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Detroit-based Writer, Musician and Speaker Now available
Huntington Woods, Michigan
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WITH A VIBE FUSING THE BEST OF DETROIT’S MUSICAL TRADITIONS, STEWART FRANCKE CELEBRATES TWO DECADES OF BLUE EYED ROCK AND SOUL ON HIS BEST OF CD, MIDWESTERN – FEATURING A GUEST VOCAL SPOT BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ~ A dynamic, multi-faceted recording artist, live performer and musical institution in his adopted hometown of Detroit for more than two decades, singer/songwriter Stewart Francke has enthralled thousands of fans, both onstage and via his lengthy discography with a colorful fusion of spirited blue eyed soul and edgy rock and roll that capture his wide array of rock (Beatles, Bowie), soul (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye) and folk (Patty Griffin, Guy Clark) influences. Over the years, he has won numerous Detroit Music Awards, including Best Artist, Songwriter and Album, totaling 13 awards. Hour Detroit readers voted him “Most Popular Musician” in 2002-200..., and in 2009 his hometown of Saginaw awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Saginaw Arts Commission, for “the enjoyment and insight his songs have brought to so many in his hometown, home state and beyond.” He has performed hundreds of shows at clubs through Detroit area (including The Ark in Ann Arbor) and is the only artist to play all 18 years at the Arts, Beats & Eats Festival. Venturing beyond to larger markets, Stewart has headlined in Chicago several times and played one of the last shows at NYC’s renowned Bottom Line. Celebrating 20 action packed years as a popular indie recording artist, Stewart’s latest is his 2015 greatest hits compilation Midwestern: The Very Best of Stewart Francke. For Motor City rock and R&B fans, the album is an infectious roll through some of his best loved regional hits. For everyone else, it’s the perfect introduction to his deep artistry, beginning with his poignant, socially conscious anti-war anthem (told from the perspective of a wounded serviceman), “Summer Soldier,” featuring a call and response “Holler!” chorus with the legendary Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen revealed himself to be an unabashed fan of Stewart’s on a Detroit radio show and comments, “He makes beautiful music.” Closer to home, Stewart has always written songs about the Saginaw Bay Area, and even called his debut album Where the River Meets The Bay. Some of Stewart’s most heartfelt songs are inspired by his family relationships, including the rollicking, high energy “House of Lights,” whose title concept is a metaphor for the fragile nature of the family and his efforts to keep them safe, happy and together. Stewart wrote “House of Lights” during an exciting time as a young father of two children. Another family driven tune on the EP is the spirited pop/rocker “Heart of a Heartless World,” penned after the death of both of his parents. It’s a poignant way of saying goodbye, facing the reality that he’s really on his own now. On the lighter side, Stewart exercises his storytelling muscle on “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” a 1996 radio hit about the quirky, shady characters that hang around his favorite Detroit bar Gusoline Alley. Another powerful part of Stewart’s personal story is that he is a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor who has successfully fused his music career and passion for cancer outreach to the community. In addition to being recognized by the Points of Light Foundation for his personal work in cancer patient support, his organization The Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation was presented the prestigious Partnership In Humanity Award by the Detroit newspapers. He was also named Volunteer of the Year by the National Marrow Donor Program in 2002, and was one of the Twilight Award winners in 2012 for his work in cancer care. He extends this to informal visits of encouragement to those who are suffering, and makes it a point every year to visit cancer centers on the “lonely holidays” of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. In 2013, a memoir of his battle with cancer, What Don't Me Just Makes Me Strong, was published by San Francisco-based ebook publisher Untreed Reads. This was the follow-up volume to his 2006 work Between The Ground & God, a collection of Stewart's writing on music, life and Michigan living. The book won two 2007 National Indie Excellence Awards, and led to an invitation to read at the New York Book Festival. In addition, he covered music for the Metro Times for years, interviewing numerous