‘Family Guy’ Creator Seth MacFarlane Set to Release Unheard Arrangements From the Legendary Frank Sinatra

While Seth MacFarlane is a household name, many know him for creating shows like Family Guy, The Orville, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. He also directed and appeared in films like Ted, Ted 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West. Although an accomplished writer, director, actor, producer, and singer, MacFarlane recently turned his attention away from his own career to promote a new album release that featured unreleased arrangements from the legendary Frank Sinatra. 

Titled Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements, the album came about when MacFarlane worked with Sinatra’s estate to acquire his rich musical archive. While looking over the famed singer’s work, the writer discovered the unreleased music. Wanting to share his discovery with all Sinatra fans, MacFarlane turned to conductor John Wilson, Joel McNeely, and a 70-piece orchestra for help. 

Recording the album at George Lucas’ Skywalker Sound Studio in California, Seth shared his enthusiasm as he told Variety, “What’s special about what these [arrangers] did, and what’s unique about Sinatra’s role in this is that, with the possible exception of Nat King Cole, there really wasn’t any other vocalist of that era who seemed to understand the importance of an arrangement to the degree that Sinatra did.” 

[RELATED: 3 Times Frank Sinatra Graced Rock Songs With His Classy Vocals]

Seth MacFarlane Gets Support From Frank Sinatra Estate

Diving deep into the legacy of Sinatra and what made him a legendary performer, McFarlane pointed to the charts. “He really had a love for the charts — he understood how they could elevate a vocal. What’s really telling is when you pull the vocal out and you’re just hearing the charts, what you’re hearing is a degree of artistry that is unmatched in popular music before or since. These charts alone, independent of the vocal part, were really high musical art.”

Releasing the new album on June 6th, the daughter of Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, offered her stamp of approval. She even praised MacFarlane for helping keep her dad’s memory alive.  “Seth’s interest and knowledge of my father’s music is boundless. With arrangements by the masters, Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Don Costa, we can only wonder why these songs went un-produced. Thanks to Seth, we can now enjoy these lost Sinatra arrangements.”

(Photo by Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images)