The crooner who used his voice “like a horn” died at the age of 93 in San Diego this month. Frankie Laine was the 1996 recipient of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement award, this honor coming well after his heyday which spanned more than 50 years.
Born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio on March 30, 1913, he was the eldest of eight children. Growing up in the Little Italy section of Chicago, he quickly found his voice in his teens, singing in clubs and on stages. After giving in to wanderlust, traveling from city to city, he was eventually hired as a singer at the radio station WINS in New York City and dropped the name LoVecchio, replacing it with Laine.
Deciding not to emulate any of the contemporary crooners of the 40’s, he developed an intense delivery and a quick vibrato which became his trademark style. “That’s My Desire” was his first recording to make the charts in 1946, followed by musicals in the 50’s that included “When You’re Smiling,” “Rainbow Round My Shoulder,” “Sunny Side of the Street” and “Bring Your Smile Along.”
Eventually, his voice would be heard virtually everywhere, selling more than 100 million records in his long career. Some memorable examples are “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957), “3:10 to Yuma” (1957) and “Man Without a Star” (1955). He starred in more than a half-dozen musicals on film, and on television, he was the host of three different variety shows in the 1950s. He also sang the theme song to the “Rawhide” series, which was broadcast from 1959 to 1966, starring a young Clint Eastwood. Years later, he sang on the soundtrack of the Mel Brooks comedy “Blazing Saddles” (1974).
We at SHOF were saddened to learn of the passing of a great talent and are happy to have had the chance to honor him in his lifetime.