legends, including John Mellencamp, Ani Di Franco, Sting, Johnny Cash and Yoko Ono. “What I came away with from my experiences as a survivor is that despite the way it looks and feels sometimes, human beings are all deeply and heavily connected, even in anonymity, ” he says. “It has made me aware of what others are going through, and makes me so grateful to be alive, something I maybe took too much for granted in the years I was first pursuing music. Now when I’m making music, I am more conscious of the value of making an immediate impact on people. I love the whole ‘pull on a string and see what unwinds’ emotional aspect of writing, and the way curiosity about a story or subject can inspire an expansion of awareness, and a meaningful song. Music offers a rush that nothing else does, and when I play live, I’m more aware than ever about the importance of human connection.” WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT STEWART FRANCKE & HIS MUSIC “Stewart Francke makes beautiful music.” – Bruce Springsteen “Thank God for Stewart Francke. Thank God for his feeling healing music, for the sweetness of his soul, the sincerity of his songs, the strength of his vision. His music is enriching, nourishing music – music as faith, music as celebration, music whose source is clear and joyful love.” -- David Ritz, author of "Divided Soul: The Marvin Gaye Story" & "Brother Ray." "Stewart Francke is one of a kind. A talent that encompasses both songwriting and prose writing appears rarely. His “What We Talk Of…” is the most important blue-eyed soul record in a musical generation. Standing courageously at the intersection of rock and soul music, influenced equally by Marvin Gaye and Brian Wilson, Francke possesses all the tools: A great voice, a vision that’s grand without being grandiose and an undying love of sound for its own sake, along with an equally passionate engagement with everyday life and the people who live it. This music isn’t classic anything only because, like every real artist, Francke takes the world as he knows it and moves on his own course." --Dave Marsh "Stewart Francke is the best songwriter I’ve heard in 20 years." --- Taylor, legendary guitarist & former member of The Rolling Stones. "Returning to the warm healing waters of "Lets get It On" era Marvin Gaye, genre hopper Francke restores faith in the much besmirched world of blue-eyed soul... genuinely life affirming. Looking for a real soul revival? Don’t look any further."— Gavin Martin, Uncut "Francke's finest songs reveal lives at stake in intimate tales where men and women struggle to understand each other. He always awards the lives in his songs with the generous, dramatic arrangements they deserve, what he calls all that beautiful noise." --- David Cantwell, No Depression “Stewart is a major major talent...” -- Dick Wagner, guitarist extraordinaire do Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Kiss, Aerosmith and fellow Saginaw MI native. "Listening to Stewart Francke's music is like waking up and finding yourself in an alternate universe. It's a place where rock and soul still speak to each other, where you catch glimpses of what the seventies might have become if we'd lived up to their long-forgotten promise. It immerses you in a soundscape where you hear Motown and Philly International communing with Pet Sounds and Fleetwood Mac. It's a good world to imagine, and, Francke promises us, it isn't really out of reach. Part of the sense of promise lies in the music itself. Whether you're coming at the music from rock or soul, you can close your eyes, relax and let it wash over you. When you come back to the world, you'll feel energized and renewed. Like the best music of he rock and soul era, this music believes. It believes that we can reach a higher ground, that the conversations between black and white, between blues realism and gospel redemption, remain as vital as they were before narcissistic irony swamped our shared hopes and dreams. Like Marvin Gaye and Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Ani DiFranco, he knows that, if we find the strength to tell our own stories honestly and the courage to open ourselves to others, our burdens can be a source of hope, not despair. And, he insists, the only meaningful response is to love each other and to change the world. " -- Craig Werner, Gleason-award winning author of Change Is Gonna Come and Higher Ground   "Standing courageously at the intersection of rock and soul music, influenced equally by Marvin Gaye and Brian Wilson, Stewart Francke possesses all the tools: A sweet voice, a vision that’s grand without being grandiose and undying love of sound for its own sake, and an equally passionate engagement with everyday life and the people who live it. This music isn’t classic anything only because, like every real artist, Francke takes the world as he knows it and moves on his own course." --Dave Marsh Stewart Francke / Heartless World (Blue Boundary, 2011)  --  Counterpunch ~ Call Stewart Francke a regional treasure, if you like. But what a region! The Detroit-based singer/songwriter/guitar-slinger grew up awash in the deep grooves of the Chicago blues and Motown R&B during what may well be the most creative era of American popular music.  