Of all the unexpected projects to come out of the rock world the last couple years, it's hard to top the guitarist for Creed recording a Frank Sinatra covers album.
Mark Tremonti, who now plays in Alter Bridge and his own namesake solo band, tells ABC Audio that he's always been a fan of Ol' Blue Eyes, but didn't know how to channel it in his career as hard rock guitarist. That changed, however, when his daughter, Stella, was born in March 2021 with Down syndrome.
"Once we got the diagnosis that our daughter had Down syndrome, I was, like, 'This all had its reasons,'" Tremonti shares. "'I'm gonna record a record doing Frank Sinatra songs, and I'm gonna do it for charity and raise money and awareness for Down syndrome.'"
Thus, we now have Tremonti Sings Sinatra, which will raise money for the National Down Syndrome Society.
In addition to the charity aspect, it was important to Tremonti that the album sound, and feel like a "real" and "authentic" interpretation of Sinatra's work, down to getting approvals from the Sinatra family to use his name and likeness.
"[That] was probably the biggest hurdle of them all," Tremonti says. "They've only done that with guys Tony Bennett and Michael Bublé."
That authenticity was also bolstered by surviving members of Sinatra's orchestra, including bandleader Mike Smith, who gave Tremonti the same cup of tea Sinatra would drink to warm up his voice, as well as the actual sheet music Sinatra used to perform classics like "Luck Be a Lady."
"This was the sheet that Frank Sinatra actually held in his hand when he sang 'Luck Be a Lady,'" Tremonti says. "Every moment of this recording process was a surreal, intense honor to participate in."
Tremonti Sings Sinatra is out Friday.