Barry Frank (September 1930 – December 2, 2016) was a smooth-voiced 1950s and early 1960s pop and rock and roll vocalist who professionally recorded numerous 78s, 45s, 33s, and extended play/long play albums for
Bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
,
Columbia,
Jubilee
A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...
, Seeco and other record companies in the United States and Europe. In many cases, Frank covered recordings debuted by other artists, and Frank's talented vocals won acclaim as being far better than the original artists who performed them. These included songs like "
Party Doll
"Party Doll" is a 1957 rock 'n' roll song written by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. Bronson, Fred (2003). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Hits'', 5th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 19. It was performed by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids, recor ...
", "
Earth Angel
"Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins ...
" and "
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single in November 1955. The words and music were written by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successfu ...
". In addition to his solo work, Frank also had a brief stint as the lead singer of the
Sammy Kaye
Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...
orchestra.
Although his hit recording career did not lead to permanent stardom, Frank continued performing. For many decades, he was master of ceremonies (emcee) of the
Raleigh Hotel in South Fallsburg, New York, from the 1970s through the 2000s (when the hotel closed), and also performed as a singer at other Catskills resorts on off nights. He retired from performing due to illness, and returned to New York City, but continued to lived independently. Frank died of natural causes, aged 86 on December 2, 2016, and was survived by his son, Todd Frank, of New York City. Arrangements were handled by Walter P. Cooke Funeral Home in New York City.
Releases by Bell Records
*Cat. #1051 - "Sh-Boom"
*Cat. #1059 - "Smile" and "If I Give My Heart to You"
*Cat. #1063 - "Mama, Don't Cry at My Wedding" and "Fortune in Dreams"
*Cat. #1077 - "Hold Me in Your Arms" and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane"
*Cat. #1089 - "Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)" and "Earth Angel"
*Cat. #1109 - "Only You (And You Alone)" and "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots"
*Cat. #1118 - "Go On with the Wedding" and "The Great Pretender"
*Cat. #1123 - "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "I'll Be Home"
*Cat. #16 - "A Rose and a Baby Ruth"
*Cat. #19 - "Love Me"
*Cat. #21 - "Banana Boat Song" and "Jamaica Farewell"
*Cat. #23 - "Young Love"
*Cat. #24 - "
The Moonlight Gambler"
*Cat. #25 - "Too Much"
*Cat. #31 - "
Teen-Age Crush
"Teen-Age Crush" is a song written by Audrey Allison and Joe Allison and performed by Tommy Sands. It reached #2 on the U.S. pop chart and #10 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1957.
The song ranked #33 on ''Billboard's'' Year-End top 50 singles of 19 ...
" and "Party Doll"
*Cat. #36 - "First Date, First Kiss, First Love"
*Cat. #37 - "Ninety-nine Ways"
*Cat. #45 - "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"
*Cat. #52 - "Diana"
*Cat. #58 - "Chances Are"
*Cat. #59 - "Wake Up Little Susie"
*Cat. #61 - "
Lips of Wine
"Lips of Wine" is a song written by Sy Soloway and Shirley Wolfe and performed by Andy Williams
Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have ...
"
*Cat. #64 - "You Send Me" and "My Special Angel"
*Cat. #67 - "When I Am with You"
*Cat. #68 - "At the Hop"
*Cat. #73 - "Oh-oh, I'm Falling in Love Again"
*Cat. #79 - "Twilight Time"
*Cat. #83 - "Make Me a Miracle" and "Return to Me"
*Cat. #131 - "If I Had a Girl" and "Pretty Blue Eyes" (under the pseudonym "Frank Rich")
*Cat. #134 - "
Go, Jimmy, Go
"Go, Jimmy, Go" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and performed by Jimmy Clanton. It reached #5 on the U.S. pop chart on July 12, 1959, and #19 on the U.S. R&B chart. It was featured on Clanton's 1961 album ''My Best to You''. T ...
" (under the pseudonym "Frank Rich")
*Cat. #136 - "Beyond the Sea" (under the pseudonym "Scott Howard")
*Cat. #141 - "Puppy Love" (under the pseudonym "Larry Todd")
Releases by outside labels, in the United States and other countries
*"I'll Dance You" and "If You Want My Heart", New-Disc (5075)
*"Shelly Baby" and "Ella, Her Fellow, and a Striped Umbrella", Mohawk Records (137)
*"Jimmy's Girl" and "Corrina, Corrina", RCA Italiana (45N-1157, Italy)
*"Jimmy's Girl" and "The Story of My Love", CRC (8005, Chile)
*"Frisky", Jubilee (45-5227)
*"Tick Tock" (with Budd Smith and Danny Mendelsohn and his Orchestra), X (4X-0050)
*"Rubber Ball", Discofoon (FF 136, the Netherlands)
*"Calendar Girl", Iberofon (extended play IB-45-1032, Spain)
*"Love Is All We Need" and "Ever-Changing World", Mark (M-140)
*"Take Good Care of Her", X (45X-2004, Italy)
*"Nicolasa" and "In the Hall of the Cha-Cha King", Seeco (45-4176)
*"My Cocalita" and "The Gay Merengue", Seeco (45-4195)
*"Shy" (with Belmonte and his Orchestra), Columbia (4-40607)
*"The Lonely One" (with Belmonte and his Orchestra), Columbia (4-40763)
*"Tonight (Could Be the Night)", RCA Victor (47-9357, Germany)
*"Tonight My Love, Tonight", RCA Victor (47-9351, Germany)
*"Sway" and "Lonely Teenager", RCA Italiana (45N-1168, Italy)
Releases by Columbia Records as a member of Sammy Kaye's orchestra
Studio album
*''Serenade of the Bells'' (CL 1173, 1958)
Singles
*"Mountain of Kisses" (4-40839)
*"What a Saturday Night" and "A Young Lover's Dream" (4-40909)
*"Charm Bracelet" (4-40936)
*"Moonlight Swim" (4-40988)
*"Ha! Ha! Ha!" (4-41028)
*"Garden of Allah" (4-41084)
*"That Girl Next Door" and "Our First Formal Dance" (4-41140)
*"Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" (4-41206)
References
Bell Records Biography and Partial Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Barry
1930 births
2016 deaths
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
American male pop singers