SINATRA TURNS 80

The Empire State Building will be bathed in blue light tonight as its part of the national celebration of the 80th birthday of Ol' Blue Eyes,' Frank Sinatra. One Manhattan radio station is playing 81 hours of Sinatra tunes, one for each of his years, plus one for luck. "Sinatra brought a physical vitality to his music that was unique," says TIME's Martha Duffy. "He's one of the few people, like Paul McCartney, who has kept the ballad tradition alive. As a singer, he's truly an artist of the first rank. He doesn't debase a line, and his phrasings bring out the real meaning of a song." On Thursday, ABC television will air a two-hour birthday special, which was taped in November. Among the stars who gathered to honor the "Chairman of the Board" are: Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Tony Bennett, and Natalie Cole.