Francke has a richly textured voice, a rocker’s Sam Cooke. He spent his early years as a bassist in blues bands and it was evidently a bountiful apprenticeship. Francke’s music seamlessly weaves blues and funk strands into infectious pop songs. I mean pop in the best sense, as in his 1995 hit “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”  In 1998, Francke was diagnosed with leukemia.  He waged a successful battle against the disease and became a vital voice in the movement for cancer awareness and a sane health care policy. The music deepened, too, as revealed in his CDs Swimming With Mercury and What We Talk Of … When We Talk.  Francke’s latest release is his most accomplished yet. Sure, the voice has some road miles on it, but that only enriches the music, which shifts from blue-eyed soul to hard-driving rock. These are brave songs about love in a time of war, about loss and survival amid the ruins of a once mighty city. Bruce Springsteen lends a gritty gravitas to “Summer Soldiers,” Francke’s song about alienated young soldiers caught in an inexplicable, faraway war. This is humane music, music with a soul.  --  Jeffrey St. Clair “I’d like to recommend Stewart Francke for your concert series. He’s affectionately labeled “blue-eyed soul” mixing in his many wonderful songs with classics by the likes of Van Morrison & Marvin Gaye. His live energy and enthusiasm make it the best concert for your live music budget. He’s a true artist that brings 100% to every show.” – Colette Nutton, Huntington Woods MI Live Music Supervisor AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek -- AMG ★★★★★ Stewart Francke's Motor City Serenade is a daring exercise in musical anthropology, cultural license, and Detroit aesthetic savvy. Francke has been on the scene a long time, regarded highly in Detroit, but basically underappreciated elsewhere. That may change with the issue of this album, released by Great Britain's Zane label -- the crew that released great titles by Delaney Bramlett, Ellis Hooks, and Eddie Hinton. Motor City Serenade pulls out all the stops creatively. There are layers of singers -- including the gospel group Commissioned, Barb Payton, and living rock legend Mitch Ryder -- elegant yet edgy strings, spiky, taut horns, funky keyboards, and popping guitars in a mix so utterly open and ringing, it saturates the listening space in a swirl of color, texture, and grit. But Motown isn't the only sound at work in Francke's mix; there is also the romantic sophistication of Brian Wilson and the wild abandon of Jack Nitszche. The title track is a lullaby to Detroit, romantically name-dropping some of its heroes, from Marvin Gaye and Nolan Strong to techno's "holy trinity" (Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson) -- all of it fueled by Motown's Funk Brothers backing Francke. HIs singing voice has grown deeper and wider over the years. It contains a kind of reckless maturity and nuance that is the badge of experience and beneath- the-skin expression. He's doesn't worry about anything but getting the song to be true to itself as song. He's got the necessary soul chops, but he is also a fine rock singer -- when he and Ryder cut loose in "Upon Seeing Simone," over a rollicking horn section, they send chills down the spine. But sonics and vocal prowess only tell part of the story; Francke's true gift in his ability to write words so utterly and poetically impure, and melodies that project them from the mix to the consciousness of the listener. For Francke, backyards, street cruising, the triumphs and tragedies of family, and fleeting love are all wrapped in the same bundle, all cards in the same slippery deck. He can find the divine in the heat of a kiss, or the supernatural in glare of city lights on wet pavement; he can discern the measure of morality in a broken heart. Tracks like "American Twilight" lament the craziness of the nation in the beating of a man on a suburban roadway. "Deep Soul Kiss" expresses the need to continue in relationship in the midst of struggle, all the while acknowledging the power of eros to transcend. Yeah, this is real people's poetry: it carries within it the rough