Interview with Charles Pignone

Full article below - Thanks to Charles Pignone for a few of the photos below, others are from an online search.

Like so many other young-at-heart fans, I have been an ardent admirer of Frank Sinatra. 

Having enjoyed his artistry for decades, I've held him in high regard as a consummate professional who shines brightly in every performance, whether as a superb vocal artist or a gifted actor in a starring role.

Over the years I've listened to a variety of vocalists and musical genres, however, my heart and soul always led me back to my favorite singers, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Frank Sinatra.

So I was truly delighted to learn that the man at the helm of Frank Sinatra Enterprises had graciously accepted an invitation for an interview.

Charles Pignone is indeed the quintessential go-to man for all things Frank Sinatra, having been closely associated with the Sinatra family for four decades.

It was my sincere pleasure to chat with him about his impressive career path, as an author, producer, archivist of the Sinatra legacy, and President of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

Our discussion opens with respect for the man known as The Voice, Frank Sinatra, and closes with recognizing Frank's closest pal and confidant, Dean Martin.

The depth of Charles Pignone's admiration for Frank Sinatra began in his teens (over forty years ago) when he notably became the inspiring young president of the largest Frank Sinatra fan club in America, the Sinatra Society of America.

He warmly recalls how fortunate he felt as a teenager to be the extraordinary leader of such a fine association.

I was 18 at the time. And I was lucky because Scott Sayers, who had been the previous president, had built the Sinatra Society into a wonderful organization.And I was lucky when I took over (being president of the fan club) as I met a lot of people. Frank Sinatra, his secretary, Dorothy Uhlemann. I don't know if you know that at that time he had a publicist, Lee Solters. Lee represented Barbara Streisand. He represented a lot of people, Michael Jackson. Sonny Golden, he was Frank's business manager. Bob Finkelstein, he was the family attorney. Bill Miller (pianist) who worked with Frank for decades, Terry Woodson, his librarian, Hank Cattaneo, his production manager, and Frank and his family. All those people and many more graciously embraced me and made me feel like part of the family, so to speak. And it's been 40 years, and we're talking (about Frank) now in 2024.

From that moment on, Charles Pignone rose to be a prominent Sinatra authority, developing numerous creative projects with a focus on the music and life history of Frank Sinatra. He endearingly recalls the first time he saw Frank perform, and touches on his perpetual charisma and lure musically.

I first saw Frank in the early 80s. I was very young, a teenager. Frank's appeal was and is I think that people felt he believed in what he was singing. And that's why his music touched and moved people like no one before or since. And I think that's the key to it. If you listen to Come Fly With Me or In a Wee Small Hours, if you don't get or understand Frank Sinatra after hearing him sing, there's nothing more I can tell you because it's all there. It's all in his music.

Well said. It is all there in Frank's music. Just listen.

In 1984 Mr. Pignone traveled with Frank Sinatra on his whirlwind tour, watching him perform in various venues worldwide. He genuinely expressed how poignant it was for him and the audience.

I've been blessed to see Frank (perform) live all over the world. And I witnessed night after night, venue after venue, how his music moved people when they heard him sing. He sings about all the things singular..singing specifically to each person. It was always special for his audience.

But as he reminisced a thought arose about another significant event that was especially heartwarming, Frank's 75th birthday celebration.

There were way too many profound moments over the years to mention, but one that comes to mind is a 75th birthday party, which was at the Waldorf Astoria on December 12th, 1990. It took place after his concert at the Meadowlands. It was a very special night for those of us. We were invited. It was just really moving and touching for the small group that was there. And at the end of the night, Frank was sitting on a dais in the room. And everybody, I think there were 100 or 150 and just waited and wish him happy birthday. That's one of the memorable nights that I remember.

Not only was Mr. Pignone privileged to watch Frank Sinatra on stage, but many performances included Frank's musical pallie, Dean Martin.

I was lucky enough to be around when they did the together tour in 1988. Prior to that tour and the press conference, they did a few days of rehearsals out here in L.A. at the Ren-Mar Studios. Even though Dean left after six (shows). Unfortunately, Dean was not up to the rigors of touring arenas and dropped out, which was disappointing to Frank. Regardless, I feel very lucky to have seen them together again. It was always very special.

On producing the Dean Martin Live from Las Vegas CD in 2005, he shares how the project developed, among other artistic ventures.

I had worked with Mort Viner, who was, as you know, one of the most famous artists in the world, a big part of Dean's life. We had done a Rat Pack. I produced a Rat Pack Christmas CD for Capitol. And after that, Mort gave me some live Dean concert tapes to review. And he wanted me to select what I thought was best for a live from Las Vegas CD because a few years before it was released, we came up with an idea. And I was working on the Las Vegas Centennial Project at the time with Capitol Records. So I produced, I selected one of the live shows from the Sands on the tapes that Mort had. I produced that release. And I was lucky enough to get Bill Zehme to write some liner notes that were fantastic. And I think that was the first live. But then Mort passed away in 2003. And he had wanted myself and Bob Finkelstein to handle Dean. And we did for about 18 months. So I did Live from Las Vegas and The Essential Dean Martin were some of the projects that I was involved with.

Mr. Pignone was also involved in the reissue of the television special, The Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas Show, originally aired on December, 21, 1967. The show is a fan favorite and was rebroadcast on October 29, 2021.

I also worked recently on the PBS special, the Sinatra and Martin Family Christmas Special. And we were able to get the families together at Capitol to film segments for the broadcast. I've known Deana and Gail for years. I knew Ricci, too, before he passed. And I had the pleasure of knowing Jeanne Martin. And I would have dinner with Jeanne Martin and Tita Cahn, Sammy's widow, through the years before Jeanne passed. They were always fun evenings. Jeanne always had wonderful stories. Always very positive stories about Dean. And it's great to be around them.

