From the holy chant to the soothing lullaby, to the healing effects on memory and mood—these describe the powerful impact of the human voice in song. No one knows this better than Italians. If you have any Italian blood at all coursing through your veins you no doubt welcome the slightest excuse to sing your heart out. You likely croon with joy, drama, and emotion; as if on a world stage.

Amongst Italian Americans lived one extraordinary would-be crooner who, from a young age would not be content to confine himself to just singing in the shower or being accompanied by a cousin’s concertina after Sunday dinner. Francis Albert Sinatra wanted “all or nothing at all.”