Seldom has a performer been strongly considered for
an Academy Award in both acting and music, yet Frank
Stallone has managed to pull it off. His fiery portrayal
of a brutish bartender Eddie in the film Barfly had
Hollywood insiders abuzz at Oscar time, and his #1 hit
Far From Over, from the film Staying Alive, was likewise
touted for a 'Best Song' nomination. It’s all
in a day’s work for Frank a gifted artist who
is equally comfortable on screen or on the concert stage.
This Grammy and Golden Globe nominated artist has been
everything from a street singer, a rock singer, to a
big band singer. Frank was also nominated for a Grammy
for best soundtrack and a Golden Globe for Best Original
Song from the film Staying Alive. Frank has written
songs for 11 films, and still plays to SRO crowds in
arenas and concert halls from Los Angeles to London.
From the age of five, Frank knew that music would play
a dominant role in his life. “I wanted to be a
musician and singer from the very first time I opened
my mouth,” remembers Frank. “I have never
for a moment been derailed from that ambition.”
Frank was the first male singer of his generation to
switch from pop music to the American Songbook, in the
tradition of Sinatra, Darin and Bennett, leading the
way for other singers such as Harry Connick, Jr., Rod
Stewart, Brian Setzer and Michael Buble. Frank has been
touted for his music by such legends as Frank Sinatra,
Tony Bennett and four-time Oscar winner -songwriter
Sammy Cahn.
Frank records and performs around the country, and
has sung to millions of people over the years performing
his own compositions, and keeping alive the classic
works great American songwriters.
At a young age, the Maryland-born, Philadelphia-raised
native pursued his musical ambitions, forming a series
of bands, and finally turning professional at the tender
age of 15 (“I had to lie about my age,”
admits Frank). Frank performed in clubs with such acts
as Bonnie Raitt, Ten Years After, and Blood, Sweat &
Tears. Frank’s longest-lasting band, Valentine,
included lead guitarist John Oates, of Hall & Oates.
As a young man, he left home, and hit the road to seek
his musical quest. He worked as a street musician in
NYC singing in the Greenwich Village coffee house scene,
sometimes making five dollars a night or nothing at
all. Frank says: “It was so cold some nights,
singing on the street, that my fingers would stick to
the strings. All I owned then was my guitar, a collapsible
suitcase, and a train ticket to the next town.”
Frank’s group, Valentine, was signed to RCA Records
in 1975, and recorded their first debut album. Frank
made his on-screen singing debut, performing the self-penned
song, sung acapella , 'Take You Back', in the opening
scene of the film ROCKY. “The only reason I got
the part was that I the only musician my brother, Sylvester,
knew (and I worked cheap).”
A dream came true for Frank when he teamed up with
his lifelong idol, two time Grammy winner Harry Nilsson,
on a remake of Joni Mitchell’s classic, A Case
Of You. The two remained close friends until Nilsson’s
untimely death in 1994. To add to Frank’s musical
diversity, he has written and published over 200 songs.
He has recorded a number of American Songbook albums
titled In Love In Vain,
Frankie And Billy, and
Soft And Low, with legendary
arrangers Sammy Nestico and Billy May. He also recorded
albums of his own music, such as Frank
Stallone, Full Circle
and Songs From The Saddle.
Frank has also written and recorded compositions for
seven films, including Rocky I, II and III, Rambo II,
Paradise Alley and Over The Top. Frank also wrote and
recorded 11 songs for the soundtrack and film Staying
Alive, which gained the respect from his industry peers
and critics alike when he received a Golden Globe nomination
for 'Best Soundtrack' and Grammy nomination for Best
Original Song, with his single, Far From Over. Frank
will be releasing Stallone On
Stallone By Request, a greatest hits collection
of all the songs Frank has written for his brother Sylvester’s
films.
On the film front, since that auspicious debut in Rocky,
Frank has appeared in over 50 movies, including Barfly,
Tombstone, Hudson Hawk, Staying Alive, and many others.
One of his most memorable on-screen appearances was
his role as Ed Bailey, a dangerous gunslinger in Tombstone,
and as Eddie the bartender in Barfly, which gave rise
to serious consideration for Frank for an Academy Award
nomination, and won the acclaim of renowned film critic
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times. “Barfly
is a terrific film that features an outstanding performance
by Frank Stallone…he’s both captivating
and terrifying at the same time!”
On stage Frank is a natural performer. His singing,
guitar playing and broad experience of playing in concert
halls all over the world has given him an edge as a
performer. “I can’t wait to get out there
and sing,” notes Frank. That same kind of upbeat
anticipation colors every creative endeavor he undertakes.
Frank’s lifelong musical journey continues, and
his enthusiasm for entertaining remains unshaken.
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