Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sinatra

Synopsis of Pop Music

"These boots are made for walkin',
And that's just what they'll do,
And one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you..."

It would have been easy for Nancy Sinatra to ride her famous father Frank’s coattails to pop stardom when she began performing in the 1960’s. Instead, she carved out her own unique path to stardom with a series a smoothly-orchestrated, occasionally psychedelic songs that highlighted her lovely come-hither vocal style. As a result, she was able to shake her background as a star’s kid to become a star in her own right.

With Frank Sinatra for a father, it was inevitable that Nancy would catch the showbiz bug early on. She devoted a lot of childhood hours to lessons in singing, dancing and acting, making her professional debut in 1959 on her father’s variety show. She soon moved on to an acting career in the early 1960’s with films like Get Yourself A College Girl. In between films, she recorded the occasional single. Her music career took off in 1966 when she teamed up with writer/producer Lee Hazlewood on a little tune called “These Boots Are Made For Walkin.” Nancy graced this swinging proto-feminist anthem with a slick but tough delivery that helped it become a #1 hit.

The success of “These Boots” led to series of Vegas-cool hits for Nancy Sinatra. With Lee Hazlewood as her writer and producer, she had consistent Top-40 success with songs throughout 1967 like “How Does That Grab You, Darlin” and “Sugar Town.” Hazlewood also served as a duet partner for Sinatra on hits like “Jackson” and the sweetly psychedelic “Some Velvet Morning.” The contrast between her seductive cooing and his gritty, almost-spoken singing style was truly one-of-a-kind and helped make these songs as successful as her solo outings.

During this time, Nancy Sinatra continued to act in hit films like the biker epic The Wild Angels and the Elvis Presley musical Speedway. She also lent her vocals to the main theme for the classic James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Like “Some Velvet Morning,” this song had a psychedelic tinge to it. On the pop charts, she landed the second of her two #1 hits with “Somethin’ Stupid,” a swinging duet with her father Frank. This ready-for-Vegas classic still holds the record as the only father-daughter duet to go to #1 in the U.S. It was also the biggest hit of Frank Sinatra’s career.

In 1968, Nancy Sinatra experienced one of her proudest achievements when she embarked on a USO tour of Vietnam to entertain the many American soldiers at war. Back home, she did extensive touring on the nightclub circuit and became a regular entertainment attraction in Las Vegas. In the early 1970’s, she retired from show business to concentrate on her new marriage and to raise children. However, she did record the occasional album and periodically toured with her father. In 1985, she honored the elder Sinatra with an affectionate biography entitled Frank Sinatra: My Father.

In 1995, pop fans around the world received a pleasant surprise when Nancy Sinatra launched a comeback. She recorded a new album, One More Time, and successfully toured the U.S. In recent years, she has worked with her siblings to preserve their father’s image through their Sinatra Family website. She also does the occasional concert date, proving that there is plenty of walking left in her stylish boots.

Artist Release History

1966 - Boots
1966 - How Does That Grab You?
1966 - Nancy In London
1967 - Sugar
1967 - Country, My Way
1968 - Movin’ With Nancy
1968 - Nancy and Lee
1969 - Nancy
1970 - Woman
1971 - This Is Nancy Sinatra
1986 - The Hit Years
1995 - One More Time
1998 - Sheet Music: A Collection Of Her Favorite Love Songs
1999 - You Go-Go Girl

Pop Sub Categories

pop

Essential Music Albums

The Hit Years (Rhino)

Band Members

Nancy Sinatra vocals

Other Pop Music Links