Happy 100th Birthday, Ol' Blue Eyes
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Frank Sinatra was the Chairman of the Board, Ol' Blue Eyes and The Voice. But "Slacksy O'Brien?''
That was an early nickname for Sinatra in the Hoboken neighborhood where he grew up because, as a youngster, he wore nice clothes.
On what would have been his 100th birthday Saturday, some residents of Hoboken and Sinatra fans worldwide will raise a glass to the award-winning singer and actor.
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Sinatra was born on Dec. 12, 1915. His father, Anthony, was a boxer who fought in Irish gyms as "Marty O'Brien'' before becoming a firefighter and tavern owner. His mother, known as "Dolly,'' was connected to the local political machine.
According to Hoboken Historical Museum director Robert Foster, despite initially living in a cold-water apartment at 415 Monroe St., the Sinatras eventually had such luxuries as a radio, telephone and car while his mother made sure her son had nice clothes.
Sinatra, a high school drop out, became a singing waiter at The Rustic Cabin in Englewood Cliffs, where he met songwriter Cole Porter, and forgot the words to Porter's hit, "Night And Day,'' according to the 100 Sinatra website.
Radio eventually led Sinatra to big bands and stardom.
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When Sinatra died in 1998 at age 82, people left flowers near the plaque where his first home once stood and the city held a memorial Mass at St. Francis Roman Catholic Church, where Sinatra was baptized.
Sinatra was inducted in the first class of New Jersey's Hall of Fame in 2008. A park and the city's main post office bear his name.
In 2008, the Postal Service issued a 42-cent stamp with his image and took the rare step of holding three ceremonies in Hoboken, New York and Las Vegas.
But for a saloon singer who usually had a drink on stage, Sinatra's ultimate honor came from Jack Daniel's, which introduced Sinatra Select whiskey in 2003.
To honor the 100th anniversary of Sinatra's birth, Jack Daniel's produced 100 barrels of 100-proof Sinatra Century, which retails for $499.99 and includes an unreleased Sinatra recording.
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