- He was drawn to poetry as a high-school student, especially the work of Theodore Roethke, and began singing and playing folk-rock during this period.
- Franks' early idols included such jazz-cum-pop legends as Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee, as well as composers and lyricists such as Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer.
- His first instrument was the guitar, and he got the only formal instruction of his life -- a total of six private lessons that came with his first instrument -- at age 14.
- Michael Franks occupied a uniquely popular niche in the world of soft jazz and pop music in the 1970s; he was one of those crossover artists who defied easy categorization on the radio (which made him ideal for FM radio of the period), and found an audience mostly among college students.
- His parents weren't musicians, but they were music lovers and he was soon immersed in swing music and vocal jazz and pop.
- His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)" from the album Passionfruit. Radio hits include "Your Secret's Safe With Me" from 1985's Skin Dive, and "Island Life" from 1987's The Camera Never Lies.
- In 2010 was even the subject of a tribute album, The Art of Michael Franks, by Veronica Nunn.
- He continued to mine his fascination with Brazilian music into the '90s, including one album, Abandoned Garden (1995), dedicated to the memory of Antonio Carlos Jobim, and he cut a duet with his longtime idol Peggy Lee, near the end of the latter's career, on "You Were Meant for Me" from the album Dragonfly Summer (1993).
- He enjoyed a string of successes over the next few years, including the hit "The Lady Wants to Know" (on Sleeping Gypsy), "When I Give My Love to You," "Monkey See, Monkey Do," "Rainy Night in Tokyo," and "Tell Me All About It.".
- Franks reached his commercial peak with the album Passion Fruit (1983) and the accompanying hit "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)." His later records showed a slackening of focus and a falloff in both his appeal and sales, although 1990's Blue Pacific marked a comeback, after a three-year layoff.
- In 1973 he recorded his self-titled debut album for the short-lived Brut label (founded and owned by the men's cologne company).
- He never studied music in college, however, and seemed on track toward teaching American literature as the '60s drew to a close. It was during this period that he started writing songs, which led him to compose an antiwar musical entitled Anthems in E-Flat, a piece that found life as a workshop production starring a young Mark Hammill.
- Franks is an American singer and songwriter, considered a leader of the quiet storm movement.
- His songs have been recorded by Gordon Haskell, Shirley Bassey, The Carpenters, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Lyle Lovett, The Manhattan Transfer, Leo Sidran, Veronica Nunn, Carmen McRae, Ringo Starr and Natalie Cole.
- He also saw some success as a songwriter courtesy of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, who recorded three of his songs, "White Boy Lost in the Blues," "Jesus Gonna Make It Alright," and "You Bring Out the Boogie in Me," on their A&M Records album Sonny & Brownie (1973). Franks also played guitar, banjo, and mandolin on that album and the accompanying tour.
- After a seven-year gap, he returned with The Music in My Head in 2018.
- Michael Franks also recorded his cover version of "Christmas Time Is Here" (the Christmas classic) with jazz pianist David Benoit released in 1996 on Benoit's Christmas album, Remembering Christmas.
- He also began to get some film work, including music for Monte Hellman's "Cockfighter" and Jan Troell's "Zandy's Bride" (both 1974), the latter starring Liv Ullmann and Gene Hackman.
- His album, The Art of Tea, featured the work of top jazz session players Larry Carlton, Joe Sample, and Wilton Felder, was his first serious commercial and critical success. Its sales driven by the presence of the hit single "Popsicle Toes". It also established Franks' sound, with its smooth jazz textures and crossover pop appeal.
- Franks majored in English and then comparative literature at UCLA.
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