mystery of the urban street and the mundane magic of suburban epiphanies and doubts. And it's as romantic as a muggy summer night. This is music that's more interested in asking pertinent questions than looking for quick-fix answers. And in its quest there lies unintentional moral instruction as in the utterly moving slip hop of "You Better Get to Know Your Broken Heart." Motor City Serenade is a celebration of contradictions: the beauty found in the ruins and history of a city that has lost its mooring but not its will to survive, the tense experiences of the people who inhabit its surroundings, the anxiousness found in searching for pearls of wisdom and excitement in the grind of everyday life in what was once the city that articulated the American Dream. And Francke has brought them all to bear here, allowing the voices of doubt, faith, regret, despair, temerity, and desire to speak for themselves in a truly exciting set of 13 songs that is as tough, tender, and -shaking as the city it reflects. ~ Thom Jurek USA TODAY STEWART FRANCKE - HEARTLESS WORLD  Detroit legend Francke releases his first new music since 2002. That’s quite a break, but he waited until he had an album full of great new music, and this is the result. Detroit is a hard town and known for it’s soul and gritty rock. Francke has both genres running through his veins and delivers a stunner. Mitch Ryder and Bruce Springsteen even get in some vocals on these compelling new songs. Old school rock for a new generation.  ~ USA Today "As always, Stewart Francke's passion and raw, soulful singing strength are evident on Swimming In Mercury. Like all the best songwriters, Stewart writes from the heart and sings from it as well. The power of his up tempo tunes and the plaintive emotion of his ballads make for that rarest of musical accomplishments: a great songwriter who can rock!" -- Mitch Albom~Columnist & Best Selling author STEWART FRANCKE CAREER CHRONOLOGY ~2016-200...: Released following albums: "Midwestern: Best of Stewart Francke" (2015) "A Familiar Fire,"(2014) "Love Implied,"(2013) "Heartless World," (2011) "Alive at The Ark,"(2009) SF book on music and Detroit life, titled "Between The Ground & God," is published by WSU/Ridgeway Press. (2006) "Motor City Serenade,"(2005) recorded with the original Funk Brothers, Motown's house band. "Best Of Stewart Francke I,"(2004) "Wheel Of Life," (2002) ...: "What Don't Me Just Makes Me Strong," an ebook memoir of my experience with leukemia and a stem cell transplant, is published in July 2013 by Untreed Reads. "Love Implied" cd released. ~2012: Awarded Twilight Award for Detroit Civic Leadership as an artist and cancer activist. ~2011: Recorded "Summer Soldier" with Bruce Springsteen on "Heartless World" cd, released in 2011. ...: Received Lifetime Achievement in the Arts from hometown city of Saginaw, for "the enjoyment and insight his songs have brought to so many in his hometown, home state and beyond." Released "Live At The Ark" cd. ~Hundreds of band & solo performances, including a 2007 fundraiser at the Temple Theater with Broadway star Brian d'arcy James, raising $97,000 for the Fields Neurological Foundation. ~2007: Winner of two Indie Excellence Book Awards for "Between The Ground & God: Collected Lyrics, Essays & Interviews." NY City Book Festival reading. ~2005: Growing European audience due to release with Zane Records in London of "Motor City Serenade." ~2004: Received Artist Grant from Artserve Michigan. Voted Most Popular Musician by Hour Detroit Magazine. Released first "Best of Stewart Francke" cd. ~2004-201...: Awarded seven straight ASCAP Songwriter Awards. ~2002: Released "Wheel of Life" cd. SF awarded a "Point of Light" award for cancer work. 2002-199...: Released following full albums: 1999: "Swimming In Mercury" 2000: "What We Talk Of...When We Talk" (2000) to noted worldwide reviews. Formed Musician's Outreach of Michigan (MOM)- a program wherein musicians appeared at cancer centers-Karmanos Cancer Center and Harper Hospital to play for patients and families in waiting areas. 1998-99: Leukemia diagnosis, bone marrow transplant, official formation of Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation. 1998: Released full cd "Sunflower Soul Serenade." 1998: First of several large SFLF fundraisers at Fox Theater. Awarded a Special Achievement Detroit Music Award for cancer outreach. 1997: Formed nationally distributed independent label, Blue Boundary Records, and released full cd "House Of Lights." 1996:Released full cd "Expecting Heroes" on Wild Justice Records. Song "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is a radio hit and TV theme song (Melrose Place). 