When Musicians Go Solo: Frank Sinatra & The Rat Pack

Though Ol' Blue Eyes always did things his way, his illustrious career can't be examined without acknowledging his involvement in The Rat Pack.

Frank Sinatra began his career in the 1940s as a recording artist, with other swing contemporaries as Tommy Dorsey and Harry James, but by the '50s his popularity was beginning to wane. However, Sinatra's portrayal of Private Angelo Maggio in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity earned the star an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, thereby reviving his career.

Sinatra enjoyed a resurgence at this juncture, signing with Capitol Records and releasing several now classic albums, such as Come Fly With Me, Songs for Swinging Lovers, and In the Wee Small Hours. His success even afforded him the opportunity to leave and start his own label, Reprise Records. Sinatra helped the fledgling enterprise with new albums like Ring-A-Ding-Ding and Sinatra at the Sands.

By then Sinatra and a group of his hip peers had begun to attract significant attention in the media. Dubbing them the "Rat Pack," the group was originally centered around actor Humphrey Bogart, but was only popularized after attention turned towards Sinatra and his cohorts, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop, all entertainers in their own right.

Sinatra's position at the head of the pack only helped to increase his celebrity. Journalists, writers as well as fans and admirers, became infatuated with the group. The collective's breezy, laisse-faire mentality exuded cool, and proved a draw at concerts. Often, members would show up to one another's performances unannounced, stepping in for a few songs, a few laughs, as the crowd swooned. Nearly all of Sinatra and the other member's gigs (usually in Las Vegas) would be sold-out, as fans would clamor to get in to see the Rat Pack. As the marquee at the Sands Hotel once boasted, "DEAN MARTIN - MAYBE FRANK - MAYBE SAMMY."

The Rat Pack also appeared together in various films during the '50s and '60s. Aside from the recently revived Ocean's Eleven, Sinatra and his buddies starred in Never So Few, Sergeants 3, 4 for Texas, Salt and Pepper, and more.

However, as the decade of the 1970s rolled in, Sinatra announced his retirement, during a show benefitting the Motion Picture and TV Relief Fund. Then 55, the actor/singer seemed to be looking to slow things down, but it wouldn't last. In 1973 he returned for a new album and TV special entitled Ol' Blue Eyes is Back, which featured the song "Send In The Clowns." At this point the legend continued to tour, though the Rat Pack would only gather at sporadic occasions. Sinatra's health declined with age, and in 1997 he suffered a heart attack that effectively ended his performing career.

Justin Starling for Citadel Digital © 2010
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