Frank Sinatra and Popular Culture: Essays on an American Icon

(Hardback)

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Description

Frank Sinatra's influence on American popular culture has been wide reaching and long lasting. In this one volume, essays written by major scholars, historians, music critics and popular culture personalities, offer a myriad of perspectives and commentary on this multifaceted musical legend. The essays attest to the interest in Sinatra that has spanned across 60 years. Sinatra affected American popular culture on and off the musical stage as evidenced by a reprint of Frank Sinatra's essay on civil rights and the evils of racial and religious prejudice that introduces this collection of scholarly writings. From singer to actor, from mass media personality to humanitarian and culture trendsetter, the many contributions of Frank Sinatra are here examined and brought to life. The research presented in these pages should appeal to scholars of popular music and American popular culture, as well as to Frank Sinatra fans and to those with a general interest in popular music. These essays are organized within three main sections enhanced by a chronological listing of Sinatra's artistic and humanitarian accomplishments. A comprehensive bibliography provides a useful research guide.

Reviews

"[This] is the one book that will appeal to everyone who has ever listened to Sinatra, seen him in films, TV or in person or has simply heard his name and wondered what he was all about....Tying it all together is the Introduction by Leonard Mustazza, which is absolutely brilliant. The 19 pages he uses to tell us about Sinatra, is the BEST summation you will ever read."-Ric Ross Sinatra Authority
A useful addition to popular music and culture collections at academic and public libraries.-Choice
This collection of 18 essays (including a 1945 plea for racial harmony by Sinatra himself), 13 of them new, is a mixed bag of superb musical and technical insight, interesting cultural studies analysis, and pure blather.-Kirkus Reviews
"A useful addition to popular music and culture collections at academic and public libraries."-Choice
"This collection of 18 essays (including a 1945 plea for racial harmony by Sinatra himself), 13 of them new, is a mixed bag of superb musical and technical insight, interesting cultural studies analysis, and pure blather."-Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

LEONARD MUSTAZZA is Professor of English and American Studies at Penn State University. He is the author of The Critical Response to Kurt Vonnegut (1994), Ol' Blue Eyes: A Frank Sinatra Encyclopedia (1998), and the forthcoming Sinatra: An Annotated Bibliography, all published by Greenwood Press.