In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley seemed to represent completely different Americas.
Sinatra belonged to the era of sophisticated crooners, big bands and traditional pop. Elvis represented the noisy new explosion of rock ’n’ roll that teenagers were embracing and many older Americans feared.
And Sinatra was not impressed.
In 1957, Sinatra publicly attacked rock ’n’ roll, calling it a “brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression.” Elvis was shown the criticism and responded surprisingly calmly. Rather than attacking Sinatra personally, he said he admired him as a performer but believed he was mistaken about the new music.
Then, only three years later, the two men ended up sharing a television stage.
After Elvis returned from two years in the U.S. Army, his first major television appearance was arranged for The Frank Sinatra Timex Show. The special was taped at Miami’s Fontainebleau Hotel on March 26, 1960 and broadcast by ABC on May 12. Elvis was reportedly paid a record $125,000 for the appearance.
Elvis performed his new post-Army songs “Stuck on You” and “Fame and Fortune.”
But the most memorable moment came when Sinatra joined him.
Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra Perform Together
They cleverly swapped musical worlds.
Elvis sang Sinatra’s “Witchcraft,” while Sinatra sang Elvis’s “Love Me Tender.” The official Elvis site confirms the duet was recorded at the Fontainebleau that March.
The symbolism was difficult to miss.
Just a few years earlier, Sinatra had publicly condemned the kind of music Elvis represented. Now he was standing beside him in matching tuxedos, singing an Elvis hit while Elvis performed one of his.
The special also became a ratings success, attracting a 41.5% share of the national television audience according to Graceland.
Neither man abandoned his own style that night. Sinatra remained Sinatra and Elvis remained Elvis.
But for a few minutes in 1960, the Voice and the King stood together and showed that two generations of American music did not have to remain enemies.