1995: Released first national cd, "Where The River Meets The Bay," on Schoolkids Records. Received first of 13 Detroit Music Awards (Best Artist, Recording, Songwriter & Live Show) and national radio airplay. 1990: First independent solo release, cassette only, "Across Decker's Field," and followup cassette only, "The Beautiful Go Blameless" in 1992. ...: Music Columnist and Contributing Editor, The Metro Times, Detroit. Wrote the cultural column "Sign Language." Voted "Best Writer" by readers four times. Contributed to numerous music and pop culture publications. 1981-199...: Working musician in band The Point in bars and clubs throughout the Midwest. The Point released vinyl lp "The Delivery" in 1986, songs written by SF. 1981: Moved to Detroit, formed bar band, The Point, as singer and bassist. Necessary apprenticeship. 1980: BA, Northwood University 1979-198...: Bassist for Chuck Berry w/ the Boogie Bob Band. 1976. Graduated Arthur Hill High School. Stewart Francke has performed with these artists on the following national stages: Bob Seger Stevie Winwood Sheryl Crow Warren Zevon Steve Earle Hall & Oates Shawn Colvin Michael McDonald Bryan Adams Chicago Lady Antebellum and others... AT DTE Energy Center Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN Bottom Line, NYC The Stone Pony, Asbury Pk, NJ Lonestar Cafe, NYC The Palace, Auburn Hills, MI Fox Theater, Detroit, MI Schuba's, Chicago, The Fillmore, Detroit, TESTIMONIALS ABOUT STEWART FRANCKE'S WORK "Stewart Francke is one of a kind. A talent that encompasses both songwriting and prose writing appears rarely. Standing courageously at the intersection of rock and soul music, influenced equally by Marvin Gaye and Brian Wilson, Francke possesses all the tools: A great voice, a vision that’s grand without being grandiose and an undying love of sound for its own sake, along with an equally passionate engagement with everyday life and the people who live it. This music isn’t classic anything only because, like every real artist, Francke takes the world as he knows it and moves on his own course. Motor City Serenade is the most important blue-eyed soul record in a musical generation." --Dave Marsh, renowned music writer "Yea, I've heard Stewart...he makes beautiful music." - Bruce Springsteen, 2006 "Thank God for Stewart Francke. Thank God for his feeling, healing music, for the sweetness of his soul, the sincerity of his songs, the strength of his vision. His music is enriching, nourishing music -- music as faith, music as celebration, music whose source is clear and joyful love." --- David Ritz, renowned biographer. "Stewart Francke is the best songwriter I've heard in 20 years." --- Taylor, legendary guitarist & former member of the Rolling Stones USA TODAY STEWART FRANCKE - HEARTLESS WORLD (2011) Detroit legend Francke releases his first new music since 2002. Thats quite a break, but he waited until he had an album full of great new music, and this is the result. Detroit is a hard town and known for its soul and gritty rock. Francke has both genres running through his veins and delivers a stunner. Mitch Ryder and Bruce Springsteen even get in some vocals on these compelling new songs. Old school rock for a new generation. STEWART FRANCKE--HEARTLESS WORLD (Blue Boundary, 2011) -- Counterpunch Call Stewart Francke a regional treasure, if you like. But what a region! The Detroit-based singer/songwriter/guitarist grew up awash in the deep grooves of the Chicago blues and Motown R&B during what may well be the most creative era of American popular music. Francke has a richly textured voice, a rockers Sam Cooke. He spent his early years as a bassist in blues bands and it was evidently a bountiful apprenticeship. Francke's music seamlessly weaves blues and funk strands into infectious pop songs. I mean pop in the best sense, as in his 1995 hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. In 1998, Francke was diagnosed with leukemia. He waged a successful battle against the disease and became a vital voice in the movement for cancer awareness and a sane health care policy. The music deepened, too, as revealed in his CDs Swimming With Mercury and What We Talk Of When We Talk. Francke's latest release is his most accomplished yet. Sure, the voice has some road miles on it, but that only enriches the music, which shifts from blue-eyed soul to hard-driving rock. These are brave songs about love in a time of war, about loss and survival amid the ruins of a once mighty city. Bruce Springsteen lends a gritty gravitas to Summer Soldiers, Francke's song about alienated young soldiers caught in an inexplicable, faraway war. This is humane music, music with a soul. -- Jeffrey St. Clair

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