Francis Albert
Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He
was believed to be stillborn until his grandmother revived him under
cold water. He was the only child of Italian immigrant parents
Anthony Martin and Natalie Della "Dolly".
From an early age
Frank Sinatra felt drawn to music: "When I was nine or ten years old I
would sing with the piano roll at my father's bar. One day I got a
nickel for singing, and that's where it all began. I thought, 'This is
the racket to be in.'"
As a teenager,
Sinatra worked unloading trucks for the Jersey Observer newspaper. He then
became a copy boy but had aspirations to be a journalist. After being
told by the editor that copy boys “don’t know enough to be
reporters,” Sinatra began secretarial school, taking classes in English,
typing, and shorthand. He eventually earned a promotion to become a sports
reporter.
After determining
that college was not in his plans, Frank and his parents agreed that it was
best for him to set out on his own, and so began his journey. Frank:
"I remember we were having breakfast, and I was supposed to go out and
look for a job, because I decided that I didn't want to go to college. I
had planned to go to Stevens Institute, in Hoboken, which is considered one of
the finest engineering schools in the world. This particular morning my
father said to me, 'Why don't you get out of the house and go out on your
own?' I think the egg was stuck in my throat for about twenty
minutes. My mother was nearly in tears, but we agreed that it might be a
good thing."
So, at the age of
nineteen Frank Sinatra ventured out into the world alone, trying to make it as
a singer in New York City. However, the timing for his success was
not yet right, and he returned home. Back in Hoboken, Sinatra worked odd
jobs by day and continued searching for his big break into the world of show
business by night. Frank's combination of talent and drive would
be recognized soon enough.
