Robert Francis (musician)

Last updated

Robert Francis
Robert Francis1.jpg
Robert Francis in 2009
Background information
Birth nameRobert Anthony Commagere
Born (1987-09-25) September 25, 1987 (age 36)
Origin Los Angeles, U.S.
Genres Folk, Indie, Americana
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active2007–present
Labels Atlantic Records, Aeronaut Records, Vanguard Records
Website Robert Francis Official Website

Robert Francis (born September 25, 1987, in Los Angeles, California) is a multi-instrumentalist, Americana singer-songwriter. His debut full-length album, One By One, was released in August 2007 by Aeronaut Records, gaining him notice for its "emotional darkness and musicality". [1] His sound is distinguished by his "bright, gravelly baritone", [2] often conveying the emotion of a more "hardened performer". [3] He is best known for the song "Junebug", which was a top ten airplay hit in Europe in 2010. [4]

Contents

One By One (2007)

At nineteen years old, Francis "separated himself from his friends and society to write his debut record, One By One." [5] The album took over a year to make with Francis' [learning] "how to engineer over that period of time." Half of the album was recorded in his childhood home while the rest was recorded at his friend's parents' house while they were out of town. [6] "Songs like Dakota and One By One were recorded there." [7] The album received three and a half stars on the All Music Guide. [8]

In 2008 Francis' supported Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins on a national tour. [9]

On March 5, 2009, Carson Daly aired a half-hour feature on the singer/songwriter where he performed One By One, Do What I Can and Junebug. [10] [11]

Robert Francis' One By One was nominated for the prestigious Shortlist Music Prize in 2007. [12]

Francis' song, "All of My Trains," from his album One By One appeared in the 2009 film, The Vicious Kind.

Two of his songs, "Dakota" and "All of My Trains", were used in the 2012 film Deadfall .

Before Nightfall (2009)

In 2009, Francis' signed with Atlantic Records and recorded his sophomore album Before Nightfall. The record was produced by "hardcore super-producer" Dave Sardy and released in the fall of that year. [13] [14] The song Junebug was released as a Free Single on iTunes during the week of the album's release.

In 2010, Junebug reached #1 on French Radio and was featured on the NRJ Summer Hits Only Compilation. [15] [16] [17] Junebug also reached a peak position of #22 in Switzerland and #26 in Germany and #25 in Portugal. [18]
In 2010 Francis' performed his song Junebug and a cover of The Rolling Stones, Wild Horses on the French television show Taratata. He returned to the show again later that year to perform a duet with The John Butler Trio where they covered The Beatles' Across The Universe. [19] He also performed his song Nightfall with Manu Katche on the French television show One Shot Not that same year. [20]
On August 10, 2010 Francis performed Junebug on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. [21] In 2010 Francis' was invited to perform at the 25th Annual Farm Aid in Milwaukee, WI. [22] [23] In the winter of 2010 Francis' performed a sold out tour of Europe. [24]

Strangers in the First Place (2012)

It was announced that Francis would release his third album, and first with Vanguard Records, Strangers in the First Place, on May 22, 2012. The album was recorded in Malibu, California, at the "Eagle's Watch" House designed by famed architect Harry Gesner. [25]

He performed Perfectly Yours on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 19, 2012. [26]

Francis was invited to Bob Weir's TRI Studios to play songs off Strangers In The First Place with Yahoo Music describing the performance as "endless nostalgia and nuance in each note." [27]

Heaven (2014)

Francis' fourth studio album, "Heaven", was released on Aeronaut Records on June 3, 2014. [28]

The song "Baby Was the Devil" was used in the fifth episode of season 5 of the series Shameless .

Fire Engine Red (2016)

In early 2015, Robert Francis set out to record a new album, entitled "Empire Blues". The project was subsequently abandoned, however. Following a series of recordings in various Los Angeles studios, a period of time leaving Francis feeling uninspired, he relocated to León, Mexico. [29] Recording there resulted in what would become Francis' sixth studio album, "Fire Engine Red", which was released on May 13, 2016. [30]

Indian Summer (2017)

On November 28, 2016, Francis announced that he was returning to work on Empire Blues, which he had begun working on before Fire Engine Red. [31] Again, however, the recording sessions for Empire Blues were set aside. On November 3rd, 2017, Francis released Indian Summer via Aeronaut Records. [32]

Amaretto & The End Times, Vol. 1 (2020)

On May 1st, 2020, Robert Francis released his eighth studio album, Amaretto. Barely two months later, on June 19th, he released a followup to Amaretto, The End Times, Vol. 1.

