Seldom
has a performer been strongly considered for an Academy Award
in both acting and music, yet Frank Stallone has managed to
pull it off.
His fiery portrayal of a brutish bartender in BARFLY had
Hollywood insiders abuzz at Oscar time, and his #1 smash hit
single, 'Far From Over' from Staying
Alive was likewise touted for a “Best Song”
nomination. It’s all in a days work for Frank, a gifted
artist equally comfortable on screen or the concert stage.
This Grammy and Golden Globe nominated artist has been
everything from a street singer, a rock singer, to a big-band
singer. Frank was also nominated for a Grammy for Best
Soundtrack, and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Staying
Alive. Frank has written songs for 11 films, and still
plays to SRO crowds in arenas and concert halls from Los
Angeles to London.
From the age of 5, Frank knew that music would play a dominant
role in his life, 'I wanted to be a musician and singer from
the very first time I heard Elvis,' remembers Frank, 'I have
never for a moment been derailed from that ambition.'
Frank is one of the last of the real big band and jazz
singers, in the tradition of Sinatra, Darin and Bennett. He
records and performs around the country with his orchestra,
and long time conductor Paul Vesco. Frank has sung to millions
of people over the years, keeping alive the classic works of
Gershwin, Rogers and Hart, Sammy Cahn, Harold Arlen and many
others.
Throughout high school, Frank formed a series of bands. As a
young man, he left his home town in Maryland and hit the road
to seek his musical quest. He worked as a street musician in
NYC, sometimes making five dollars a night or nothing at all.
Frank got his first big-break with his on-screen appearance in
Rocky, for which he wrote and performed the song 'Take
You Back,' sung 'a capella' in one of the film’s
unforgettable street corner scenes.
A dream came true for Frank when he teamed with his lifelong
idol, two-time Grammy winner Harry Nilsson, on a remake of
Joni Mitchell's classic, A Case Of You. The two
remained good friends until Nilsson's untimely death in 1994.
To add to Frank's musical diversity, he has written and
published over 200 songs. He has also recorded a pair of Big
Band albums titled In Love In Vain and Frankie and
Billy with legendary arrangers Sammy Nestico and Billy
May.
In addition, 4 time Academy Award winner Sammy Cahn also
contributed glowing liner notes for this project . On 'Frankie
& Billy' Frank teamed with Billy May, the great
arranger and conductor responsible for many classic recordings
by Frank Sinatra. Both Albums reveal Stallone’s poise and
vocal maturity. Billy May has said of the experience, “ I
felt the same excitement that I got in 1958 with another Frank
(Sinatra),or in 1953 from Nat Cole."
Frank's greatest hits album, Stallone on Stallone - By
Request, is a first time collection of all the songs Frank
wrote and performed in some of his brother's biggest films,
including Rocky I, II, and III, Rambo II, Staying Alive and
Over The Top. New original material which is more guitar
driven and rock oriented is presented on the album Full
Circle.
On the film front, since that auspicious debut in Rocky, Frank
has appeared in over 50 movies, including Tombstone and
Hudson Hawk well as many others. Also a veteran of the
stage, Frank has starred in acclaimed repertory productions of
such theater classics as Waiting for Godot, Studs Lonigan,
Our Town, Idiot’s Delight, Johnny Got His Gun and All
My Sons, to name a few.
On stage, Frank is a natural, his broad experience playing in
concert halls all over the world has given him an edge as a
performer. 'I can't wait to get out there and sing' notes
Frank.
The same kind of upbeat anticipation colors every creative
endeavor he undertakes. Frank’s lifelong musical journey
continues and his enthusiasm for entertaining remains
unshaken.
Seldom
has a performer been strongly considered for an Academy Award
in both acting and music, yet Frank Stallone has managed to
pull it off.
