A century ago today, one of the world’s greatest stars was born. Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra came into the world on December 12 1915, the son of Italian immigrants in New Jersey and began his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey.
He found success as a solo artist after being signed by Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the “bobby soxers”.
The iconic star performed to a packed house at Ibrox in 1990, However, he was no stranger to Scotland, having visited Dundee’s Caird Hall in 1953 as part of a Scottish tour, which also took in Glasgow and Ayr.
Back then, Sinatra’s legend status was far from assured. His record sales had fallen, his movie career was waning and his affair with Ava Gardner had damaged his reputation.
However, despite disappointing ticket sales, Ol’ Blue Eyes’ concert at the Caird Hall seems to have been a great success, as The Courier reported: “Sinatra pleases fans and they please him.”
The crooner described the crowd as “wonderfully enthusiastic” and expressed no disappointment at the fact that the first house totalled under 600 and the second 1,189.
“That happens in other cities,” he said. “What really matters is their response and they were wonderful. I have a very high opinion of Scottish audiences.”
While touring Scotland, Sinatra also found time to attend The Open at Carnoustie.
With a handicap of 24, he enjoyed mingling with the crowds.
And as it turned out, 1953 was the year his fortunes bounced back.
He signed to Capitol Records, going on to record the hits for which he became legendary and landed a role in From Here to Eternity, the film that proved he really could act. So much so, he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor the next year.
Frank Sinatra died on May 14 1998, aged 82. The legend lives on.