My Breakfast With Frank Sinatra, 1980

My Breakfast With Frank Sinatra, 1980

"Frank Sinatra detested the press! He hated reporters and he rarely posed for a photo unless it was a charity. He was entitled to be testy. He was Frank Sinatra and a legend. Celebrities like Frank, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis do not exist today. It is not easy to find a real icon to photograph. I saw Frank around town at parties and restaurants only a couple of times, always surrounded by rather large bodyguards. I never had the guts to snap a photo. His bodyguards were the big guys and it was not worth messing with them to get a photo. I had heard a rumor there was a press conference for Frank at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I think I just showed up without an invite. Back then, if you had heard about an event and showed up, it was usually no problem. I arrived early, got a free breakfast of lovely little sausage links, croissants and freshly squeezed OJ. After my feast, I sat in the second row to get this totally amazing photograph. You know how many photographers were there? About six. Incredible. In today's hunger for online news and celebrity imagery, there would have been a feeding frenzy of media. At this press conference, I think there was only one TV crew from one of the local stations. Frank kept the press conference very brief. He left alone, except for the driver of a rather unflashy station wagon. After the press conference, I just kind of sat there rather stunned thinking, "Wow, I just photographed Frank Sinatra!"." ~Brad Elterman

Brad Elterman is a professional photographer from Beverly Hills, California, who addressed the rock 'n' roll lifestyle in Hollywood encompassing pop, punk and rock bands. He started his career at the age of 16 taking and selling a photo of Bob Dylan in concert in 1974. He went on to photograph numerous bands and artists of the 1970s, including the Faces with Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Robert Plant, Sex Pistols, the Runaways, Bebe Buell, Kiss, Queen, Blondie, the Ramones, Bay City Rollers, ABBA, Boney M, Kenny Rogers, The Who, Leif Garrett, Michael Jackson, among others. Some of the magazines, newspapers and other publications that he contributed to include Creem, Circus, Rolling Stone, People, Hit Parader, New York Post, National Enquirer, "New Musical Express", and Melody Maker.

Limited Edition
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Hand Signed and Numbered on verso by Brad Elterman

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