Nancy Sinatra

Big hair, go-go boots, and a my-way-or-the-highway stance inherited directly from her famous father, Frank — these were the most obvious aspects of Nancy Sinatra, pop star, and they go hand-in-hand with Nancy's signature hit, "These Boots are Made for Walkin'." But the real secret behind the success of Frank's little girl was the delicious tension between her in-control image and the cream-puff blonde she often revealed herself to be. Some of Nancy's finest moments are also her sweetest: witness the candy-colored "Sugar Town"; the hearts-and-flowers duet with Daddy, "Somethin' Stupid"; or the ethereal "Some Velvet Morning," with her producer and Svengali, Lee Hazlewood.

Nancy's musical partnership with Lee Hazlewood rightfully stands as her pop legacy — their work together matches Sinatra's deceptively simple phrasing and light, airy tones with meticulously crafted pop songs (including "Sundown, Sundown") as well as Hazlewood's underworld-deep vocals and flair for dramatic arrangements. But you haven't really heard Nancy until you've heard her swing solo on funky tunes like "Drummer Man," or, more to the point, lay bare her mature, world-wise vocals with a gorgeous 2004 take on the Morrissey tune "Let Me Kiss You."

Bubblegum flirt? Country-music songbird? Covergirl cover queen? They're all Nancy, whether she's warbling a bouncy ditty like "Cuff Links and a Tie Clip," adding a subtle twang to "Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham," or lending noirish atmospherics to a cover of the Sonny Bono composition "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)." Nancy Sinatra made everything she sang her own, even a rollicking take on the Beatles' "Day Tripper" or a laid-back version of the popular standard "Nice 'n' Easy."

Growing up in the shadow of one extremely famous father can't be easy for anybody with showbiz aspirations. Even so, Nancy Sinatra made the most of her father's assistance — it was Dad's label, Reprise, that gave Nancy her first contract — while still setting herself apart as her own woman, and star, with a sexy, hip persona, canny musical choices, era-defining movie rolls (most notably in Roger Corman's influential biker film The Wild Angels), and a legendary professional relationship with producer and frequent singing partner Lee Hazlewood. Not content to rest on her laurels, Sinatra has continued to make great music; her most current work is some of the finest of her career.