FRanK suMMeRs

it Was the GiFt oF a battereD olD Portable recorD Player that First brouGht the younG Frank summers to the blues. it came With some 45s. one oF them Was lonnie DoneGan’s cover oF leaDbelly’s rock islanD line the B-side, John Henry , was both powerful and disturbing. The ballad of a man winning a race against a steam drill, only to die with his hammer in his hand left a deep impression on young Frank. After that, the next big influence was Howling Wolf. Then in 1972, Frank bought The Great Blues Men a double album on the Vanguard label. The cover alone was worth the price. This was the first time he heard the likes of Rev. Gary Davis, Son House, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell and Mance Lipscomb. It’s still his favourite compilation.

Soon after, Frank started playing the acoustic guitar and began to explore the link between blues and gospel. Some musicians such as Lipscomb and Rev. Davis were able to reconcile playing ‘the devil’s music’ with their beliefs. Others struggled to do so. It’s this tension that informs much of Frank’s song writing. This mixes the sacred and profane, from blues into folk, ragtime and country and back again. He follows the songster tradition that pre-dated the blues and then ran parallel with it. Much of his material is about coming to terms with mortality; and he covers biblical themes in many of his songs. Johnny Cash is one of his influences; especially his last recordings. Another is Elizabeth Cotton. for tH e late St new S on f rank, go to www.frank S ummer S mu S ic.com

Frank made his London début at the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street and has appeared at Birmingham’s Tower of Song. While playing clubs and festivals he has warmed the stage for several blues and folk luminaries over the years; including Steve Gibbons, Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson.