Don Francisco (musician)

Last updated

Don Francisco (born February 28, 1946) is an independent American singer, songwriter, and musician, specializing in the field of contemporary Christian music. He has won two Dove awards, 1980 song of the year (for "He's Alive"), and 1980 Songwriter of the year. [1]

Contents

Background

Don Francisco was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a Christian seminary professor Clyde T. Francisco. Francisco pursued a career in secular music before rededicating his life to God after an experience he believed was supernatural. [2] Francisco has a son Uri (born 1974) with his first wife Karen, [3] from whom he divorced in 1994. [4] Francisco is currently married to his second wife Wendy, who is also a recording artist as well as a graphic artist, and lives in Colorado.

Music career

In 1977 Don Francisco recorded "I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping" for the album Forgiven. It is one of the most uncompromising songs he has ever written and it is considered by many to be one of his best songs. [5] [6] Benson Records re-released the original album Forgiven along with Got to Tell Somebody, and put them both on one CD in 1988. That re-release left the song "I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping" off in order to fit both albums on one 70-minute CD. [7] However, they did release the Forgiven album in the early 1990s with that song on it, along with all others, on their "Right Price" line of CDs.

Eventually after 1994, Don Francisco opted to operate independently, which, while affording him more control, seems to have had no ill effect on his musical output or quality. On the contrary, albums released after have gradually gained the use of further session work and demonstrate an even greater range of styles.

In 2003 Francisco released The Promises, which consists almost entirely of selected and paraphrased readings from the Bible. The disc is a collaboration between Don and his wife Wendy.

Musical style

Francisco's style is fairly distinctive, focusing on acoustic instruments barren of modern production techniques and concentrates on the narratives of the songs, using ballad styles or speaking through the music that interprets Scriptural events or Biblical lessons. [8] This is specifically with respect to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his messages of "unconditional love" ("I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping"), salvation ("Give Your Heart a Home"), and a lesson against religious self-righteousness and pharisaic condemnation ("Beautiful To Me"). As is the case with many singer-songwriters advocating a specific religious belief or philosophical viewpoint through music, Francisco uses his adaptations and interpretations as the means to convey what he feels are the most important teachings of the Judeo-Christian scriptures.

Some of Don Francisco's songs deal with what his site calls Churchianity where the habit of church life replaces actual Christianity. [9]

Barred from the UK

In March 2009, Don Francisco was scheduled to perform in an Easter music program called "Why Good Friday?" in the English port town of Poole in Dorset, but was barred from entering the United Kingdom after listing his occupation as "gospel singer" and failing to obtain a religious worker visa and a certificate of sponsorship, a new requirement that the organizers of the concert were unaware of. That year the United Kingdom phased in an immigration system that increased scrutiny for religious workers traveling to the country. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don McLean</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Donald McLean III is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Known to fans as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail", he is best known for his 1971 hit song "American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation. His other hit singles include "Vincent", "Dreidel", and "Wonderful Baby"; as well as his renditions of Roy Orbison's "Crying" and the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B. J. Thomas</span> American singer (1942–2021)

Billy Joe Thomas was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Zevon</span> American singer-songwriter (1947–2003)

Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All three songs are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978), the title track of which is also well-known. He also wrote major hits that were recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me", "Accidentally Like a Martyr", "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Pendergrass</span> American soul and R&B singer-songwriter (1950-2010)

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums. Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the waist down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. He died from respiratory failure in January 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Martin Murphey</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Martin Murphey is an American singer-songwriter. He was one of the founding artists of progressive country. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including Cowboy Songs, the first album of cowboy music to achieve gold status since Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins in 1959. He has recorded the hit singles "Wildfire", "Carolina in the Pines", "What's Forever For", "A Long Line of Love", "What She Wants", "Don't Count the Rainy Days", and "Maybe This Time". Murphey is also the author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment". Murphey has become a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher, and cowboy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boz Scaggs</span> American musician

William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells in the early 1960s and the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alone Again (Dokken song)</span> 1985 single by Dokken

"Alone Again" is a power ballad written and released by the American heavy metal band Dokken on their 1984 album Tooth and Nail. The single reached #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #20 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1985. The song was written by singer Don Dokken and bassist Jeff Pilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After the Love Has Gone</span> 1979 single by Earth, Wind & Fire

"After the Love Has Gone" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire released in 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. 4 on the UK Pop Singles chart, and No. 3 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart. "After the Love Has Gone" was certified gold in the US by the RIAA and silver in the UK by the BPI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Baloche</span> American Christian musician and worship leader

