Frank Otis Frost (April 15, 1936 or 1938 – October 12, 1999) was one of the foremost

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

players of his generation.

Life and career

Most sources state that Frost was born in 1936 in Auvergne,

Jackson County, Arkansas Jackson County is located in the Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for Andrew Jackson, a national hero during the War of 1812. By the county's formation in 1829, Jackson had become the seventh President of the Uni ...

, though researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc state

Patterson Patterson may refer to: People * Patterson (surname) Places ;Canada * Pattersons Corners, Ontario *Patterson Township, Ontario *Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta. ;United States of America * Patterson, Arkansas *Patterson, C ...

, Woodruff County, in 1938. Frost began his musical career at a young age by playing the piano for his family church. At the age of 15, Frost left for

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, where he became a guitarist. At the age of 18, Frost began touring with drummer

Sam Carr Sam Carr (July 7, 1906 – 1989) was an organizer for the Communist Party of Canada and its successor, the Labor-Progressive Party, in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born Schmil Kogan in Tomashpil, Ukraine, in 1906 and immigrated to Canada in 1924, ...

and Carr's father,

Robert Nighthawk Robert Lee McCollum (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967) was an American blues musician who played and recorded under the pseudonyms Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk. He was the father of the blues musician Sam Carr. Nighthawk was in ...

. Soon after touring, he toured again with

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

for several years, who helped teach him how to play the harmonica. While playing with guitarist

Big Jack Johnson Jack N. Johnson, known as Big Jack Johnson (July 30, 1939 or 1940 – March 14, 2011) was an American electric blues musician, one of the "present-day exponents of an edgier, electrified version of the raw, uncut Delta blues sound." He was one ...

, Frost attracted the interest of the record producer

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

, founder of

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...

. Some recordings of note that followed included "Hey Boss Man" and "My Back Scratcher". Frost also recorded for the Jewel label, four years later. The Sun Records and Jewel Records material was re-released on one CD by

Charly Records Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material. Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. History Charly Records was founded in Franc ...

of London, England. In the late 1970s, Frost was re-discovered by a blues enthusiast, Michael Frank, who began releasing albums on his

Earwig Music Company Earwig Music Company is an American blues and jazz independent record label, founded by Michael Frank in October 1978 in Chicago. From 1975 until 1977 Frank was employed by the Jazz Record Mart, like Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Jim O' ...

label by the trio, now called

The Jelly Roll Kings The Jelly Roll Kings were an American electric Delta blues band. The members of the band were Frank Frost (keyboard/harmonica), Big Jack Johnson (guitar) and Sam Carr (drums). Some of their most well-known songs included "The Jelly Roll King", and ...

, after a song from ''Hey Boss Man.'' Frost appeared in the films '' Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads'' and ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

.'' In later years, Frost's health declined, yet he continued to play. Four days before his death, he appeared with Carr at the King Biscuit Blues. He died of cardiac arrest in

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...

in 1999, and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Helena.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Frank 1936 births 1999 deaths Delta blues musicians Blues musicians from Arkansas American blues harmonica players Jewel Records artists Soul-blues musicians 20th-century American musicians