Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sandra Sinatra[4] (born June 8, 1940)[5] is an American singer-songwriter, actress, film producer and author.

A TV promo clip from the era features Sinatra in high boots, accompanied by colorfully dressed go-go dancers, in what is now considered an iconic Swinging Sixties look.

In addition to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", defining recordings during this period include "Sugar Town", "Love Eyes", the transatlantic 1967 number one "Somethin' Stupid" (a duet with her father), two versions of the title song from the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967), several collaborations with Lee Hazlewood – including "Summer Wine", "Jackson", "Lady Bird" and "Some Velvet Morning" – and a non-single 1966 cover of the Cher hit "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", which features in the opening credits of Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film Kill Bill Volume 1.

Between 1964 and 1968, Sinatra appeared in several feature films, co-starring with Peter Fonda in Roger Corman's biker-gang movie The Wild Angels (1966) and alongside Elvis Presley in the musical drama Speedway (1968).

Her singing career received a boost with the help of songwriter/producer/arranger Lee Hazlewood, who had been making records for ten years, notably with Duane Eddy.

Bolstered by an image overhaul – including bleached-blond hair, frosted lips, heavy eye makeup and Carnaby Street fashions – Sinatra made her mark on the American (and British) music scene in early 1966 with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'",[18] its title inspired by a line from Robert Aldrich's 1963 western comedy 4 for Texas, starring her father and Dean Martin.

[19] A TV promotional clip featured Sinatra in high boots, accompanied by colorfully dressed go-go dancers, to iconic Swinging Sixties effect.

[19] The ballad "Somethin' Stupid" – a duet with her father – reached number one in the US and the UK in April 1967 and spent nine weeks at the top of Billboard's easy listening chart.

Sinatra enjoyed a parallel recording career cutting duets with the husky-voiced, country-and-western-inspired Hazlewood, starting with "Summer Wine" (originally the B-side of "Sugar Town").

The recording is regarded as one of pop's more unusual singles; critic Cathi Unsworth wrote, "The puzzle of its lyrics and otherworldly beauty of its sound [offer] seemingly endless interpretations.

"[21] The British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph placed "Some Velvet Morning" atop its 2003 list of the Top 50 Best Duets Ever ("Somethin' Stupid" ranked no.

In the liner notes of the CD reissue of her 1966 album Nancy In London, Sinatra states that she was "scared to death" of recording the song, and asked the songwriters Leslie Bricusse and John Barry: "Are you sure you don't want Shirley Bassey?"

[14] Many soldiers adopted her song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" as their anthem, as shown in Pierre Schoendoerffer's documentary The Anderson Platoon (1967) and reprised in a scene in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987).

Sinatra appeared on The Virginian, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and The Kraft Music Hall, hosted by Sandler & Young.

It featured Lee Hazlewood, her father and his Rat Pack pals Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., her brother Frank Sinatra Jr. and West Side Story dancer David Winters, who choreographed the show.

"[29] Winters was nominated for an Emmy in the Special Classification of Individual Achievements category for his choreography but lost to co-winners The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Jackie Gleason Show.

[30] The special's success may[weasel words] have been a motivating factor for the development of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, which was introduced the following year.

"Sugar Me" was written by Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue and, with other covers of works by early-'70s popular songwriters, resurfaced on the 1998 album How Does It Feel?

2 in the UK[35] In 1972 they performed for a Swedish documentary, Nancy & Lee In Las Vegas, which chronicled their Las Vegas concerts at the Riviera Hotel and Casino and featured solo numbers and duets from concerts, behind-the-scenes footage and scenes of Sinatra's mother and her husband, Hugh Lambert.

[39] At 54, Sinatra posed for Playboy in the May 1995 issue and made appearances on TV shows to promote her album One More Time.

Sinatra told Jay Leno on a 1995 Tonight Show that her daughters gave their approval, but her mother said that she should ask her father before committing to the project.

She collaborated with former Los Angeles neighbor Morrissey on a 2004 version of his song "Let Me Kiss You", which was featured on her album Nancy Sinatra.

The album featured U2, Sonic Youth, Calexico, Pete Yorn, Jon Spencer, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Steven Van Zandt, all of whom have cited Sinatra as an influence.

[41] EMI released The Essential Nancy Sinatra, a UK-only greatest-hits compilation featuring the previously unreleased track "Machine Gun Kelly", in 2006.

Sinatra and Anoushka Shankar recorded a 2007 public-service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of music and film-related books and screenplays.

[46][47] She released the 2013 digital-only album Shifting Gears, featuring 15 previously unreleased tracks, including a rendition of Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy".

The first release was a Record Store Day Black Friday exclusive 7" vinyl single featuring two Sinatra/Hazlewood duets, "Some Velvet Morning" and "Tired of Waiting for You".

The second wave of the Nancy Sinatra Archival Series kicked off on September 29, 2023 with the digital release of a new 25-song compilation Keep Walkin': Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978.

[52][53][54] Sinatra has progressive positions on political issues, advocating for advances in women's rights, healthcare and reversal of climate change.

[54] Marriages: Children (with Lambert): Both women were left US$1 million from their grandfather Frank Sinatra's will, in a trust fund started in 1983.

Photo family portrait of a husband, wife, two young children, and an infant.
Sinatra family portrait, 1949, with Nancy at far left
Sinatra in 1967
Nancy Sinatra and singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood on The Hollywood Palace in 1968