Frank Sinatra: A Biography

Shortly before his marriage to Barbato, Sinatra was arrested for violating arcane morals laws by having an affair with a married woman. The case was dismissed and was marked by Sinatra’s now infamous mug shot. Barbato forgave his indiscretions, as she would do many times, and they married shortly thereafter.

My greatest teacher was not a vocal coach, not the work of other singers, but the way Tommy Dorsey breathed and phrased on the trombone

The only two people I’ve ever been afraid of are my mother and Tommy Dorsey

He was famous, sexy, and beloved, as well as lonely, manic and harsh. He abused drugs and alcohol and was a notorious gambler and philanderer. His relationships were as damned as they were beautiful, and his desire to avoid boredom and loneliness nearly destroyed him and his career

He was so good, you never saw the rehearsals, the effort, the hard work. It was like Fred Astaire. Fred made you think you could dance too. I don’t mean just me. I mean millions and millions of people. You saw Fred dance, you heard Bing sing, and it was like you were doing it. After a movie you saw guys in the street dancing. You heard them singing to their girls. It was amazing, what those men did, Bing and Fred. Some people, they danced and sang right through the fucking Depression. Every time Bing sang, it was a duet, and you were the other singer.