Information AboutFrank Black |
Frank Black (born '''Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV''' on April 6 , 1965 ) is an American Singer , Songwriter and Guitarist . Active since 1985, Black is best known as the Frontman of the influential Alternative Rock band Pixies , where he performed under the Stage Name '''Black Francis'''.When the Pixies reunited in 2004, he did not specify whether he was adopting his Black Francis pseudonym again. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under his current pseudonym. After releasing two albums with 4AD , he left the label and formed a Backing Band , '''Frank Black and the Catholics'''. Black reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records while touring and recording with the band.2 Black's vocal style has varied from a screaming, yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodical style in later Pixies' albums and solo career.Sisario, Ben. Doolittle 33⅓. Continuum, 2006. ISBN 0-8264-1774-4 p. 80 His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects, such as Surrealism , Incest and Biblical violence, along with dam collapses, Science Fiction and Surf Culture .Sisario, 2006. p. 30 His use of atypical Meter Signature s, loud-quiet dynamics and distinct preference for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him a unique style in Alternative Rock .3 As frontman of the Pixies, Black's songs (such as " Where Is My Mind? " and " Debaser ") received praise and citations from contemporaries, including Radiohead 's Thom Yorke and Nirvana 's Kurt Cobain . Cobain once said that " Smells Like Teen Spirit " was his attempt at trying to "rip off the Pixies".4 However, in his solo work and records with the Catholics, he received fewer popular and critical accolades.5 BIOGRAPHY Youth and college Charles Thompson was born in on April 6 , 1965 . His father was a bar owner, and Thompson first lived in as a baby because his father wanted to "learn more about the restaurant and bar business".Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 4 Thompson was introduced to music at a young age, as his parents listened to 1960s Folk Rock . His first guitar was his mother's, a Yamaha Classical Guitar bought with money from his father's bar tips, which he started to play at age "11 or 12". Thompson's family moved around, first with his natural father, and then his stepfather, a religious man who "pursued Real Estate on both coasts"; his (natural) parents had separated twice by the time he was in first grade.Sisario, 2006. p. 10 When Thompson was 12, his mother and stepfather joined a church that was tied to the evangelical Assemblies Of God , a move that influenced many of his songs written with the Pixies, which often refer to the Bible.Sisario, 2006. p. 11 He discovered the music of Christian Rock Singer-songwriter Larry Norman at 13 when Norman played at a religious Summer Camp that Thompson attended. Norman's music influenced Thompson to the extent that he named the Pixies' first EP and a lyric in the band's song "Levitate Me" after one of Norman's catchphrases, " Come On, Pilgrim !" Thompson later described the music he listened to during his youth: Just before Thompson's senior year, his family moved to , where he received a ''Teenager of the Year'' award — the title of a later Solo Album .Frank, Ganz, 2005. p. 5 During this time, Thompson composed several songs that appeared in his later career, including " Here Comes Your Man " from '' Doolittle '', and "Velvety Instrumental Version".Sisario, 2006. p. 88 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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