"I've lived a life that's full,
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way..."

Gore Vidal colorfully proclaimed that he was the guy who supplied the music while half of the nation’s population was conceived. He’s been described over the years as The Chairman of the Board and The Sultan of Swing. He’s Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, perhaps one of the finest crooners of Jazz to ever emerge - and one thing that will never be contested is that he, indeed, did it his way.

Francis Albert Sinatra entered this world in 1915, an infant thought to be stillborn until his grandmother doused him with cold water. His father, a fireman and pugilist, had little respect for male singers, describing them as “sissies.” His mother, however, saw things differently. A singer in her own right, she decided not only that Francis would be allowed to indulge in the vocal arts, she also paid for his singing lessons. Years later, as a high school student in 1933, Sinatra had the opportunity to see Bing Crosby perform, and not only did he announce that he would also become a crooner, but with his own inimitable cocky brand of confidence, assured that he would become more popular than Crosby. It might have seemed preposterous at the time, but looking back, his prediction was right on the money.

Frank spent his early adult years as a sportswriter for the The Jersey Observer, while polishing his vocal chops with a local act called the Hoboken Four. The group managed to win numerous contests for their abilities, taking home meager prizes for their efforts. In the town of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, he landed his first professional gig as a singing waiter at the Rustic Cabin, a local roadhouse eatery. While not the most impressive job, it placed him in the right place at the right time. One day, famed trumpet player Harry James, an alumni from the Benny Goodman orchestra came in for a bite to eat, heard Sinatra sing, and offered him a job on the spot as the singer for a new band he was forming. He signed the young crooner to a two-year contract and Frankie was on his way.

Sinatra wouldn’t fulfill the length of the contract. James released him so that he could join the Tommy Dorsey band, a move that would catapult Sinatra’s career. Starting in 1940, the illustrious band scored hit after hit, including “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” “Fools Rush In,” “In the Blue of Evening,” “The One I love” and “I’ll Never Smile Again” to name only a few. The Dorsey band also made frequent appearances in motion pictures, which put the spotlight on the skinny singer. During his stint with Dorsey, Frank would finely hone his talents, including his immaculate phrasing and breath control that allowed him to sing 16 bars without ever inhaling.

Frank was ready to venture out on his own in 1942, but Dorsey wasn’t quite the forgiving soul in regard to contracts that James had been. As a result, Frank would have to fork over a portion of his future earnings for more than a few years, but the gamble still paid off in his favor. Thanks to a perforated eardrum, he was ineligible for service during WWII and could therefore focus primarily on his career at a time when everyone else was shipping off overseas. Again, timing was everything. He achieved idol status among his female fans, who could hardly contain themselves from screaming whenever he sang. He joined the iconic Benny Goodman band for a stint, and made frequent appearances on Lucky Strike Hit Parade, a very popular radio show. He made such popular songs such as “This Lover is You” and I’ve Got a Crush on You” part of his regular repertoire and made the ladies swoon and yearn for their soldier boys overseas, and then he did the unthinkable – he put his singing career on hold and signed a 5-year contract with MGM studios to develop his acting chops.

The next few years had their hardships, a stormy relationship with Eva Gardner, a divorce from his first wife, and damage to his celebrated vocal chords. The movie studios began to rapidly lose interest in the young star. And then he redeemed himself, winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in From Here To Eternity. Having proven his abilities, Sinatra returned to the music industry, leaving his longtime Columbia label and moving over to Capitol Records. Teaming up with famed arranger, Nelson Riddle, who Frank admired for his previous work with Nat King Cole, Sinatra redefined his style, moving away from the sappy romantic ballads and into the more sophisticated and refined realm of real Jazz. A steady onslaught of hits followed, including “My Funny Valentine,” “My One and True Love,” “Young At Heart,” “All The Way” and “Witchcraft.” This wasn’t the old teeny-bopper crooner, this was a master of the artform.

Discontent with Capitol Records in 1961, Frank started his own label, called Reprise Records. After a rocky start that persisted for a few years, he headlined the Newport Jazz Festival in 1965. Fronting the famous Count Basie Orchestra, and conducted by Quincy Jones (yes, the same Quincy that would produce Michael Jackson’s Thriller two decades later) He landed his biggest hit to date, "Strangers in the Night," which quickly rise to #1. It’s accompanying album by the same name would flirt with the top of the charts for an astounding 73 weeks. In the year that followed, he scored another major hit, singing alongside his daughter Nancy on “Something Stupid.” From there, he returned to the big screen, as well as making a new home for himself in Las Vegas where he would remain the star attraction for years to come. These were the celebrated years of the “Rat Pack” a group of tight-knit friends including Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. As the 60s came to a close, Frank would record a track that would eventually serve as his theme song. Adopted from a French song by Paul Anka, “My Way” was a respectable hit in the United States. Over in England, however, it remained at the top of the charts for an amazing 122 weeks.

After an incredibly busy decade of performing, Sinatra announced his retirement in 1970, although perhaps “semi-retirement” would be a more apt description. He still made numerous television appearances, as well as going out on a few tours and appearing at the White House during the Nixon administration. By the mid-70s, he actually did take a break and, for the most part, stayed out of the spotlight until the mid 80s, when he released Trilogy, featuring his iconic rendition of “New York, New York.” The album received six Grammy nominations, winning one. He followed with a much darker album, She Shot Me Down which garnered rave reviews as a vintage Sinatra offering, returning to his darker tone familiar during his early Capitol recordings. And then, surprising many, he actually returned to Capitol Records to release an album called Duets, which featured the crooner matching vocal chops with such diverse artists as Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Luther Vandross, Tony Bennett and Irish Rocker, Bono. The version of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” alongside the U2 frontman, rose to #2 on the charts. For his efforts, he added another two Grammy Awards to his collection, bringing the total to 11.

Sinatra continued to sing well into his 70s, always warmly received by the legions of fans that had followed his fabled career. When he turned 80, New York City paid tribute to their beloved star by illuminating the Empire State Building with blue lights. Two years later, the legendary Frank Sinatra passed away. The immaculate voice may have been silenced but the legacy he left is simply astounding in its enormity. Countless recordings, 60 films, tours around the world many times over, a couple of Acadamy Awards and 11 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and a reputation as perhaps the finest crooner to ever serenade the planet. Yeah, Old Blue Eyes did it his way – completely dominating the entertainment industry in a way that is unlikely to ever be duplicated.