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We all know the stories about Frank Sinatra: the singin', the swingin'; the wise guys and the dolls. Less often do you hear about Frank Sinatra, father. But suppose Ol' Blue Eyes was your dad. Where would you fit in? Would you follow in dad's footsteps? Or try to do it your way? That's been Frank Sinatra Jr.'s challenge, as he walked the line between being a musician in his own right and being his father's son. And it hasn't always been easy.
Frank Jr.'s parents split up when he was just a kid in a messy, public divorce (he'd have three stepmothers, including Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow - who was a year younger than he was). And when Frank Jr. was 19, just as he was launching his own musical career, the unthinkable happened: Frank Jr. was kidnapped at gunpoint from his hotel room in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He was released a few days later after dad paid the $240,000 ransom, and the kidnappers were eventually caught and sent to jail. Frank Jr. didn't let the ordeal stop him, though. Over the years, he's toured constantly, often with a 20-piece band, released albums such as 'Young Love for Sale', 'Spice', 'As I Remember It' and 'That Face!' and appeared on TV in everything from 'The Dean Martin Show' to 'The Sopranos' and 'Family Guy'.
In 1988, Frank Sr. asked his son to be his music director and conductor. It was a chance to work closely with his dad before he passed away in 1998. Today, Frank Jr.'s found a way to fulfill his own musical passion and pay tribute to his father with a concert tour called 'Sinatra Sings Sinatra' - a big band show of American songbook classics. At last, a means to do it their way.
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