Frankie Lee (April 29, 1941 – April 24, 2015) was an American

soul blues Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music. Origin African American singers and musicians who grew up listening to the electric blues by ar ...

and

electric blues Electric blues refers to any type of blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930 ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

who released six albums. His style has been compared to that of

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

. The New York '' Daily News'' wrote that Lee had "one of the most energetic blues voices of any time or place".

Life and career

Frankie Lee Jones was born in

Mart, Texas Mart is a city in Limestone and McLennan counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,748 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Demographics As ...

. As a child, he sang gospel music in church. In 1963, he signed a recording contract with

Peacock Records Peacock Records was an American record label, started in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston, Texas, United States. History " Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton was a hit for Peacock in 1953. Other significant rhythm and blues artists on Peacock were Ma ...

. Billed as Little Frankie Lee, he released three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, including "Taxi Blues", a regional

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

and his best-known song. After living with his friend

Sonny Rhodes Clarence Smith (born Clarence Edward Mauldin; November 3, 1940 – December 14, 2021), known as Sonny Rhodes, was an American blues singer and lap steel guitar player. He recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Di ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Lee was recruited by

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

to join the touring ensemble backing

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

. Lee later said of that time, "I'll never forget it. I dug the music and the way they performed. Tina in particular just knocked me out. It was amazing how she would go out and grab an audience—that's what I wanted to do. So I would just sit back and take notes. I learned a lot." Lee then settled in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

and worked with other musicians, including Big Mama Thornton, Ted Taylor,

Junior Parker Herman "Junior" Parker (March 27, 1932November 18, 1971) Li ...

and

Joe Hinton Joseph Hinton (November 15, 1929 – August 13, 1968) was an American soul singer. Biography Though Clarksdale, Mississippi has been claimed as his birthplace, most sources state that Hinton was born in Evansville, Indiana, where he married L ...

. Lee befriended

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

during this period, and in 1965, they both relocated to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, with Lee singing in Collins's band from that time until 1968. In 1971, Lee was signed to Elka Records, and his cousin, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, produced Lee's tracks. Also in 1971, "Little" Frankie Lee, as he was known at the time, performed regular gigs at Joe's Nairobi Lounge in East Palo Alto, across from the now defunct Nairobi Village Shopping Center. His band was known as "Little Frankie Lee and the Lee-ettes", sporting guitarist Robert Valdez and several female backup singers. In the late 1970s, Lee's backing ensemble included the young

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was statione ...

. His first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, ''The Ladies and the Babies'', was released by

HighTone Records HighTone Records was an American independent record label based in Oakland, California, United States. HighTone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry ...

in 1984. The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

journalist Thom Owens noted that "as one of the first albums on HighTone Records, the album helped set the stage for the numerous records and artists that teetered between soul and blues." Lee appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival with Sonny Rhodes, before relocating to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in 1986. He continued to perform live, gaining a growing reputation for the quality and energy of his live performances.

Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records. Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...

released Lee's second album, ''Sooner or Later'' (1992), on which he was backed by Doug Newby and the Bluz Blasters, with a guest appearance by

Lucky Peterson Judge Kenneth Peterson (December 13, 1964 – May 17, 2020), known professionally as Lucky Peterson, was an American musician who played contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He played guitar and keyboards. Music jou ...

. ''Going Back Home'' (1994) was released by

Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label. Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...

. Lee toured widely, playing at American music festivals and in Europe and Japan. In 2004, Lee performed with Dan Treanor on the album ''African Wind''. Lee's final album, ''Standing at the Crossroads'', was released in 2006 by Blues Express. The album was produced by Dennis Walker, who had produced ''The Ladies and the Babies'' more than twenty years earlier. Lee was nominated for the Bay Area Blues Vocalist of the Year award. Lee died on April 24, 2015, in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, aged 73.

Discography

Albums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Frankie 1941 births 2015 deaths American blues singers American male singers Soul-blues musicians Electric blues musicians Songwriters from Texas Singers from Texas People from Mart, Texas Blind Pig Records artists American male songwriters

Life and career

Discography

Albums

See also

References