Would Nancy Sinatra ever had a record recorded had she not been the daughter of Frank Sinatra?
PriyankaEnlightened
Would Nancy Sinatra ever had a record recorded had she not been the daughter of Frank Sinatra?
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A big fat “maybe”.
In 1961, she was signed to her father’s Reprise label. So, it seems that, as the owner’s daughter, she would be given a record deal. By 1963, Frank Sinatra had sold 2/3 of Reprise to Warner Bros, Records, after losing money in 1961 and 1962.
In 1965, Nancy was in real danger of being dropped from her father’s label, because the records she was making were poor sellers, and making almost no impact, except in some European countries and in Japan.. To be fair, the records themselves were pure, forgettable pop songs. In truth, Reprise could not justify keeping her on the label, despite being the founder’s daughter..
(It should be pointed out that these early records were never reissued in any form after she became successful.)
Then, Frank had an idea: since the straight pop wasn’t working for Nancy, he brought in maverick producer Lee Hazlewood. The changes Hazlewood brought to the table saw Nancy adopt a modified pop approach, with a strong country influence.
The first song Hazlewood brought was, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”, which was the complete opposite of the saccharine pop songs she recorded previously. “Boots” was an aggressive, no BS song, sung in a knowing, world-weary manner. It was a massive hit, and Reprise renewed her contract.
Nancy remained on Reprise until 1970, when she began to concentrate on her family. However, she signed with RCA and Private Stock Records to release a handful of singles in the early/mid-1970’s.
In a wise move, Nancy has retained the copyrights to her albums, and reissued them on occasion, with great success.