Sinatra 100

Series produced by WQXR

Series image
Image by: William P. Gottlieb 

The Jonathan Channel is celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday with “Sinatra 100."

The Jonathan Channel is New York Public Radio's source for The Great American Songbook, providing a 24/7 platform for this timeless music guided by the one-and-only Jonathan Schwartz. This fall we are celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday with “Sinatra 100." Peabody Award Winning Producer Jim Luce has assembled 35 different audio segments sharing 100 years of Sinatra. Learn about his style, career and life through exclusive commentary from Sinatra experts including Adam Gopnik, Will Friedwald and James Kaplan.


36 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
The Voice That Thrilled Millions
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Frank Sinatra 1949, Credit: NBC/Getty
The nickname, “The Voice,” was given to Frank Sinatra by his PR agent, George B. Evans in 1942. Though a gimmick at the time, the name has proven t...

Bought by Prairie Public and WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 02:50
  • Purchases: 2
The Dorsey Years
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Piece image
Frank Sinatra took his wife Nancy to see the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1937 and pointed up to the stage and said: “See the singer guy? One day I’ll...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 02:54
  • Purchases: 1
Once in a Lifetime
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Frank Sinatra, as Mike Connor, and Bing Crosby, as C.K. Dexter-Haven, in 'High Society', Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Bing Crosby once said “Frank is a singer who comes along once in a lifetime, but why did he have to come in mine?” Will Friedwald discusses Sinatra...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 02:49
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra and the British Invasion
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Frank Sinatra and Ed Sullivan on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW. Image dated June 28, 1964. , Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, and popular music changed forever. Tom Santopietro shares the reaction of one of th...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 03:09
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra: The Champion of the Songbook
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: American singer and actor Frank Sinatra gestures with his hands while singing into a microphone during a recording session in a studio at Capitol Records, early 1950s. , Credit: M. Garrett/Getty
How did Frank Sinatra, a skinny boy from Hoboken, become an American icon and the champion of the Great American Songbook? Author Adam Gopnik expla...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 02:47
  • Purchases: 1
What Is This Thing Called Love?
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Pop singer Frank Sinatra leans against a lamp post smoking a cigarette in a still from a movie in 1954., Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Author James Kaplan analyzes Frank Sinatra’s interpretation of the Cole Porter classic “What Is This Thing Called Love” from the 1954 album In the ...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 28, 2015
  • Length: 03:17
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra and Stordahl
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Pop singer Frank Sinatra poses for a portrait with arranger Axel Stordahl in circa 1945., Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Sinatra once said “I think that Axel Strodahl was the daddy that people began to learn from in the sense of writing orchestrations. He was the most...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:45
  • Purchases: 1
The Comeback Kid
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Movie stars Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra hold their Oscars which they won for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively in the movie 'From Here To Eternity', Credit: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
In the 1950s, a changing world posed many personal and professional challenges for Frank Sinatra. Writer Adam Gopnik explores Sinatra’s ability to ...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:49
  • Purchases: 1
Post-War Sinatra
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Entertainer Frank Sinatra poses for a portrait leaning on his Ford Thunderbird in the driveway of his home in 1955. , Credit: Frank Worth, Courtesy of Capital Art
Author Tom Santopietro examines Sinatra in post-war America and how his music reflected the country's prosperity and anxiety.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:57
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra Starts to Swing
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Photo of Frank Sinatra; posed, in recording studio January 01, 1956, Credit: GAB Archive/Getty
1953 Frank Sinatra moved to Capital Records and began working with Nelson Riddle. Author Will Friedwald discusses the impact of their album Songs f...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:41
  • Purchases: 1
Moonlight in Vermont
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: 2nd June 1958: American singer and film actor Frank Sinatra arriving at London Airport, after flying in from New York to spend a holiday in England before going on to Paris., Credit: J. Wilds/Keystone/Getty
Author Will Friedwald analyzes Sinatra’s 1957 recording of “Moonlight in Vermont” arranged by Billy May for the album Come Fly With Me.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 03:25
  • Purchases: 1
The Voice That Thrilled Millions
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: LIGHT UP TIME -- 1949 -- Pictured: Frank Sinatra, Credit: NBC/Getty
The nickname, “The Voice,” was given to Frank Sinatra by his PR agent, George B. Evans in 1942. Though a gimmick at the time, the name has proven t...

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:43
  • Purchases: 1
Three Great Eras
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW - Airdate: May 12, 1960., Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Getty
Producer and author Chuck Granata explains how one voice created three distinct sounds.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:48
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra's New York
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Frank Sinatra in concert at Radio City Music Hall. May 15, 1998, Credit: New York Daily News Archive /Getty
Through music, author Will Friedwald paints a picture of Frank Sinatra’s New York.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:47
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra on Screen
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: 2nd June 1944: Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998) as Clarence Doolittle in MGM's 'Anchors Aweigh', directed by George Sidney. , Credit: John Kobal Foundation/Gettu
Tom Santopietro author of Sinatra in Hollywood examines Sinatra on the screen.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:59
  • Purchases: 1
How Sensitive
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: 25th July 1953: American singer and actor Frank Sinatra performing during a visit to London, Credit: Ronald Startup/Getty
Author Adam Gopnik tells the story of the confidential, refined and emotional side of Sinatra.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:54
  • Purchases: 1
Sinatra and Bing
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly carried by Frank Sinatra in a publicity still from the film, 'High Society', 1956, Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Author Will Friedwald discusses Bing Crosby’s influence on Frank Sinatra’s career in music, radio and film.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:46
  • Purchases: 1
He Stood Tall
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: Singer and actor Frank Sinatra, Hollywood, California, mid 1950s, Credit: Underwood Archives/Getty
Author Tom Santopietro takes us back to the amazing and storied 1950s comeback of Frank Sinatra.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:49
  • Purchases: 1
On the Bandstand
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: American singer and actor Frank Sinatra laughs during a performance with musician and bandleader Tommy Dorsey 1941, Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty
According to critic Will Friedwald, it was on the bandstand that Frank Sinatra was most comfortable.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 02:52
  • Purchases: 1
The Legacy
From: WQXR
Series: Sinatra 100
Caption: 1975: American singer and actor Frank Sinatra in concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, Credit: Joe Bangay/Getty
Author Adam Gopnik examines the contradictions in Sinatra, his musical choices at the end of his career and the enduring status of his life work.

Bought by WDCB


  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 03:15
  • Purchases: 1

Playlists That Feature This Series: