Welcome To Our Companion Weblog

This is your source for news, links and notes from our program celebrating the life and career of the Entertainer of the 20th Century.

Episode 90: Pat Longo, Billy May and Frank Sinatra, Jr.

This time around on The Frank Truth, we've got music from Pat Longo's Super Big Band, featuring Frank Sinatra, Jr., from their 1982 release Billy May For President.

Click here to download the MP3.

The eMusic offer mentioned on the episode is no longer valid.

Shownotes and Links

Billy May

Pat Longo

Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Lionel Hampton

Sonny Burke

Johnny Mercer

Raymond Hubbell

Click here for the previous Frank Truth episode about this album.

Song Clips Included

• Here's That Swing Thing (Opening Theme) - Pat Longo's Super Big Band
• Midnight Sun - Frank Sinatra, Jr. with the Pat Longo Big Band
• Poor Butterfly - Pat Longo's Super Big Band
• Street Of Dreams (Closing Theme) - Stan Kenton Orchestra

This podcast was licensed by BMI and ASCAP. We encourage you to purchase and enjoy legally distributed music.

Show #89: Sinatra Stamp Ceremony, Jersey Boys Review

This time around on The Frank Truth Podcast, we've got audio from the Sinatra Stamp unveiling, some listener feedback, and a review of Jersey Boys.

Click here to download the MP3.

Shownotes and Links

A Man Alone

Rob from Tupelo Geek and Tupelo Catholic checks in.

Girl Talk - Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Steve Tyrell

Jersey Boys Website

Jersey Boys Podcast

Sinatra Commemorative Stamp Ceremony

Song Clips Included

• Sherry - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
• Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
• Let's Hang On - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
• West End Blues - Louis Armstrong

This podcast was licensed by BMI and ASCAP. We encourage you to purchase and enjoy legally distributed music.

Our theme music is Here's That Swing Thing by Pat Longo.

The special offers mentioned in this episode are no longer valid.

Welcome eMusic - Free Trial

I'm extremely pleased to welcome our very first sponsor to The Frank Truth Podcast: eMusic.



Visit http://www.emusic.com/franktruth for a free two week trial (with no obligation) and download 35 tracks at absolutely no cost to you.

eMusic is a wonderful way to build your music library with high-quality, DRM-free songs and albums at an incredibly low cost.

I'll be mentioning my own experience with eMusic on the next episode. In the meantime, please check it out yourself, without cost or commitment, and let me know how you like it. Get free music and help support our show!

NPR Jazz Profiles: Frank Sinatra

"Bob in Boston," one of the most prolific experts on the Sinatra Family Forums, posted a link to a documentary from NPR which aired on the occasion of Frank Sinatra's birthday in December.

The one-hour show, hosted by Nancy Wilson, is available as an MP3 Podcast download by clicking here.

Thanks to Bob for drawing it to our attention!

Jersey Boys

As noted over on NOEBIE.NET, my wife and I had a wonderful time at last Saturday night's performance of Jersey Boys in Chicago. I well remember the songs of the Four Seasons from the 1960s when I was a child, and from their Mid-1970s resurgence when I was a disc jockey on radio and in clubs.

What I didn't know was the amazing story of this band. Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio were unlikely pop idols - the longest of longshots. Yet these four high school dropouts (three of whom had been in trouble with the law from time to time) stormed out of New Jersey to captivate a generation, selling hundreds of millions of records while they were still in their 20s.

The show - with its sublime pop soundtrack - has been a hit on Broadway and around the country, but it's more than just a nostalgic recreation of chart-topping music. It's a celebration of the lives and ethic which allowed a partnership involving millions of dollars to flourish, for over four decades, on a handshake.

My kind of guys...

I'll be including a review of the show on the next Podcast episode of The Frank Truth.

Dying for a taste of the Four Seasons? Visit my Jersey Boys Amazon Shop or take a trip to the iTunes Store. Also, check out the Jersey Boys Podcast, one of the coolest fan shows on the Net.

Support The Show

In addition to supporting the show through your purchases at the Amazon and Cafe Press Shops, you can now make a secure donation (through PayPal) to The Frank Truth. If you enjoy what you hear, a tip in any amount would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks for your support!