Discography

YearTitlePeak chart positions

FRA

BEL (WA)

SWI

GER

AUT

POR

UK

US

2007One By One—————5——
2009 Before Nightfall 267447174331——
2012Strangers in the First Place115———————
2014Heaven————————
2015Valentine————————
2016Fire Engine Red————————
2017Indian Summer————————
2020Amaretto————————

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage Fanclub</span> Scottish alternative rock band

Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, all of whom shared lead vocals and songwriting duties until Love's departure in 2018. As of 2023, the band's lineup consists of Blake, McGinley, Francis Macdonald, Dave McGowan and Euros Childs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjen Lucassen</span> Dutch musician

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Dutch band Bodine as Iron Anthony, before joining Vengeance in 1984. After eight years he left the band, wanting to go into a more progressive direction, and released two years later an unsuccessful solo album entitled Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy under the nickname Anthony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poets of the Fall</span> Finnish rock band

Poets of the Fall (POTF) is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki. The group consists of Marko Saaresto, Olli Tukiainen, Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen, Jani Snellman (bass), Jaska Mäkinen, and Jari Salminen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Mader</span> Canadian record producer and guitarist (born 1970)

Logan Conrad Mader is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a guitarist for melodic death metal band Once Human and a former lead guitarist for heavy metal band Machine Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Big Town</span> American country band

Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has had the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook. Their musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead vocalists.

Black is a Bangladeshi alternative rock band formed in 1998 in Dhaka. It was originally formed by Jon Kabir, Mushfeque Jahan, and Tony Vincent (drums). They were soon joined by Mahmudul Karim Miraz, and in 2000, Tahsan Rahman Khan.

The Shys were a five piece indie rock band from Southern California. Their line-up consisted of Kyle Krone, Chris Wulff, Riley Stephenson, and Ryan Hansen. Their debut CD, Astoria, was released on Sire Records on July 11, 2006. Their most popular song is "Call in the Calvary".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Will Keep Us Alive</span> 1994 single by Eagles

"Love Will Keep Us Alive" is a song written by Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack, and Peter Vale and produced by the Eagles, Elliot Scheiner, and Rob Jacobs. It was first performed by the Eagles in 1994, during their Hell Freezes Over reunion tour, with lead vocals by bassist Timothy B. Schmit. This is the last single to feature Don Felder, who was terminated from the band in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stupid Cupid</span> Song written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka

"Stupid Cupid" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka which became a hit for Connie Francis in 1958.

Juliette Commagere is a Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter who was formerly the lead singer and keytar player of the band Hello Stranger. In 2008 she began a solo career with the release of Queens Die Proudly.

<i>Weathervanes</i> (Freelance Whales album) 2009 studio album by Freelance Whales

Weathervanes is the debut studio album by the American indie pop group Freelance Whales. The album was released on December 29, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Je l'aime à mourir</span> 1979 single by Francis Cabrel

"Je l'aime à mourir" is a French-language song written by Francis Cabrel. It is taken from his second album Les Chemins de traverse released in 1979 that sold over 600,000 copies in France. The single "Je l'aime à mourir" became a hit single for Francis Cabrel in France, Quebec (Canada), Europe and internationally. Spanish singer Manzanita interpreted the song to Spanish flamenco audience making the hit song popular again for the second time. It is considered Cabrel's most definitive hit alongside "Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai".

<i>Before Nightfall</i> 2009 studio album by Robert Francis

Before Nightfall is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Robert Francis, released on October 9, 2009, by Atlantic Records. It was released in 2009 with "Junebug" as lead single, followed by "Keep On Running". Both were also released as video clips. Before Nightfall is Francis' first album on a major label. In an interview with Redefine magazine, Francis said that darkness was a major theme on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickaël Miro</span> French singer-songwriter

Mickaël Miro is a French singer-songwriter. His name is a pseudonym, which he chose as a tribute to his grandfather, who was called Miro. He is best known for his debut single "L'Horloge Tourne", followed by his debut album Juste comme ça in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dillon Francis</span> American electronic music producer and DJ (born 1987)

Dillon Hart Francis, also known by his alter ego DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. By deejaying and collaborating, Francis helped to popularize the new moombahton genre, and in 2012 he adapted it further into moombahcore and EDM trap, giving the music a harder sound, as heard on his EP Something, Something, Awesome. He expanded into EDM genres with Money Sucks, Friends Rule (2014), which hit number 2 on the Billboard dance chart, then shifted gears into Latin music with 2018's Wut Wut, a Spanish-language album honored with a Latin Grammy and a Latin American Music Award. The song "Sexo", with Residente featuring iLe, rose to number 43 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart in June 2018.

