A
Hoboken native helped tie the popular music of the 1940s
and '50s to the music of today. Frank Sinatra went from
teen idol of the 1940s to legendary status as arguably
the most popular singer ever. His 1958 album Only the
Lonely became the number 1 best seller and stayed on
the charts for 120 weeks. Sinatra's music was a force in
the Billboard charts all the way through the '90s when
he celebrated his music with stars of today in his Duets albums.
One
of the most famous singers of the early 1900s came from Princeton
and attended Rutgers. Paul
Robeson became the first soloist to sing a concert of black
spirituals in 1925. Robeson, an accomplished student, football
player, actor, and political activist, was best known as a
singer for his bass-filled rendition of "Ol' Man River" in
the play Showboat.
