLER […]
23rd July 1966, Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The LP would be the most successful of his career, being certified Platinum for 1 million copies sold in the US. The title track would earn him two Grammy awards for Record Of The Year and Best […]
27th June 1966, The Mothers of Invention released their debut studio album Freak Out! on Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, the album is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's perception of American pop culture and the nascent freak scene of Los Angeles. It was also one of […]
Happy birthday to Frank Beard, American drummer with ZZ Top, who had the 1984 US No.8 & 1985 UK No.16 single ‘Legs’. Beard is notable as being the only musician in the band without a long beard, an ironic fact considering his last name. The band has had global album sales in excess of 50 […]
14th May 1998, American singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles aged 82, after suffering a heart attack. Sinatra had his first hit in 1940, working in the Swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the […]
10th May 1969, Frank Sinatra's version of 'My Way' made the British Top ten for the first time. Over the next three years it re-entered the Top 50 singles chart on eight different occasions. Paul Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, after he told Anka he was quitting the music business. Anka changed […]
13 April 1967, Nancy and Frank Sinatra were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Somethin' Stupid', (making them the only father and daughter to have a UK No.1 single as a team). The song was written by folk singer C. Carson Parks and originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile […]
5th March 1956, Frank Sinatra released his tenth studio album Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (the first album ever to top the UK Albums Chart). Sinatra aficionados often rank it his best album and many music critics consider it one of the greatest albums of its era. The original cover had Sinatra facing away from the […]