MARK TREMONTI Says ROBERT PLANT 'Loved' His Collection Of FRANK SINATRA Covers

In May 2022, Mark Tremonti — guitarist/singer-songwriter/founding member of the rock bands CREED, ALTER BRIDGE and TREMONTI — released a collection of Sinatra covers to support NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society). "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" was made available as part of a new charity initiative created by Tremonti called Take A Chance For Charity. Proceeds from the album will go to support NDSS and the work they do to advocate for and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Mark and his family were blessed to welcome their first daughter Stella in March 2021 — who was born with Down syndrome — and the idea for the project was born.

In a new interview with producer and YouTuber Rick Beato, Tremonti stated about "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's one of the things I'm most proud of in my entire career. It's been the most gratifying, satisfying thing. I always tell people, I could have recorded a thousand rock records before some of the people that heard this and commented on it would have ever taken notice. I remember Slash [of GUNS N' ROSES] gave us a great quote. He loved it. And Paul Stanley from KISS was online talking about it. And I remember one day I was on tour in Europe. And I had a bad day. I forget what it was. I was just kind of in a rotten mood. And I get off stage and I pick up my phone, and it's my buddy Tom Robb. And he's security for Robert Plant [of LED ZEPPELIN] and METALLICA. He's just an awesome guy, a good friend of mine. He's, like, 'I gotta tell you, I was taking Robert [Plant] to Bonnaroo, and I played him your Frank Sinatra CD, and he loved it.' I'm, like, 'What? Robert Plant listened to my Sinatra thing?' And, of course, I'm trying to promote it, so I'm, like, "Could you get a quote for me?' I never got the quote, but just to know that Robert Plant listened to it and enjoyed it… When would that have happened with anything I've ever done?"

Regarding how the idea for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" came about, Mark said: "I was just practicing singing like Frank Sinatra 'cause I loved it, just like a young guitar player would. It would be like me practicing jazz and knowing that I'm never gonna write a jazz song. But when we got the diagnosis that my daughter was gonna be born with Down syndrome, I'm, like, 'I wanna do this record and do it for charity.' So I called my manager, Tim, and I said, 'Let's call some local musicians and put a band together.' He's, like, 'How about we do something better? My guitar teacher was Frank Sinatra's guitar player on tour.' So he set up a meeting with Dan McIntyre, his guitar player, and Mike Smith, Frank Sinatra's alto sax player and one of his band leaders. And they had lunch, and he told 'em what I wanted to do. [And they said], 'Well, can your boy sing?' And Tim had never heard me sing Frank Sinatra. So I'm, like, in my bathroom singing ['Luck Be A Lady']. And I sent him a clip of it, and they set up a studio session. We were just gonna do two songs to see how it worked out. And one of the most difficult things was really convincing the Sinatra family and the business to let us do this. And when they heard it, they liked it. And they said pretty much, 'You have to do your own arrangements, though. We just don't want the old arrangements.' It's like you're going to drink a Coke, but it's not a Coke, kind of a thing. So we took 'My Way' and changed it. We took 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' and added a rhythm section. And we took half the record and changed it.

"It's crazy when you're in the studio with these guys," Mark continued. "Imagine a room about this big and you have 17 brass instruments in there. And when I'm first meeting these guys, Mike calls me in, and I chose the song that the vocals set the rhythm for the song. All the other songs you can start with the music, but 'Luck Be A Lady' starts with the vocal. 'They call you lady luck, but there is room for doubt.' So I set the pace. So I'm in there having to do that, first meeting these folks. But I had fun. I loved it."

When "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" was first announced, Tremonti said in a statement: "For years, I've loved singing along to Frank's songs. One night, I found an old video of him performing 'The Song Is You' from 1944. It made me want to dive into his vocal approach. I was all in and I wanted to do something with it. When we found out about our daughter Stella's Down syndrome diagnosis, the stars aligned. My obsession with Sinatra had its reason. Frank Sinatra raised more than a billion dollars for charity and that is a fact I wish the public the public knew more about. Beneath his cool and calm persona, he had a big heart. Doing this charity in his name was another way the stars had aligned. I decided to do this record to raise funds for families and individuals with Down syndrome. This project is the start of a new purpose that I will have for the rest of my life."

Tremonti came together with surviving members of Frank Sinatra's orchestra, creating new takes on some of the classics and some deeper cuts from Frank's catalog. From the opening horns and piano of "I've Got You Under My Skin" to final vocal outro of "All Or Nothing At All", Tremonti showcases the signature vocal approach and exemplary musicianship that made Sinatra's work timeless. To see his vision through, Mark reached out to Sinatra's musical director Mike Smith who collected as many remaining members as possible of Frank's touring band to record the music for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra". Popular standards like "I've Got The World On A String", "My Way" and "That's Life" find new life in the hands of these incredible musicians. Tremonti — known for his guitar work that has won him countless accolades — leaves the instrument behind and just sings on the 14-track album. The artwork on the album cover is an original painting that Tremonti created especially for this project.

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann