Bob Frank
Folksinger Bob Frank was born and grew up in Memphis, where he began playing in coffeehouses in the early '60s. He briefly attended Vanderbilt University before being expelled for playing his guitar in the dorm. He earned a degree in English from Rhodes College in Memphis in 1966. He was then drafted into the Army, and his two-year stint included a tour of duty in Vietnam. After getting out in 1968, Frank moved around, working on a ranch in Colorado and a cannery in Washington state, and living on communes in Northern California. He counted himself "one of the original hippies" and certainly was the only one to join the Tree music publishing company in Nashville as a staff writer. He was signed by Vanguard Records, which released his self-titled debut album in 1972. Despite good reviews, it did not sell, and he had a falling out with the label after he refused to sing any of the songs from the LP at a showcase at the New York nightclub Max's Kansas City. In 1973, Frank moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, settling in Oakland. In the mid-'70s, he led a band called the Hardheads that also featured Bruce Jackson on bass and Joel Shapiro on fiddle. Eventually, however, he dropped out of the music business and worked for the city of Oakland as an irrigation specialist while raising four children.
Meanwhile, Frank's songs were recorded by other artists. His old Memphis friend Jim Dickinson put "Wild Bill Jones" on his album Dixie Fried in 1972. Frank was also discovered by cowboy singers. During the 1970s and early '80s, Chris LeDoux recorded "Horses and Cattle," "The Buckskin Lady," "Six Bucks a Day," "Old Tom Horn," and "Montana Rodeo." Gary McMahan put "My Good Samaritan" and "The Buckskin Lady" (the latter of which he co-wrote) on his 1980 album Colorado Blue, as well as "Horses and Cattle" and "Montana Rodeo" on Saddle 'Em Up and Go! in 1988. The Starlite Ramblers recorded "The Buckskin Lady" on their Live at Apple's album in 1981.
By 2000, Frank discovered that he had become a cult artist much discussed on the Internet, with copies of his sole album changing hands for as much as $100. He returned to performing and began his own label, Bowstring Records, which issued his album A Little Gest of Robin Hood, his adaptation of a 13th century Middle English poem, in 2001. Reconnecting with Dickinson, now a renowned producer, he recorded his first album of original songs in 30 years, Keep on Burning (July 16, 2002). Then, in quick succession, came Pledge of Allegiance (June 21, 2004) and Ride the Restless Wind (June 17, 2005). World Without End (October 26, 2006) was a duo album by Frank and John Murry. On February 19, 2008, Memphis International Records released Red Neck, Blue Collar, a compilation of tracks from Keep on Burning, Pledge of Allegiance, and Ride the Restless Wind.
For his part, Dickinson continued to record Frank compositions, putting "Last Night I Gave Up Smoking" on Free Beer Tomorrow (2002) and "Red Neck, Blue Collar" on Jungle Jim and the Voodoo Tiger (2006). Meanwhile, the JPT Scare Band, who had performed Frank's song "Wino" from Bob Frank in the 1970s, finally put a nine-minute version of it on their 2007 album Past Is Prologue. Other recordings of Frank's songs include "No Reason to Cry" by the Thrifts and "She Pawned Her Diamond for Some Gold" and "Before the Trash Truck Comes" by Don McGregor. Bob Frank died on July 18, 2019, at the age of 75.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
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Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Dancing in Dallas
Country - Released by Nomad Records of Arizona on 7 May 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Is Hard to Find (feat. John Murry and The Lansky Bros.)
Country - Released by Bowstring Records on 22 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pledge of Allegiance
Folk - Released by Bowstring Records on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Squeeze It Easy
Folk - Released by Nomad Records of Tolleson, Az on 20 Nov 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Red Neck, Blue Collar
Pop - Released by Memphis International Records on 19 Feb 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World Without End
Folk - Released by Bowstring Records on 31 Oct 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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sundial moondial
Alternative & Indie - Released by Baysound Studios on 30 Dec 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Turns the Wheel
Alternative & Indie - Released by Bowstring Records on 1 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep On Burning
Folk - Released by Bowstring Records on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Twilight in Tolleson
Country - Released by NoMad Records on 30 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
By the Light of the Lamp
Folk - Released by Nomad Records of Tolleson, Az on 9 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Little Gest of Robin Hood
Literature - Released by Bowstring Records on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ride the Restless Wind
Country - Released by Bowstring Records on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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campfire
Alternative & Indie - Released by Baysound Studios on 17 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo