Frank Sinatra Jr. Regrets Duet With His Father
Frank Sinatra Jr. said he regrets participating in the Duets II album, which combined Frank Sinatra’s classic hits with tracks recorded by other iconic artists. The duets include vocals recorded by Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Diamond. Sinatra’s son also participated, providing vocals for “My Kind of Town.” However, he said he regrets recording the duet.
The album originally debuted in 1994, but was recently re-released. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Sinatra’s first Duets album. To honor the occasion, the first and second Duet albums are being offered in three special editions. Fans have an opportunity to choose from a super deluxe box set, a two-CD deluxe edition, and a Best of Duets single disc collection.
Although Frank Sinatra Jr. is excited about the special collection, he regrets recording the duet. As reported by Huffington Post, he felt his participation “was wrong.” Although he is a talented performer, he does not believe he belongs on the album:
“The idea of the duets albums was the people who joined Frank Sinatra in each song were themselves successful record artists, I never was. I felt a certain apprehension at the time that some people thought my being there was pure nepotism.”
MTV reports that Sinatra Sr. actually discouraged his son from pursuing a career in the music industry. Although fame and fortune are tempting, Sinatra thought being in the spotlight was brutal.
Defying his father’s wishes, Sinatra Jr. joined the Tommy Dorsey band in 1963. In 1988 Sinatra Sr. invited his son to become his Musical Director. Although he was stunned by the invitation, Sinatra Jr. worked with his father for seven years:
“… I was very surprised because he had much better musicians available to him than I ever was… it suddenly became very clear to me why it was important to be there for him… This was a professional relationship, the companionship did occur but that wasn’t part of the equation.”
Frank Sinatra Jr. may regret the duet with his father but fans are excited for the album’s re-release. Duets remains the best-selling duet album of all time.
[Image via Wikimedia]
