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Thursday 13 February 2020

Frankie Boy


2020 Charity Shop Purchase  8 - Frankie Miller - Darlin' - 7" single

Great British Male Blue  Eyed Soul singers?

Rod Stewart - yup

Steve Marriott - certainly

Marti Pellow?

Ladies and gentlemen I give you  Glasgow's finest Mr Frankie Miller

We were in a very blustery  Troon on Saturday as we were taking Mrs CC's mum for a birthday lunch. Afterwards we had time to hit a couple of charity shops before the weather beat us.
The Ayrshire Hospice shop had no CDs which is I suppose a sign of the times. It did however have some vinyl and I came away with a copy of Darlin' for 50p.

From 1978 it was the most successful of his four UK charting singles by a long chalk getting as high as number 6. One I'm sure that you will all recognise and one that you will  now find yourself singing to yourself sometime over the next few days

I was only fortunate enough to see Frankie once at the Glasgow Fleadh back in 1992 and he was very good indeed.
Sadly he suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1994 and after a few months in  a coma was unable to speak or  sing.  On a more positive note he is still going strong at the age of 70.

Described by Rod Stewart as the only white guy that's ever brought a tear to my eye

Frankie Miller - Darlin'

Frankie Miller - Drunken Nights in the City

6 comments:

  1. A true legend. His debut album "Once In A Blue Moon" (backed by Brinsley Schwarz) is one of the greatest albums in the history of music and the rest of his stuff is damned good too.

    Lucky to see him live a handful of times and his version of "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" was out of this world - peed all over the Robert Palmer version.

    Check out his 2nd album, recorded by the New Orleans giant Allen Tousaint , who also wrote most of the songs. And his sampler album the brilliantly titled "Frankie Who? Frankie Fucking Miller That's Who!"

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  2. Replies
    1. Tongue firmly in cheek although he was very good on The Memphis Sessions

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    2. That first album was ok and he did have a good voice...but it was the Joker grin that killed it for me. I distrust people who smile all the time. (Or pretty much anytime, to be honest.)

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  3. I always think of Frankie Miller as Jake MacQuillan in the BBC Play for Today, Just a Boy's Game rather than for his music.

    Must seek out some of those early albums. I seem to recall hearing that Otis Redding's widow made a very flattering comparison about his voice and her late husband's.

    Jamie

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    Replies
    1. I enjoyed Just a Boy's Game at the time Jamie
      A re-run on BBC Scotland might be good if only to see by how much it has dated

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