The Hoboken Four was an American musical quartet formed in 1935, uniting a trio of Italian-American musicians who called themselves the 3 Flashes with aspiring singer Frank Sinatra. The trio had been based in Hoboken, New Jersey, before meeting Sinatra in 1934, after which Sinatra drove them and their instruments to gigs outside the city and occasionally performed with them. Following their winning performance on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour on September 8, 1935, the newly-formed quartet embarked on a seven-month tour of the central and western United States and Canada with one of Major Bowes' touring companies. Tensions between the quartet members escalated, however, to the point that Sinatra was regularly beaten by the other members, and he quit the tour halfway through. He returned to Hoboken to pursue a solo career, while the rest of the group disbanded after the tour ended.
Sinatra (far right) with the Hoboken Four on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour. Major Bowes is in the center.
Edward Bowes, emcee of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, in a March 1935 publicity photo
Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century. Sinatra is among the world's best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales globally.
Sinatra, c. 1957
Sinatra (far right) with the Hoboken Four on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour in 1935
Sinatra performing with Harry James at the Hollywood Canteen in 1943
Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey in Ship Ahoy (1942)