This Enchanting Duet From Elvis & Sinatra Will Make Your Heart Skip A Beat

Oct 30, 2018

Do you remember the early years of rock 'n' roll when it took the United States by storm in the mid-1950s? Its roots go back even farther, but when Elvis Presley came along, that turned the world of popular American music upside down forever.

His swiveling hips, sneering lips, and raucous singing style on songs that mixed the influence of both black rhythm-and-blues and white country music, made teenagers go wild but adults go berserk.

Many older people, like those your parents' age or older, hated rock 'n' roll because they considered it immoral, while others merely considered it inferior to what came before it. One such critic was Frank Sinatra.

Though the crooner's career was on an upswing thanks to his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity and his albums on Capitol Records, Frank hated rock 'n' roll. He called it "phony and false" and said it was made by "cretinous goons," although he did not single anyone out in particular.

After his fame expanded into Hollywood with movies such as Love Me Tender and King Creole, Elvis went into the US Army in 1958, and he received an honorable discharge in 1960 after having been stationed in Germany. It was there that he would meet his future wife, Priscilla Beaulieu.

During that time, Col. Tom Parker, Elvis's manager, did everything he could to keep his image in the public eye during his service. To welcome him home upon discharge from the army, the ABC television network aired the videotaped special The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis on May 12, 1960.

Videotaped at the Fontainebleau Hotel on March 26, Elvis's fee for appearing on the show was $125,000, the most money a single performer had received for a single show such as this up to that point.

Also joining Frank and Elvis on the show was Frank's daughter, Nancy Sinatra, who was 19 at the time, and later to become a recording star in her own right. Her encouragement persuaded her father to do the show in the first place.

She performed a song called "It's Nice To Go Trav'ling". Elvis sang "Stuck on You" and "Fame and Fortune" as solos.

When he actually appeared with Frank, Elvis sang Frank's hit song "Witchcraft" while Frank performed a swinging version of "Love Me Tender." Though this was the highlight of the evening, Elvis's screen time only made up eight minutes of the hour-long show.

The other guest stars were Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis, Jr. The special was a huge success with mostly good reviews from critics and an estimated 67 percent of the TV audience watched it at the time. Check it out:

So are you more of an Elvis Presley kind of person or a Frank Sinatra kind of person? And what did you think about their duet? Feel free to show this article to your friends so they can learn about the meeting of these two musical giants.