Frank Sinatra As Famous Solo Mucians In 1930's

The 1930s and 1940s were hard times in American History, filled with war and trial. But even amidst these times, they still found enjoyment in many different methods of entertainment, especially if those forms were not expensive. With sound coming to most of the movies that had once only been silent films, movies became more and more popular. Radio also became very popular, providing listeners with many different programs including sermons, operas, and news reports.

In the 1930s, the music that was most popular was big band and swing music. Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman were very well-known artists from this time period who still are renown today. Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C., in 1899. He lived 75 years and his music was generally within the genre of jazz. He was a part of an orchestra that toured around New York City, especially in Harlem. The orchestra became one of the best of its time and some members stayed in the band for years. He wrote more than a thousand compositions, including a popular one called “Caravan.” This song is a really fun song and the instrumentation really makes you feel like you’re on a caravan travelling through the Middle East. I’ve always loved this song ever since I began studying music. After his orchestra played at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956, Duke Ellington and his orchestra experienced a huge revival and went on many world tours. He recorded for most record companies of his time, performed in many films, scored plenty, and composed many stage musicals.

In the 1940s, bands started to break up and solo artists became more popular, including people like Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan. As the Second World War came closer, War Songs became popular while people attempted to find solace and hope in music. Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in December of 1915. He was a singer, actor, and producer who became one of the most popular and important musical figures of the twentieth century. He has sold over 150 million records around the world. His musical career began in the swing era with a couple of band leaders, and then he started a solo career when he signed with Columbia Records in 1943. His first album was released in 1946. In the early 1950s he joined a group called the Rat Pack. He then won an Academy Award in 1953. One of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs is “New York, New York”. The song is about how much he loves New York, being born from a place close to it. The excitement and fun in this song is catchy as he sings and as the swing band music plays the accompaniment. One of the things I love about the song is that on New Years Eve, whenever we would celebrate around the television as a family, we would always watch “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve”. And when the ball dropped at midnight this song would always be playing in Time Square. It always brings back great memories for me.

I love this style of music so much. Jazz and swing always makes me so happy and I always listen to it while I’m cleaning or just need to be cheered up. This kind of music just lifts the soul and makes the spirit light.

Sources:

• http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/depwwii/art/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra
• Video of “Caravan”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emE6QGaRPHs
• Video of “New York, New York”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMfz1jlyQrw&list=RDEMDaSUSUVu68QDj2nSmWsorA&index=13