Show #88: Rocky Fortune and Murder Among The Statues

This week we've got another episode of Frank Sinatra's 1950s NBC Radio Drama, Rocky Fortune. It originally aired on December 1st of 1953 and involves the smuggling of antiquities. Variously known as Parlormaid To A Statue and Art Store Handyman, we'll call this one Murder Among The Statues.

Click here for the MP3 download of the Podcast.

We also discuss some listener feedback from James in Madison and James in Sheffield, Steve Bauer's Smooth Jazz USA show, Frankie's star and changes here on The Frank Truth Weblog.

The Amazon shop and cafe press pages mentioned are no longer available.

We'll be taking a short break from the Podcast and Weblog for a week or so. Check back after Easter for the next update.

Show #87: Songs By Sinatra Salutes Irving Berlin

On the Podcast this week, from April 23, 1947 we listen to an old time radio show where Frank Sinatra salutes Irving Berlin. As mentioned on the show, earlier that month (on April 13) Sinatra was at the Waldorf Astoria in New York to receive the Thomas Jefferson Award from the Council Against Intolerance. Also, there's some listener email and audio feedback.

Click here to download the Podcast MP3.

Links

FrankSinatra.com

Sinatra Biopic

Songs

Opening Theme: Night And Day - Frank Sinatra
Blue Skies - Frank Sinatra
The Girl That I Marry - Frank Sinatra
Having A Heat Wave - The Pied Pipers
Sweet Marie From Sunny Italy - Irving Berlin
Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon - Frank Sinatra
Russian Lullaby - Jane Powell
Medley: Always, A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, Alexander's Ragtime Band - Cast
Help Me To Help My Neighbor - Frank Sinatra
Closing Theme: Put Your Dreams Away - Frank Sinatra

This podcast was licensed by BMI and ASCAP. The old time radio program presented in this episode is a work in the Public Domain. We encourage you to purchase and enjoy legally distributed music.

Our theme music is Here's That Swing Thing by Pat Longo

The Comedic Genius of Martin and Lewis

If you haven't visited my main Web Portal lately, you might not be aware of a show I've been doing since Autumn of 2007: The Comedic Genius of Martin and Lewis Podcast.

Drawing from the extensive catalog of Dino and Jerry's NBC Radio appearances from 1949 to 1953, the show presents an episode each week, with some occasional commentary.

For a decade in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Martin and Lewis were the most popular team in show business. These old time radio shows give us an idea of what all the fuss was about.

You can listen to the shows on the Website at http://deanandjerry.noebie.com or subscribe to the program for free at the iTunes Store.

Make time to laugh, won't you?

Today In Sinatra History

As noted on the Podcast many times over the years, SinatraFamily.com is the premiere site on the Web for all things Sinatra. You owe it to yourself to visit the site, and you might also enjoy participating in the Forum. There are a lot of wonderful people on the boards there.

From time to time, we'll be pointing to various features and content on the site. A very cool feature was noted on the Forum just this morning.

In addition to an online version of Nancy Sinatra's excellent book Frank Sinatra: An American Legend, there is now a "Today In History" section on the Guestbook Page. It draws from the timeline in the book, with links to the original entries.

Visit the official site today!

Congratulations, Mr. Sinatra

Frank Sinatra, Jr. was honored last week with a star on the Palm Springs Walk Of Fame, joining his sister, Nancy, and their legendary father who were previously inducted.

As we've mentioned many times on the Podcast, Frankie is a tremendous talent, a fabulous singer and a top-notch conductor, who is keeping the great tradition of Swing alive.

Here's an article covering the event from the Desert Sun.

According to the Sun, the placement of the star on Palm Canyon Drive was notable since it was the street the two Sinatra children used to play on when they were younger.

Click here for coverage from CBS 2 KCAL in Los Angeles.

Smooth Jazz USA

We've mentioned Steve Bauer's Smooth Jazz USA on the Frank Truth in the past. In case you haven't listened in awhile, check it out this Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock Eastern, 6 Central. You can find it at JazzNotes.Net on the World Wide Web.

Your favorite Sinatra Podcast follows at 10 PM Eastern, after three hours of Smooth Jazz, artist interviews and Jazz news updates. Thanks to Steve for seeing fit to share the Frank Truth with his audience.

You can also hear Steve's Jazz Brunch show on Sunday mornings, live from Wichita. Visit JazzNotes.Net on the Web.