Matt and Francis

[Vance_Adair]

Nice to be able to contribute to the forum again. I thought that posters would be interested in this article from the 1962 Echo Pop Special:

"Two weeks ago the fabulous Frank Sinatra
breezed into London for two charity shows and
in with him blew the usual storm of controversy- --
especially from the readers of Echo Pop Special.
Now this week British singer Matt Monro --- the
man Sinatra asked after when he arrived in London
and the man who coined that phrase "The Guv'nor"
--- took time off between shows at the Pavilion
Theatre, Weymouth, to give Pop Special the low-
down on Frank Sinatra.
Of Frank Sinatra's performance, Monro said:
"This was the first time I had seen Sinatra in the
flesh, and after seeing him, I have even more re-
spect for him than ever."
"Believe me, he more than lived up to his repu-
tation. No other man in the world could have given
a performance like he did."
"I went to the Festival Hall for the first show and
I was so thrilled I went along to the Gaumont at
Hammersmith for his second performance, too"
"I also saw the telerecorder but you miss so much
on TV."
"The abbreviated TV recording failed to get over the
terrific climax of his performance, which he was build-
ing for an hour and a half."
I asked Matt Monro about the comparisons that are
so often made between him and Sinatra. His answer
was surprising.
"Our voices are entirely different," he replied. "Sinatra's
is two or three times higher than mine for a start. Y'know,
although I admire him so much, I don't want to sound like
a second Sinatra. I'd rather be the first Monro."
"When I first went to the States I was billed as the 'new
Frank Sinatra.' I was very pleased when the critics wrote:
"This guy isn't the new Sinatra --- he's the original Monro."
When Frank Sinatra granted one of his rare interviews
to a London magazine during his visit, he asked the reporter,
"How's that guy Matt Monro who made that great disc a
couple of years back? And the reaction of modest Monro?
"I've just been reading the article," he admitted almost
guiltily. "I must say I was flattered that Sinatra should re-
member my record. I think the disc he meant was 'My Kind
of Girl,' which did quite well in the States."
"Sinatra is a by-word in this business," he said sincerely.
"If there had been no Sinatra there would be no pop singing
as we know it today."

Steve Whiting
Echo Pop Special
London
June 1962

[Marian]

That makes very interesting reading Vance. Welcome to the forum

Marian

[john]

Thanks for your post Vance and welcome to the forum.

[Vance_Adair]

Thank you Marian and John. It's nice to be here.

You are both veteran posters and may I say how much I have loved reading your posts over the past couple of years.

-Vance

[Lena & Harry Smith]

Thank you for that article Vance and keep posting whenever you can.

[keithgood838]

Hi Vance

You seem to have re-entered our world under
the radar,
but going by your fascinating contributions
so far,
I can see you becoming a forum guiding light -
a Polestar.

Welcome back!

Keith