Alter Bridge guitarist has been dipping his toes into different genres lately, and in March 2022, Mark Tremonti announced that he would release a cover album of Frank Sinatra songs. The musician recorded the album with former members of Sinatra’s band and released it on May 27. In a new conversation with OverDrive, the guitar player revealed why he decided to make such an album.
“I really wanted to do this, but I just didn’t know when or how this could fit into my career,” admitted Tremonti. The musician later disclosed that his daughter’s diagnosis opened his eyes and explained, “As soon as my daughter was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, I just felt like this was a reason to do this.”
He continued, “I have a huge interest in Sinatra and have read about all the things he did as a philanthropist, raising over a billion dollars for different charities over the course of his career, so I guess all the stars lined up, and this was an opportunity to do something where I could turn an interest of mine into something really positive for a good cause that’s close to me, and my family.”
The Alter Bridge guitarist started supporting Down Syndrome charities after his daughter Stella was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Hence, this project gave him an excellent opportunity to release a cover album of one of his favorite musicians and give all proceeds to the National Down Syndrome Society.
Tremonti also opened up about the struggles he encountered while recording this album. He admitted, “His phrasing. He never sang a song the same way twice. He approached vocals almost like a trombone player would approach his instrument. It seems like Sinatra was trying to show that his voice was an ever-evolving instrument.”
Still, the rocker was ambitious about recording this album and its most difficult song, ‘Nancy with the Laughing Face.’ Since Frank Sinatra also sang that track to his daughter, it was a circle coming together, and Tremonti took his chances. As a result, he didn’t only pay tribute to Sinatra but also helped the National Down Syndrome Society.
