Entertainers In Their Prime and at the End: Frank Sinatra
I’ve always been fascinated at watching the evolution of enteratainers: how the looked in their prime and how they looked and performed at the ends or later parts of their lives. This is the first in an occasional series. Some evolve and adapt. Others simply lose their gift.
Here’s Frank Sinatra at the top of his game in 1966 doing Witchcraft — with a notably unPC ending:
And here’s a rare clip of him doing one of his last big hits years after it became famous at his 75th birthday celebration in 1990. The showmanship is still there but the machinery is greatly worn. Yet, the spirit does shine:
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If a singer makes it past 27 without dying of recreational chemicals, they have to face up to the challenge of entertaining after time has hammered their range, breath control and endurance. Two of my favorites:
Meatloaf — compare “Bat Out of Hell” with the medley at the bottom of http://meatloaf.net/
Ian Tyson — an extreme case. His incredible bottom range in “Summer Wages”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae4KwdC_dDI
After a session battling a bad sound system and then a throat virus, he had to relearn his craft with a new voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_azRS7il_fY
Maria Muldaur — off point because she doesn’t age.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCrrwnlITGc