Who would you consider the best singer of all time?
Obviously, this is a nearly impossible question to answer and it depends on taste. Still, there are a handful of names that come up no matter who you are.
Though being a technically good singer definitely plays an important role, having a unique personality and delivery also goes quite a long way. There’s obviously also the question about whether we prefer male or female singers… but the list can go on and on.
What’s definitely true is that when it comes to all-time great performers and well-loved artists, Frank Sinatra is on the top of a lot of lists.
For those who don’t know, Sinatra was born December 12th, 1915 and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
His debut album came out in 1946, called The Voice of Frank Sinatra. Over time, he became known for his striking blue eyes, his deep voice and his extremely masculine presence on all kinds of different songs.
He went on to bring that same presence to the big screen after launching an acting career, but even to this day, it seems like some of his songs—like “New York, New York” and “I Did it My Way”—continue to inspire later generations of artists.
But Sinatra isn’t the only artist like this who was working at around the same time.
In the history of American pop music, another name that has to come to mind in this category is Elvis Presley.
Although he wasn’t born until 1935, he helped to pioneer a new genre of rockabilly music as well as popular rock n’ roll that came out of blues and other folk styles.
Like Sinatra, Elvis has developed a kind of cult of personality over the years that has long outlasted him. Though he probably wouldn’t land on any lists of technically excellent singers, he had a soulful and sexually-charged delivery that melted the minds of so many people who heard him at the time.
Though their styles were definitely different, Sinatra and Elvis actually performed together as well!
The performance we’re talking about comes from a performance in about 1960.
At the time, Elvis had just come back from military service and Sinatra was the “heartthrob” of the current generation.
Still, Elvis was the heartthrob of the generation that was to come right after him… and studio executives decided to put them on television together to do a duet! Sinatra starts it off with a voice that’s as smooth as ever, but when Elvis sings, all the girls in the crowd go crazy.
Although it’s a bit strange to see them on-stage together, it’s clear that they’re capturing the crowd’s attention!
Since the clip was put up on YouTube, it has been viewed about three million times… but it likely deserves a whole lot more than that!
Although music is definitely about technical ability, it’s also about soul—and it’s clear from this video that these two iconic artists had very different personalities!
Even so, both of them do a great job singing and sharing the stage with one another. Even if Sinatra is playing it straight and Elvis is goofing around, the two come together at the very end for some perfect harmonizing!
Special thanks to both Sinatra and Elvis for sharing their talents with the world! Be sure to watch the whole thing in the link below:
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