Rick Michel's Blog

I’m heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico and I couldn’t be happier.  December 9th will see Sinatra Forever at the Route 66 Casino to sing some Sinatra staples and a few Christmas songs too.  Albuquerque is a pretty cool place, so I know the big band sound will be right at home.   Read More

With Halloween over, I have the arduous task of eating the remaining treats.  I know I shouldn’t, but who can resist little personally wrapped gifts of goodness sitting in a bowl or box?  Something I’ve noticed with most people is that they’ll buy the candy they like to give the kids at Halloween, so don’t tell me they’re not planning for leftovers!  Everyone has a favorite; do you know what candy Ol’ Blue Eyes liked? Read More

As we probably remember from the year-long party that took place just a couple years ago to celebrate 100 years, Frank Sinatra was born in 1915.  Did you ever wonder what life was like in the United States back then?  Let me tell you!   Read More

Quite often names don’t really have a lot of meaning, but there are times when they can tell a story.  A long-time custom in show business has been to change your name to something deemed better suited for the public.  Maybe the name is difficult to pronounce or is too similar to another famous person.  Perhaps you’d just like something that sounds a little less boring.  Of the five core members of the Rat Pack that would go on to become household names, three were born with a less familiar moniker.  Do you know why? Read More

When you talk a lot about Frank Sinatra, you usually end up mentioning one particularly funny man who made a career at being a pain in the side for everyone - Don Rickles. You’d hear stories, see them on The Tonight Show, they performed together, and they were friends. For two people, both with rather cantankerous public personas, they got along together marvelously. Read More

When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you don’t need anyone to explain that a great accompanist can make a good singer sound exceptional.  For Frank Sinatra, when it came to the piano, the man for the job was Bill Miller.  Do you know the name?  Here’s a little about the guy Ol’ Blue Eyes would call, “my partner at the piano.”   Read More

It was a match made in Heaven, and it just so happens that the first track on their debut collaboration, Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First, was “Pennies from Heaven.”  That first album together happened in 1962 and their last studio album was in 1964, but these two legends paired up again in 1966 for Frank’s first live album, Sinatra at the Sands, although they would perform together more. Read More

Frank Sinatra was no stranger to the White House, yet his visit there to perform on April 17, 1973 for a State Dinner welcoming Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti appeared to be something really special for the singer.  He did ten songs, a mini-concert arranged to impact everyone lucky enough to be in attendance, and nobody left that historic building disappointed. Read More

You know how you go on Google searching for something, but you end up finding something else? That happened to me while I was looking up last week’s blog post and one video, Sammy singing Mr. Bojangles, reminded me about the relationship between two incredible artists: Sammy Davis, Jr. and Michael Jackson. Read More

Did you know Sammy Davis, Jr. was an accomplished photographer?  These Rat Pack guys were super-talented; I’ve written about Frank’s painting, and while you guys may know that I’m not necessarily the best photographer myself, I can admire those with the execution to deliver shots worth noticing.  Always a visionary, Sammy even took selfies before selfies were a thing.   Read More