He is a guitarist, singer and composer born in Chicago, Illinois, who began singing while young and then went into service in the US Air Force. After returning to civilian life he decided to take up professional singing and started appearing in ballrooms, on the radio and at V.J. Records where he would work with artists such as Al Smith, Tyrone Davis, Jimmy Reed and The Dells.
He became a member of The Constellations and with them he would sing at Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey, every summer in the company of such acclaimed artists as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstine, Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick who he would later tour with for four years, and Jackie Wilson among many others.
Becoming a hugely sought after New York session musician he has since been heard backing on stage and/or recording with many successful chart-hitting artists that include Ashford & Simpson, Blondie , Jimmy Buffett, Donald Fagen, the Four Tops, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Billy Joel, Quincy Jones, Tom Jones, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Robbie Robertson, Stevie Wonder and numerous others. He has also ventured into musical theatre by appearing in the original cast of multi-award winning The Wiz on Broadway.
Appearing on countless albums he can be heard on ones that include 52nd Street, Kohuept: Live in Leningrad, River of Dreams, Storm Front, Innocent Man and Piano Man by Billy Joel, Incontournables by Grover Washington Jr ., Summer in the City by Quincy Jones, Countdown to Ecstacy, Aja and Gaucho by Steely Dan, Could Heaven Ever Be Like This by Idris Muhammed, Nightfly by Donald Fagen, You’ve Got to Believe in Something by The Spin Doctors, Live at the Bottom Line by Patti Austin , Reflections by Carly Simon , Sings Cole Porter by Dionne Warwick, Cat and the Hat by Ben Sidran , Ambassador by Manu Dibango, Civilised Man by Joe Cocker, Reality by James Brown, Life Stories by Earl Klugh , Baltimore by Nina Simone, Let’s All Chant by Michael Zager, Off to See the Lizard by Jimmy Buffett , Manhattan Strut by Luiz Bonfa and The Essential Harry Belafonte.
Recognised for his contribution to music he was named “Background Singer of the Year” by NARAS in 1989.
Often working in collaboration with his brother Babi, he has now ventured into writing and co-writing advertising jingles where he has seen significant success in commercials including “Have You Driven a Ford… Lately”. He is the father of the musician Frank Floyd Jr.
He sings lead here on “Madison (Spirit, The Power)” on Hank Crawford’s I Hear a Symphony….
Sources:
- http://www.myspace.com/frankfloyd
- http://www.billyjoelfan.com/Albums/52ndStreet/Main.shtml
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/223377-Frank-Floyd
- http://www.buffettnews.com/bandmember158.html
- http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/appears/0,,661082,00.html
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frank-floyd-mn0000272577/credits
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283257/bio