Staying Fit
Frank Sinatra (left) and Willie Nelson
Michael Ochs Archives/Wally McNamee/Getty Images
Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson, 87, might not seem like a match made in musical heaven, but their friendship goes way back. Ol’ Blue Eyes reportedly called The Red Headed Stranger his favorite singer after hearing his 1978 album Stardust, and the unlikely duo even teamed up for a series of Las Vegas concerts in the ‘80s.
Sinatra died in 1998, but Nelson's admiration has grown only stronger over the years. In 2018 he released My Way, a collection of covers that earned him the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album, and this month sees the debut of his much-anticipated follow-up That's Life — with 11 newly recorded Sinatra tunes. One was a swingin’ Rat Pack member, the other a honey-voiced outlaw troubadour; so how do their decades-long careers stack up when examined side by side? Here, a by-the-numbers look at two of the towering giants of 20th-century popular music (plus a few choice Willie and Frank videos to enjoy).
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Year Born
Frank: 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey
Willie: 1933, in Abbott, Texas
Years in the Military
Frank: 0. Classified 4-F (medically ineligible) by the local draft board, because his eardrum had been punctured by the doctor's forceps as he was being born.
Willie: 0.75. Enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after leaving high school in 1950; medically discharged after nine months due to a bad back caused by years of baling hay.
Year Recorded First Single
Frank: 1939, “From the Bottom of My Heart"
Willie: 1957, “No Place for Me”
Grammy Awards
Frank: Nine wins out of 31 nominations, plus three honorary awards. Sinatra also has 13 songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Willie: Ten wins out of 52 nominations, plus two honorary awards. In 2018, Nelson won best traditional pop vocal album for his first Sinatra tribute album, My Way.
Frank Sinatra holds the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award he received at the 43rd Academy Awards.
Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images
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