Michael Franks
(born 18 September 1944 in La Jolla, California) is a smooth jazz singer and songwriter from the United States. He has recorded with a Who's Who of artists, such as Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Art Garfunkel, and David Sanborn. His songs have been recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, and The Carpenters.
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MICHAEL FRANKS TICKETS
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Biography
Michael Franks grew up in southern California with his father Gerald, his mother Betty and two younger sisters. Although no one in his family played music, his parents loved swing music and his early influences included
Peggy Lee,
Nat King Cole,
Ira Gershwin,
Irving Berlin and
Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Michael bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included - the only music education that he received.
At
University High in Irvine, Michael discovered the poetry of
Theodore Roethke with his off-rhymes and hidden meter. In
high school, he began singing
folk-rock, accompanying himself on
guitar. Studying English at
UCLA Michael discovered
Dave Brubeck,
Patti Page,
Stan Getz,
Joao Gilberto,
Antonio Carlos Jobim and
Miles Davis. He never studied music in college or later
[1], but rather earned an B.A. from UCLA in Comparative Literature in 1966, and a M.A. from the
University of Oregon in 1968. He had a teaching assistantship in a Ph.D. program in American literature at the
University of Montreal before returning to teach part-time at UCLA.
During this time he started writing songs, starting with the antiwar musical
Anthems in E-flat
starring
Mark Hamill. He also composed music for the films
Count Your Bullets
,
Cockfighter
, and
Zandy's Bride
, starring
Liv Ullmann and
Gene Hackman.
Sonny Terry and
Brownie McGhee recorded three of Michael's songs, including "White Boy Lost in the Blues", on their album
Sonny & Brownie
. Michael played guitar, banjo and mandolin on the album and joined them in touring. In 1973, Michael recorded an eponymous album (later reissued as
Previously Unavailable
), which included the minor hit "Can't Seem to Shake this Rock 'n Roll."
In 1976 Michael released his second album
The Art of Tea
, beginning a long relationship with
Warner Brothers Music.
The Art of Tea
featured
Joe Sample,
Larry Carlton and
Wilton Felder of
The Crusaders and included the hit song "Popsicle Toes." Michael's third album,
Sleeping Gypsy
, which includes the song "The Lady Wants to Know," was partially recorded in Brazil. Around this time, percussionist Ray Armando first gave Michael what would become a signature instrument - a
cabasa - to play on stage for songs he didn't play guitar on.
Burchfield Nines
, which includes the song "When the Cookie Jar is Empty", reflects Michael's move to
New York City and features more of an East Coast sound. Since then, Franks has recorded more than 15 albums.
His best known works include "When I Give My Love To You", "Popsicle Toes", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "Tiger in the Rain", "Rainy Night in Tokyo", and "Tell Me All About It". His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)", from the album
Passionfruit
. Radio hits include "Your Secret's Safe With Me" from the 1985 album
Skin Dive
, and "Island Life" from 1987's
The Camera Never Lies
.
Discography
; Albums
- 1973 - Michael Franks
(Brut)
- 1975 - Art of Tea
(Reprise)
- 1977 - Sleeping Gypsy
(Warner Brothers)
- 1978 - Burchfield Nines
(Warner Brothers)
- 1979 - Tiger in the Rain
(Warner Brothers)
- 1980 - One Bad Habit
(Warner Brothers)
- 1980 - Michael Franks with Crossfire LIVE
(Warner Brothers)
- 1982 - Objects of Desire
(Warner Brothers)
- 1983 - Passionfruit
(Warner Brothers)
- 1983 - Previously Unavailable
(DRG) - reissue of 1973's Michael Franks
- 1985 - Skin Dive
(Warner Brothers)
- 1987 - The Camera Never Lies
(Warner Brothers)
- 1990 - Blue Pacific
(Reprise)
- 1993 - Dragonfly Summer
(Warner Brothers)
- 1995 - Abandoned Garden
(Warner Brothers)
- 1998 - The Best Of Michael Franks: A Backward Glance
(Warner Brothers)
- 1999 - Barefoot on the Beach
(Windham Hill)
- 2003 - The Michael Franks Anthology: The Art Of Love
(Warner Brothers)
- 2004 - Watching The Snow
(Rhino) - rereleased in 2007 by Koch Records
- 2004 - Love Songs
Original Recordings Remastered (Warner Brothers)
- 2006 - Rendezvous in Rio
(Koch Records)
References
- Smith 2006, op. cit.