<i>Exit</i> (Darin album) 2013 studio album by Darin

Exit is the sixth studio album by Swedish singer Darin. It was released by Universal Music Sweden on 30 January 2013. The debuted at number one on the Swedish album Chart. Exit was certified Gold by Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF) in its second week of release. The album includes the platinum-selling hit "Nobody Knows."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vian Izak</span> American singer-songwriter

Vian Izak, is a South African American alternative folk singer-songwriter, record producer, and audio engineer. He created an animated alias to maintain his anonymity online. Izak's artist project is part of the virtual band movement popularized by acts such as the Gorillaz and The Archies where the members of the group are portrayed as animations. Although he later dropped the animated persona in favor of personally connecting with his audience, this early focus on multimedia releases, including visual art, comics, and storytelling, has continued.

<i>Ogilala</i> 2017 studio album by William Patrick Corgan

Ogilala is the second solo album by American musician Billy Corgan, frontman of alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. The album was released on October 13, 2017, in the United States. It marks Corgan's first solo album since his 2005 debut, TheFutureEmbrace. The album was co-produced by Corgan with Rick Rubin, and does not feature Corgan's longtime collaborator Bjorn Thorsrud. "Aeronaut" preceded the record as its lead single, with a US tour beginning the day after the record's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheep (Lay song)</span> 2017 single by Lay

"Sheep" is a single recorded by Chinese rapper Lay for his solo album Lay 02 Sheep. The song was released on October 7, 2017 by S.M. Entertainment. Lay and Norwegian DJ Alan Walker released a remix on August 31, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junebug (song)</span> 2010 single by Robert Francis

"Junebug" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Robert Francis. The song was released on 2009 through Atlantic Records, as the lead single from his second studio album, Before Nightfall (2009).

References

  1. ↑ NPR, October 2, 2007 - Music, Robert Francis: A Young Man with an Old Soul - Christian Bordal
  2. ↑ The Source Weekly, July 02, 2014 - Out of Town 7/2-7/10 By Lucille Ausman
  3. ↑ Entertainment Weekly , December 28, 2007 - ARTICLE, 2007: The Year in PopWatch - Amy Ryan
  4. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 122, no. 27. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 10, 2010. ISSN   0006-2510.
  5. ↑ "Chorus.fm". August 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ http://www.puntismos.com/en/RPC_Content.aspx?CSID=1_17&NID=782
  7. ↑ http://www.puntismos.com/en/RPC_Content.aspx?CSID=1_17&NID=782
  8. ↑ "One by One - Robert Francis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  9. ↑ "GB Interview: Indie-Folk Singer-Songwriter Robert Francis".
  10. ↑ "Last Call Carson Daly | Fans of Dave Smallen | Robert Francis".
  11. ↑ When You Awake, Friday March 06th, 2009, - Robert Francis on Last Call With Carson Daly By Jody
  12. ↑ "2007 Shortlist Nominees".
  13. ↑ "Robert Francis on Apple Music". iTunes .
  14. ↑ (2) [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "NRJ Compilations - NRJ Summer Hits Only 2010".
  16. ↑ "Yacast".
  17. ↑ "Robert Francis' Junebug #1 single in France". www.aeronautrecords.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Robert Francis - Junebug - hitparade.ch".
  19. ↑ "Taratata". March 24, 2023.
  20. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : ONE SHOT NOT,ROBERT FRANCIS - NIGHTFALL. YouTube .
  21. ↑ "红楼梦h文最新章节,红楼梦h文无弹窗全文阅读-免费看书网_红楼梦h文最新章节,红楼梦h文无弹窗全文阅读-免费看书网全文免费阅读无弹窗_免费看书网".
  22. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Robert Francis - Junebug (Live at Farm Aid 25). YouTube .
  23. ↑ "MTV Music". MTV .[ dead link ]
  24. ↑ "Robert Francis | la Cigale".
  25. ↑ Huffington Post , 05/30/2012 - Strangers in the First Place : Another Conversation With Robert Francis By Mike Ragogna
  26. ↑ "Robert Francis | Vanguard Records Publicity". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Robert Francis' Nostalgic Folk Rock: An Exclusive Performance at TRI Studios". June 8, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Robert Francis and The Night Tide to Release 'Heaven' on June 3". Guitar World. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  29. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/robertfrancisofficial/posts/649126176829658:649126176829658
  30. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/robertfrancisofficial/ [ user-generated source ]
  31. ↑ "Robert Francis on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.[ user-generated source ]
  32. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/robertfrancisofficial/posts/pfbid0365vLTnoyyQhVeRmCWTpvsdGN9Y4nb4HeftRT3Vi1Ay5bqNPKrb2zW8kaZVpRFrFxl
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.