The Jewish mum behind Sinatra’s first big hit

Before Frank Sinatra became one of the biggest stars in music history, the song that launched him to fame came from an unlikely source – a Jewish Canadian mother writing through grief.

In 1940, Sinatra’s recording of I’ll Never Smile Again with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra became his first major hit, spending 12 weeks at number one on Billboard’s inaugural national chart.

The woman behind the song was Ruth Lowe, a songwriter whose own heartbreak inspired the lyrics.

Lowe was born into a Jewish family in Toronto and began performing and writing music from a young age. Her life changed dramatically after the sudden death of her husband, Harold Cohen, only months after they married.

Struggling with her loss, Lowe wrote I’ll Never Smile Again as a deeply personal expression of grief. The song’s opening lines, “I’ll never smile again, until I smile at you,” reflected the sorrow she was experiencing after Cohen’s death.

Initially, Lowe struggled to find an artist willing to record the ballad. Eventually, bandleader Tommy Dorsey heard the song and agreed to include it in his repertoire. Dorsey’s featured vocalist at the time was a young Sinatra, then still at the beginning of his career.

The recording struck a chord with audiences. Released as Europe was entering the Second World War, its melancholy tone resonated with listeners facing uncertainty and separation. It became the first song to top Billboard’s newly established national chart, helping transform Sinatra into a household name.

While Sinatra went on to global fame, Lowe’s contribution has often been overlooked. Yet her song remains one of the defining recordings of the era and a pivotal moment in popular music.

Lowe continued writing and performing throughout her career, but I’ll Never Smile Again remained her most enduring work. More than eight decades later, the song still reminds listeners that behind one of Sinatra’s greatest early successes was a Jewish woman whose personal loss became a timeless classic.