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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZFRANKS, Michael(b 18 Sep. '44, La Jolla CA) Singer-songwriter whose audience has been loyal for 25 years. Performed folk-rock material in high school; studied contemporary lit. at UCLA, working at music in spare time; while at U of Montreal gigged with Gordon Lightfoot. Taught undergrad music courses early '70s, attending both UCLA and Berkeley; scored two films Count Your Bullets and Zandy's Bride '71; wrote three songs for A&M LP by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee; recommended by them to new label Brut: first LP Michael Franks '73. Toured USA playing support; did film work in UK; signed to Reprise for LP The Art Of Tea (incl. 'Popsicle Toes'); then to Warners: LPs incl. Sleeping Gypsy '77, Birchfield Nines '78, Tiger In The Rain '79, One Bad Habit '80, Objects Of Desire '82, Passionfruit '83, using such back-up as Flora Purim, Kenny Rankin, Ron Carter, the Crusaders, David Sanborn, Toots Thielemans, Eric Gale, Eddie Gomez, Astrud Gilberto and others. Songs covered by Manhattan Transfer, Melissa Manchester, Patti LaBelle, Carmen McRae, the Carpenters, others. Further albums were Skin Dive '85, The Camera Never Lies '87; work on projected musical about Gauguin's life in Tahiti may have ended up in Blue Pacific '90, back on Reprise, followed by Dragonfly Summer '93, then Abandoned Garden '95 back on WB again. |