Frank D

Frank D: After the Ball

by David Rickert
November 6, 2003

Frank D’Rone was one of many singers after a piece of the Sinatra pie, and the suave, debonair fellow on the cover certainly had the promising look of the next big crooner. However, although D’Rone is a fine singer, he lacks that elusive quality that allows one to jump the gap between an interpreter and an artist. To be fair, D’Rone would probably be satisfied with this assessment, and pleased to note that he turned out as pleasant an album ...

Vocal Goodies: Forgotten Artists From Verve

by David Rickert
October 30, 2003

Verve has recently released a number of vocal jazz records as part of their LPR series. Before handling the heavyweights, here are two discs from forgotten artists.

After the Ball Frank D’Rone 1960Frank D’Rone was one of many singers after a piece of the Sinatra pie, and the suave, debonair fellow on the cover certainly had the promising look of the next big crooner. However, although D’Rone is a fine singer, he ...

Interview: Frank D'Rone (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 3, 2010

Not all singers who came up in the 1950s became Tony Bennett or Sarah Vaughan. Some were popular only in their local towns. Some lacked talent or didn't have enough charisma. Some fell in with lousy record labels or the wrong crowd. Some were short on persistence or endurance. Others just gave up and went into another line of work. And then there were those highly gifted singers with enormous taste who came very, very close to becoming a household ...
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Interview: Frank D'Rone (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 2, 2010

Back the 1950s, jazz duos, trios and quartets toured all over the country. There was plenty of work to go around. Thousands of small clubs and bars favored live jazz and pop, which attracted patrons, kept them there longer buying drinks. The goal for an artist was to land an extended stay at a club in a major city and wind up discovered by critics and radio and TV personalities. Ultimately, you were angling for a record deal, which could ...
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Interview: Frank D'Rone (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 1, 2010

Back in the late 1970s, I was hunting for a Stan Kenton LP and wound up at Dayton's, a rare jazz LP store on Broadway in New York's Greenwich Village. As I made my way over to the Kenton bin, a record by a male singer was playing over the store's speakers. The song was Why Can't This Night Go On Forever, featuring a rip-roaring big band arrangement. Nearby, a guy in a newsboy cap and dark glasses was leaning ...
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