We leave the singing cowboys and their "Jingle Bells" to meet up with a very un-cowboy singer - one Francis Albert Sinatra!
Frank Sinatra was, of course, one of the most popular singers of the twentieth century, and he recorded a number of Christmas songs over the years, including two versions of "Jingle Bells" that offer a snapshot of different points in his career.
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| Frank seems more amused than Axel! |
The first is on Columbia Records in 1946, backed by his usual arranger, Axel Stordahl, and the Ken Lane Singers:
That's "The Voice," the 1940s Sinatra who took the bobby-soxers by storm after having left Tommy Dorsey's band in 1942 along with arranger Stordahl.
This track reflects the lush ballad style that Frank favored at the time.
Frank rode a wave of popularity throughout the 1940s, but hit a rough patch in the early 1950s, but re-staked his claim to fame with a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for "From Here to Eternity" and a new recording contract with Capitol Records.
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| Frank checks the lyrics while Gordon Jenkins conducts. |
He started working with a variety of arrangers, including Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins, who backed Frank on his 1957 album "A Jolly Christmas," which included this cut:
This shows how Frank had evolved into more of a swinger by the late 1950s, as opposed to the skinny, bow-tie wearing kid of the 1940s.
The backing vocals on the Christmas album are provided by the Ralph Brewster Singers, Ralph Brewster having been a member of the Modernaires when they sang with Glenn Miller.
For some additional fun, here's a clip from Frank's 1957 TV series, in which he sings "Jingle Bells" with a very special guest:
Good chemistry between those two!
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