Died On This Date (May 14, 1998) Frank Sinatra / Chairman Of The Board
themusicsover Frank Sinatra
December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor who first came to the public’s attention in the 1940s when he sang with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He struck out on his own in the early ’50s and signed to Capitol Records. In 1954, his popularity skyrocketed when he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in From Here To Eternity. He later started his own label, Reprise Records, where he continued to release records that helped define a genre. He continued to record and perform into the ’90s. Sinatra epitomized “cool” throughout his career and to this day is still one of the most iconic names in history. With a career loaded with awards and accolades, perhaps none compared to the night in 1995 when the Empire State Building was illuminated in blue to celebrate his 80th birthday. Frank Sinatra passed away on May 14, 1998 after suffering a heart attack. The lights of the Las Vegas strip were dimmed the next night in his honor.
What You Should Own
Jimmy Martin was a guitarist and singer who has been called the “King Of Bluegrass.” While looking to get his break in 1949, Martin sneaked backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and positioned himself so that passersby could hear him picking. On such person was the Blue Grass Boys’ Rudy Lyle who was impressed enough to bring Martin to meet his boss, Bill Monroe. After hearing just two songs, Monroe was so impressed by Martin’s picking and strong tenor voice that he hired him on the spot. He stayed with Monroe for the better part of the next six years and then soon thereafter formed his own band, the Sunny Mountain Boys. Martin built a name for himself with his unique voice as well as with his fun and unpredictable lives shows. In 1971, he performed on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark album Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Jimmy Martin was 77 when he died of bladder cancer on May 14, 2005.
Sidney Bechet was one of jazz’s greatest soloists. He began playing as a young teen in New Orleans, and by the time he was 20, he was traveling the world and making his mark on both the saxophone and clarinet. He was a prolific composer as well. Bechet’s life was not without controversy as evident by the pistol duel he once instigated in Paris. Bechet evidently had a notoriously bad temper. He was jailed and later deported. Bechet died on his 62nd birthday, May 14, 1959.