Frank Sinatra turned a massive 10-week world tour in 1962 into a global effort to help children, paying for the costly trip out of his own pocket and raising more than $1 million for children’s charities.
At 46, Sinatra was already one of the biggest names in music and film when he began the ambitious journey in the spring of 1962. The tour took him across the world, with stops that included Tokyo, Hong Kong, Israel, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Spain, England and France.
The trip was not simply a series of concerts. According to uDiscover Music, Sinatra also visited orphanages and hospitals and used his fame to draw attention to children who were poor, disabled or living without proper care.
Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images
What made the tour unusual was Sinatra’s personal financial commitment. He funded the tour himself, despite the huge cost of moving musicians and equipment around the world.
Frank Sinatra’s 1962 World Tour for Children
The idea had been in Sinatra’s mind for years. In 1955, he told television host Dave Garroway about his plan to travel overseas and perform in different countries.
“We’ve been planning for some time to go overseas to entertain in hopes of bringing better understanding between countries. We thought we could start by helping children in every country and maybe that’ll bring together their parents.”
Seven years later, that idea became reality.
Instead of taking a large orchestra around the world, Sinatra traveled with a smaller group of musicians. The sextet was led by his longtime pianist Bill Miller, who had worked with Sinatra since 1951.
The group included alto saxophonist Harry Klee, guitarist Al Viola, vibraphonist Emil Richards, bassist Ralph Pena and drummer Irv Cottler. Billy May, another arranger Sinatra often worked with, and arranger Neal Hefti also prepared music for the tour.
Miller later remembered that the group did not have much time to rehearse before leaving. After several shows, however, the musicians found their sound.
The first part of the journey took Sinatra to Mexico City before he continued across the Pacific to Japan.
Tokyo became one of the most memorable stops of the entire tour.
On April 21, 1962, Sinatra performed an afternoon outdoor concert at Hibiya Park in Tokyo. The show began with a performance by a U.S. Air Force band before Sinatra took the stage at 2:30 p.m.
He performed 18 songs during the concert, including “My Funny Valentine,” “Embraceable You,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Night and Day,” “All the Way,” “Chicago” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.”
The performance was later preserved on film and released in 2016 as part of the five-disc World On A String box set.
During his visit, Japanese officials took him by helicopter to an area where hundreds of orphans were living in railway boxcars.
That visit reflected the larger purpose behind the tour: Sinatra wanted his concerts to raise money while also bringing attention to children who needed help.
After Japan, Sinatra continued traveling through Asia and Europe, with Israel among the important stops on the journey.
His 1962 visit marked Sinatra’s first trip to Israel. He performed seven concerts in six cities and also took part in events connected to the country’s Independence Day.
In Jerusalem, Sinatra delivered a speech urging people around the world to support Israel. He also performed for troops at Tel Nof Airbase.
His charitable work continued during the visit. In Nazareth, Sinatra purchased land near Mary’s Well for an intercultural youth center intended for Arab and Israeli children. He donated the $50,000 profit from his Israeli concerts to the project, per +972 Magazine.
The Israel visit was part of a much larger effort. Across the full 10-week tour, Sinatra raised more than $1 million for children’s charities.
The trip was demanding. Sinatra was known to dislike traveling, yet he remained committed to completing the journey. By the time he returned to the United States, he was exhausted.
The tour also showed how Sinatra could use his international fame outside the concert stage. His work for children continued beyond the 1962 journey, and his charitable activity became a major part of his public legacy.
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1915, he rose from local singing jobs to become one of the most successful entertainers of the 20th century. He became famous first as a singer, later earning major recognition as an actor, including an Academy Award for his role in From Here to Eternity.
By 1962, he had also established Reprise Records and remained a major force in music and movies.
Yet the world tour showed another side of the performer. Instead of simply traveling from one major city to another for personal profit, Sinatra paid for the tour himself and made children’s charities its central goal.
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