Sinatra: Behind the Legend
| Author | J. Randy Taraborrelli |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Language | English |
| Published | 2015 |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing (US) Sidgwick & Jackson (UK) |
| Pages | |
| ISBN | 978-0-2830-7206-2 Search this book on  . |
Sinatra: Behind the Legend is a 1997 biography of the late Amarican singer Frank Sinatra, written by celebrity biographer and journalist J. Randy Taraborrelli. It covered his full life up to that point, with an updated version titled Sinatra: A Complete Life released the following year upon Sinatra's death. In 2015, a revised and expanded edition was released, reverting to the original title. The 2015 version was published by Grand Central Publishing in the US and by Sidgwick & Jackson in the UK.
Development[edit]
The original manuscript of the book's first edition was completed in November 1996. Taraborrelli, having met Sinatra backstage on a few occasions during the 1980s, attempted to have a proper interview with his subject in both 1996 and 1997, but failed due to Sinatra's declining health. However, he did manage to interview Barry Keenan, one of the men behind the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr., an experience he relished.[1] Keenan, when later questioned about what was considered a sympathetic account of the kidnapping, stated that his words were taken out of context by Taraborrelli and that he was influenced by drugs when interviewed.[2]
The original edition was published in hardback in November 1997, and in 1998 Sinatra's death was followed by the swift rlease of Sinatra: A Complete Life, again in hardback. After the publication of this second edition, many sources not originally spoken to for the book reached out to Taraborrelli, and in January 1999 work on a revised, paperback edition began. The project was abandoned once the publisher went out of business, only brought back upon the centenary of Sinatra's birth.[1]
Reception[edit]
The sales of the original book benefitted significantly from Sinatra's death.[3]
In 2019 Gary Wells at SoulRide blog gave the original edtion of the book a positive review, stating that Taraborrelli "dishes on the juicier aspects of Frank’s life but manages to keep it journalistic and extremely informative".[4] Koby Gould, in his own blog, found that the book was more focused on Sinatra's personal life, as opposed to the academic analysis of his music found in James Kaplan's biography. However, Gould found Taraborrelli's book to be "beautifully written, well organised/constructed, balanced, fair, insightful work".[5] Comedy coach and author Dave Schwensen found it to be "an entertaining and fast read," but stated that the latter parts "seemed a bit disjointed". He gave it four out of five stars.[6] Baby A. Gil of the Philippine Star felt that Taraborrelli was "skilled at his craft", but also that "his Sinatra left me hanging, still eager to know more about the enigmatic legend."[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2015). Sinatra: Behind the Legend. 20 New Wharf Road, London, UK: Sidgwick & Jackson. pp. xv–xvii. ISBN 978-0-2830-7206-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Bates, James (1998-09-04). "Sony's Deal With Sinatra Kidnapper Raises Questions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-05-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Feldman, Gayle (1998-06-15). "Media Talk; In a Brief Episode, One More Sinatra Book for the Road". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ Wells, Gary (2019-09-21). "Book Review: "Sinatra: Behind the Legend"". SoulRide. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ↑ Gould, Koby (January 9, 2019). "'SINATRA: BEHIND THE LEGEND', by J. Randy Taraborrelli". kobygould.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Sinatra: behind the Legend". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-05-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Gil, Baby A. "Suddenly Sinatra". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
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