Frank & Ella
A Reason To Smile
Through the magic of technology, Frank Sinatra was able to record an album of duets without having to be in the same room with his collaborators. The album, aptly named, “Duets,” was released 32 years ago today. It became the best selling album of his career.
Because all the duets were digitally created to pair with the performances of other singers, there aren’t any videos of Sinatra singing with Aretha Franklin, or Tony Bennett, or Barbra Streisand, much as we wish there were. But it got us thinking and searching for a great Sinatra duet. And boy, did we find one. It is our reason to smile.
In April 1967, jazz great Ella Fitzgerald joined Sinatra live on stage to sing “The Lady Is A Tramp” for a television special. The result is music magic. It’s pretty clear from their chemistry why Sinatra wanted Fitzgerald on his “Duets” album. Sadly, she was not well enough to participate.
“The Lady Is A Tramp” was written by famed duo Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the musical “Babes in Arms.” The show tune makes fun of New York society, contrasting social pretensions with a desire for authenticity.
If you want to enjoy all the songs chosen for A Reason To Smile, you can listen to this Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly.
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Stay Steady,
Dan
Holy cow! I remember this perfectly! I was ten years old and my daddy was a huge Sinatra fan so of course we watched. What a performance! Ms Fitzgerald was amazing. I remember it so clearly. Thank you, Mr Rather. You always give me “a reason to smile”.
Those were the days, my friend…..