Just as it looked when the legendary original Rat Pack of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra Party took to the stage, tribute artist Robbie Howard says performing as them is like “a party on stage every night”.
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Howard plays Sinatra, but grew up mostly with Martin’s music. “When I first started in the Rat Pack I sang Dean’s songs, but people would say, ‘you look more like Frank’.”
He says he was about 12 when he first saw Sinatra. “I’d watch Frank when he’d be on Dean’s show. I liked the way he crooned, his bending of the notes.”
Sinatra’s vocal ability has often been debated but Howard maintains when he was younger and sang with big bands, his voice was very smooth. “During the ‘50s it got rougher and had that rough cigarette sound, but people really enjoy that tone. I don’t really know if anyone can do it – his phrasing was pretty unique. When he sings, you know it’s Frank.”
One of the things that has surprised Howard on tour, is how Sinatra’s music covers all age groups, especially in Australia and the UK. “Some kids in the UK know more about Frank than I do.”
Sinatra was known as Chairman of the Board. “Frank was always in charge up there,” Howard says. Sammy and Dean, they were on stage to please Frank.
“People want to grab on to the nostalgia, especially as they can’t see them [the originals] again. After Baby Boomers die off, it’ll change to a history lesson, but there’s always a way to make it relevant.”