Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra performed a historic show in Las Vegas in 1965. It was at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, and it was broadcast and fed live to movie theaters all across the US. In this show you'll see a youthful Johnny Carson set the stage with his classic quick wit and polished delivery. It's fitting that such a popular TV personality would start the show because this was the heyday of crooners. These three men epitomize the art of crooning in this 1965 broadcast, taking the solo vocal lead while backed by an impressive big band. They brought a sense of style and effortlessness to the way that they performed, putting the audience at ease and always making sure each attendee came away from the performance thoroughly entertained. We look up to these performers not only for their vocal skill, but also for their style and their rapport with the audience. Watch Frank Sinatra sing "I Only Have Eyes For You" and pay attention to the way his vocals sort of dance across the groove the band is laying down. Frank had the best timing, he really knew how to lay back in the groove and take command of the feel of the song.
While we're a long way from the heyday of this kind of vocal performance, we feel the art of the crooner is still alive and well. Back then it took over 20 people on stage to create a big impressive sound to back up the vocalist, but now there are incredible ways to create big impressive sonic palettes with the kind of amazing technology that we have for creating music these days. Gold Standard is all about taking the best elements of the style, presence, and skill of a classic crooner and blending it with electronic and acoustic elements that create a powerful backing to that lead vocal. We hope to bring even a small element of the kind of style, presence, skill, and art that these classic crooners brought to the stage in 1965. With all of the vast changes in music in the past 50 years, one thing hasn't changed: style is still just as important as execution.