Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915 to an Italian immigrant couple living in Hoboken, N.J. An only child, Sinatra's parents hoped that their son would become an engineer, but Frank had other plans -- coasting through school in order to concentrate on athletics and getting into scraps with other boys and the local police. Working after school for a local newspaper, Frank quickly rose through the ranks from copy boy to rookie sports reporter, often covering high school games in which he himself participated. (Sinatra was an accomplished all-around athlete, with a special interest in boxing.) Not long after graduation Frank began singing in his spare time. Though he never took formal lessons, he idolized Bing Crosby and frequently practiced his songs, eventually entering local talent contests. After winning a prominent radio contest, the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, in 1938, Sinatra was hired to be a headwaiter and MC at a small New Jersey club called The Rustic Cabin; in his spare time he began singing on local radio stations, performing for gas money. Meanwhile, the struggling young vocalist married his long-time girlfriend, Nancy Barbato, in February of 1939.