Sinatra's mother, Dolly, who was the driving force in his life, was Northern Italian. She was born in Genoa and came here as a little girl. His father, Marty, was born in Palagonia, Catania (Sicily).

Dolly was clearly the boss in that family. Not only was she ashamed of her husband's Sicilian roots, she wasn't very proud of her own Italian background either. She actually made her husband adopt the surname O'Brien for business purposes (as a boxer and later as a tavern owner), and Italian was NEVER spoken in their home. Frank Sinatra didn't understand a word of Italian, and except for a few Americanized verses of a few Italian folk songs, he never recorded a song in Italian either (and he recorded over 1000 songs).

Dolly was very much a part of the Irish Democratic Machine in North Jersey. The common misconception is that wiseguys put Sinatra on the map, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Their involvement in his career came much later when he was down and out after "losing" his voice in the late '40s. But it was Dolly Sinatra's Irish political pals who pulled strings to get Frank his gig with the Hoboken Four and his regular gig at the Rustic Cabin, which ultimately led to his gig with Harry James. And the rest, as they say, is history.