As an author, Charles Pignone continues to be busy, having penned many memorable books, including the celebratory Sinatra 100, The New York Times bestseller The Sinatra Treasures, The Sinatra Family Photo Album, and co-author of The Copa: Jules Podell and The Hottest Club North of Havana. As a producer he has curated and compiled an array of CDs and albums, Frank Sinatra: Nothing But The Best; Sinatra Platinum; 50th Anniversary Edition of My Way; Frank Sinatra: Vegas; Dean Martin: Live From Las Vegas and The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings and many more. He has been actively involved in the creation and production of televised documentaries, Sinatra Sings and Sinatra: All or Nothing at All, and was a consulting producer on the TV Special program, Sinatra: The Classic Duets.

I'm proud of everything I've done over these 40 years. But I think the Sinatra treasures and the Sinatra 100th books are highlights, as well as the various box set music releases such as Nothing But the Best and Ultimate Sinatra. But to me, the next project is always the exciting one to me. I guess producing the Sinatra 100th birthday TV show that we did with all those artists and the documentary All or Nothing at All, they're also highlights. I also have to say I'm very proud of the restaurants we have in Las Vegas and Nashville. Both are very successful. And people and fans seem to enjoy spending an evening there for dinner and drinks. And I'm just very lucky because the Sinatra children have been really diligent in preserving their father's legacy. I don't think there's any other artist from that era, from Frank's era, that is still as respected and relevant to today's generation. Tina, luckily, is very hands-on with the day-to-day of Frank.

FSE (Frank Sinatra Enterprises) continues to look forward, planning projects of interest for all Frank and Dean devotees.

Here at FSE, we usually plan ahead. And we put together a three- to five-year plan with various releases and projects. Some happen, some don't. I mean, the problem with any Sinatra project, is not what to include, but what we have to leave out. The man had such a monumental career over 60 years. So we have an embarrassment of riches to draw from in the archive. But things change, and you have to adapt with the industry, technology, and events. I mean, such as a worldwide pandemic that altered some plans. But once a project is set, we announce it on the Frank Sinatra social account. And we usually put out a press release with details.

L.A. Is My Lady. Is coming out. I don't know when you're going to run this article, but it'll be out next month. Amazon is coming out with, I think, an LP on Ultimate Christmas. On L.A. Is My Lady, when we put out these albums, I always try to stick to the original LP format pretty much. And then on the CD is where we will add the bonus tracks.

An impossible question to answer, but did he have a favorite Frank Sinatra song or album?

I love "Drinking Again", the Johnny Mercer song, which I think is fabulous; Bill Miller on piano with a great arrangement by Claus Ogermann...it is sublime. I also love "Teach Me Tonight" which is, on L.A. IS MY LADY. Torrie Zito did a wonderful chart and Sammy Cahn updated the lyrics for Frank. But really there are too many to mention and it all depends on my mood.

And an equally tough question, does he have a favorite Dino song?

There are too many to mention. I'm a huge Dean Martin fan. I just appreciate his music. He's very easy on the ears. I can listen to Dean for hours.

Speaking to Charles Pignone led me to consider the deep and honest friendship, personally and professionally, between Frank and Dean, apparent to fans who have seen both men interact whether on stage or off.

To illustrate, a few meaningful quotes (from the book, SINATRA 100) that sum up the enduring camaraderie between these two supremely talented and engaging entertainers.

"Frank's my dearest and best friend and he's about the warmest guy I know. That exterior everybody sees is a lot of bologna; he's very a warm man. He knows what he's doing all the time; may not be right all the time, but he sure knows what he's doing all the time." - Dean Martin

"Dean and Dad were very very close. Dean was the brother my father never had. He held him that closely,as a brother. They were there for each other, one hundred percent. When they were singing together, the audience felt the joy and the humor and became part of it. Most of their jokes were scripted they had some very good joke writers. The lines were built into the show, but the audience always felt like it was fresh and new. They were remarkable together!" - Nancy Sinatra Jr.

"His relationship with Dean Martin was that they considered themselves Laurel and Hardy. In many ways they were, they wanted to have fun. As a matter of fact, Dean Martin was truly one of the funniest men that I ever knew...And he would break my father up big time, all the time. Dean would just do funny things. And together they would have fun. I believe that was the endeavor -to make this fun carry over to the audience when the two of them were working together." - Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Dean and Frank had obvious and genuine affection for each other. But adding in the ...... Sammy Davis, Jr. immediately brings to mind the trio of The Rat Pack, featuring Frank, Dean and Sammy.

Charles Pignone further enlightens about the appeal of The Rat Pack and their remarkable longevity.

The Rat Pack still resonates today because of the sheer talent of Frank, Dean, and Sammy, singularly and together. But I think it's more for the love the three men had for each other, and that's something that can't be manufactured or duplicated. They really did not, in hindsight, they really did not do a lot of work together. There's a small window of time where they did some concerts, but it essentially, it begins in 1960 and ends around 1965. We are lucky that we have the live material and some of the video material. But as I said, it's more for the love that the three men had for each other. And that's why I think it still resonates today.

An insightful quote by Dean says it best.

"It's silly to call us anything like the Clan or the Rat Pack. If anything, it's more like the P.T.A. - Perfect Togetherness Association." - Dean Martin (Sinatra 100)

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin will continue to shine brightly, to be enjoyed by future generations undoubtedly due to the infinite efforts and exceptional creative vision of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

Thank you to Charles Pignone for sharing his expertise, charming remembrances, and personal Sinatra/Martin recollections.