Paul Joseph Baloche is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. A native of Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, Baloche was the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, for 26 years. He and his wife, Rita left Texas in January 2015, moving to New York City to be nearer to family. Baloche composes on piano and acoustic guitar, favoring guitar when leading worship. His wife, Rita Baloche, is also a Christian songwriter. Baloche is one of the writers for Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith from Delirious?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Become 1 (Jewel song)</span> 2003 single by Jewel

"2 Become 1" is a song by American pop singer–songwriter Jewel from her fifth studio album, 0304 (2003). Written by Jewel and Guy Chambers and produced by Jewel and Lester Mendez, the song was released as the album's third and final single in December 2003. It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and all other Billboard charts except for the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, where it peaked at number thirty-three in late January 2004. The single also charted moderately in Australia at number forty-nine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne McCue</span> Australian singer-songwriter

Anne Monica McCue is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, music-recording producer, video director, and radio host from Australia, more recently based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flame (Cheap Trick song)</span> 1988 single by Cheap Trick

"The Flame" is a power ballad released in 1988 by the American rock band Cheap Trick and the first single from their tenth album Lap of Luxury. It was written by songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham.

<i>Stolen Apples</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Paul Kelly

Stolen Apples is the twenty fifth album by Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and was released in July 2007 on EMI Music. The album was Kelly's first solo album since Ways & Means in 2004, and features religious themes throughout. It peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heart of the Matter (song)</span> Song by Don Henley, Mike Campbell and J.D. Souther

"The Heart of the Matter" is a song recorded by American rock singer Don Henley from his third solo studio album, The End of the Innocence (1989). Written by Henley, Mike Campbell, and J. D. Souther and produced by Henley, Campbell, and Danny Kortchmar, the song was released as the album's third single, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks in early 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marry U</span> 2007 single by Super Junior

"Marry U" is a song by South Korean boy band Super Junior. The song is produced by Lee Jae-myung and written by Kwon Yun-jung as the second single for Super Junior's second album, Don't Don. The song is a combination of soft contemporary R&B, simple pop ballad melodies, and also with elements of jazz and rap.

Sheldon David "Scott" English was an American songwriter, arranger and record producer. He is best known as the co-writer of "Brandy" which he wrote with Richard Kerr. The song became a No. 1 hit for Barry Manilow in 1974, with the title changed to "Mandy". English had also released a single of "Brandy" which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1971, and entered the US charts in March 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryn Haworth</span> Musical artist

Bryn Haworth is a British Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music in mainstream rock. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, he has released some twenty-two albums and several singles since the 1970s as well as guesting as guitarist on many other albums by rock and folk artists. He continues to tour in the UK, appearing mostly at smaller venues, Christian centres and at prisons. He has also appeared three times at the UK Greenbelt Festival. His chosen instruments include guitar and mandolin.

Jacob Moon is a solo Canadian folk singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has an extensive repertoire of songs, with nine albums to his credit. He has won many accolades and has been invited to perform for and with some of his heroes, including Rush, Marillion, Ron Sexsmith and Gordon Lightfoot. Moon's famous YouTube cover of Rush's Subdivisions went viral in 2009 and has earned him many fans around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star for a Week (Dino)</span> 1993 single by Steve Harley

"Star for a Week (Dino)" is a pop-rock song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released as a promotional single in 1993 from his third solo album Yes You Can. The single coincided with the UK release of the album that year (Yes You Can had been released in Europe in 1992). It was the second single to be released from the album, following "Irresistible" as a European single in 1992. "Star for a Week (Dino)" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Matt Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Left Town</span> 1998 single by Eric Clapton

"Circus Left Town", also known as "Circus" is a ballad written by the British recording artist Eric Clapton. The rock musician wrote the song about the last night he spent with his then four-year-old son Conor. Although Clapton played and recorded the song for his 1992 million seller live album Unplugged, he decided to release the title six years later as a re-recording for both his 1998 effort Pilgrim and as a single release. However, Clapton played the song live for his 1992 Eric Clapton World Tour, before it came out on any recording formats.

References

  1. ↑ "42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards on gmc". Doveawards.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Don Francisco - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Page 2 of Don Francisco: The American songsmith creating Biblical stories-in-song - Don Francisco".
  4. ↑ "Don Francisco | Don Francisco: A One-Trick Pony | TodaysChristianMusic.com". www.todayschristianmusic.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Don Francisco | Don Francisco: A One-Trick Pony | TodaysChristianMusic.com". Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016. Called "one of the best folk gospel ballads of all time" by Cashbox Magazine.
  6. ↑ "Don Francisco" . Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ Original double CD pressing, dated 1988
  8. ↑ "He's Alive by Don Francisco Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Endorsements - Reimagining Church". October 14, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Immigration rules throw churches into confusion". Eauk.org. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Customs Confusion". Christianity Today. May 14, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ "You can't come in! | Bournemouth Echo". March 10, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Don Deported: Don Francisco stopped at UK airport".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.