Frankie Laine
 Frankie
Laine was born to Sicilian immigrant parents in Chicago's Little
Italy on 30 March, 1913.
Ever since his recording of That's My Desire burst onto
the scene like a musical firework in 1947, praise has poured in from
all corners, from young and old alike, for this gifted and versatile
artist for top nightclub engagements, both in the US and in Europe.
In 1953, Laine's stirring rendition of I Believe topped
the British charts and stayed at Number One for eighteen weeks - an
unbeaten performance that even The Beatles
never matched.
His renown continued to grow as he went to England for a
record-breaking engagement at the London Palladium.
His recording of You Gave Me a Mountain - a song
written especially for Laine by his good friend, Marty Robbins - went
gold in the early 1970's, by which time many of his contemporaries had
long since quieted down.
His hit records were followed by starring roles in several motion
pictures, guest appearance on numerous major radio and television
shows, and his own television variety program on CBS. Laine became the
first and most successful of the singers to be identified with title
songs.
He performed the title songs for seven motion pictures, including
Mel Brooks' Western farce, Blazing
Saddles , while his recording of Rawhide has
become one of the most popular theme songs of all time.
Laine continued to record exciting new material while maintaining a
healthy respect for songs like Mule Train, That Lucky Old
Sun and Jezebel, which all his long-time admirers
know by heart. Many of these tunes were collected into an album
entitled The World of Frankie Laine that toped the
charts in England in 1982. Since then, this album has been issued in
43 different countries.
After recovering from a second bypass surgery in 1990, Laine began
work on his autobiography which he mischievously called, That
Lucky Old Sun. The book was published in 1993 and met with great
success. His album, Wheels of Dreams was released in 1998.
On 12 June, 1996, Laine was presented with a Lifetime Achievement
Award at the 27th Annual Songwriter's Hall of Fame awards at a
ceremony at the New York Sheraton.
He eventually died of heart failure on 6 February, 2007 at Scripps
Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
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