It really all started with Frank Sinatra.

Photo: Young Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey in 1942.

 In January 1942, the 26 year old Frank Sinatra took the world of entertainment by storm. Thousands of young girls fell in love with him, and hundreds fainted every time he performed on stage. Female bobby-soxers screamed and screamed and rushed to touch his face amid hysteria and bursting passion. For long time, he has been performing as a solo singer with the Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, but now Sinatra realized that his ready for a solo career, alone and on his own, even if his boss Tommy Dorsey believed Sinatra was "a damn fool" for considering it. Dorsey was convinced that Sinatra will never make it without his band. He was wrong! The idea that a band vocalist would go out on his or her own, without the promotional support of a popular orchestra, was absurd and unrealistic in the 1940s. Many singers of the era preferred to stick to their bands for financial security purposes. Sinatra was different. He had the support and loyalty of thousands and thousands of teenagers and young adults. At that time in history, radio sponsors began to recognize the vast economic buying power of young audiences and teenagers. But one question haunted their minds: How much money those teenagers could spend or how much goods and merchandise would they buy? Sinatra was not concerned at all, because he was the first and ultimate superstar of the postwar years. Sinatra's decision ushered in, a new daring trend in showbiz. And he did it at a time when the popularity of big bands began to decline for many reasons. The United States was in war. Consequently, wartime restrictions on steel, rubber, tires and fuel made it so difficult for big band to tour regularly and appear on radio programs across the country. Besides, big bands could no longer record their music as often as they wished, because shellac and other products used in manufacturing the 78RPM records were in short supply. Indeed, this short supply in materials decreased the production and sales of records. But this would not affect the career of a solo vocalist touring the country without a big band.