Frankie's Blues Mission

Frankie's Blues Mission is a well kept secret in Hot-lanta. They have released an eleven track CD titled "Sleepin' Dog". This is REAL Blues, played the way that it is supposed to be played and presented. Many Blues groups today profess to be a Blues band, but are really Rock groups. Frankies's Blues Mission's aim is to play authentic Blues and that is just they do. You will like the rhythm of the guitar, Bass, drums and Frankie Lee's lead vocals. The CD opens with "I'm So Lonely Since You're Gone", which is a nice track that features guitar and vocals out front. The track "Lyin' Thinkin'" is a great Blues guitar instrumental track. The track "Five Long Years" is a deep Blues groove much like Jimi Hendrix's "Red House". Real Blues showmanship is on display with the track "When a Guitar Plays the Blues" and is reminiscent of T-Bone Walker or Freddie King. A Frankie Lee original track is titled "Soul Shuffle", which is a soulful Blues. They even tackle a B.B. King composition "Woke up This Morning" that is superb. There are more tracks on the CD that you will enjoy. When you listen to this CD you will know that this "Sleepin' Dog" has arisen."

Howard Burchette

Host of "The Funk Show" - Howard Burchette

FRANKIE’S BLUES MISSION

Sleepin’ Dog

No label – (No #)

Frankie’s Blues Mission has been working on the Atlanta blues scene for more than a decade now, and its present lineup of singer-guitarist Frank “Frankie Lee” Robinson, bassist Kermit Maxwell, and drummer Alfonso Largo has been together four years. This is their first recording, but it shouldn’t be their last.

From the echoes of fellow Georgian Johnny Jenkins’ distinctive guitar chords in the first bars of the opening original I’m So Lonely Since You’re Gone, there’s a sense that this group has something special going for it. There are six more originals on tap, of which the minor-hued Lyin’ Thinkin’, the strutting title track, and the soulful I Need Me Some You sport Robinson vocals, while the other three are instrumental features for his guitar and producer/engineer Martin Kearnes’s keyboards, with the Jenkins influence surfacing again on the aptly titled Soul Shuffle and more of a jazz feel on Blues for K.C. and McDaniel Street. The cover selections are all well done, as the slow blues Five Long Years and When a Guitar Plays the Blues (from Robinson’s mentor Roy Lee Johnson) bring out some of Robinson’s most emotive singing, Woke Up This Morning brightens the tempo and Who’s Been Talking provides a perfect vehicle for Robinson’s shimmering guitar lines and his mates’ skin-tight backing.

Unlike the typical “no label/no number” vanity disc, Sleepin’ Dog boasts a fresh sound firmly rooted in, but not bound by, local tradition. It’s not just the same old blues, and deserves to be picked up for wider release. In the meantime, you can try the band’s website at www.frankiesbluesmission.com.

—Jim DeKoster

- Living Blues Magazine

FRANKIE’S BLUES MISSION

Sleepin’ Dog

No label – (No #)

Frankie’s Blues Mission has been working on the Atlanta blues scene for more than a decade now, and its present lineup of singer-guitarist Frank “Frankie Lee” Robinson, bassist Kermit Maxwell, and drummer Alfonso Largo has been together four years. This is their first recording, but it shouldn’t be their last.

From the echoes of fellow Georgian Johnny Jenkins’ distinctive guitar chords in the first bars of the opening original I’m So Lonely Since You’re Gone, there’s a sense that this group has something special going for it. There are six more originals on tap, of which the minor-hued Lyin’ Thinkin’, the strutting title track, and the soulful I Need Me Some You sport Robinson vocals, while the other three are instrumental features for his guitar and producer/engineer Martin Kearnes’s keyboards, with the Jenkins influence surfacing again on the aptly titled Soul Shuffle and more of a jazz feel on Blues for K.C. and McDaniel Street. The cover selections are all well done, as the slow blues Five Long Years and When a Guitar Plays the Blues (from Robinson’s mentor Roy Lee Johnson) bring out some of Robinson’s most emotive singing, Woke Up This Morning brightens the tempo and Who’s Been Talking provides a perfect vehicle for Robinson’s shimmering guitar lines and his mates’ skin-tight backing.

Unlike the typical “no label/no number” vanity disc, Sleepin’ Dog boasts a fresh sound firmly rooted in, but not bound by, local tradition. It’s not just the same old blues, and deserves to be picked up for wider release. In the meantime, you can try the band’s website at www.frankiesbluesmission.com.

—Jim DeKoster

- Living Blues Magazine

Frankie Lee’s Blues Mission - Sleepin’ Dog

Self Release

http://bluesmission.homestead.com/

Time-53:42

Georgia native Frankie Lee Robinson and his Blues Mission inject their blues with a refreshing dose of jazz, R&B and gospel that takes the listener on an upbeat ride. His more than pleasant voice and guitar skills bring Robert Cray to mind, but with more jazz leanings. Frankie switches from jazzy chording to single-string blues runs all within a solo, moving the music along seamlessly, and if I dare say, with a “peppy” and swinging rhythm section. The occasional keyboards of Martin Kearnes accentuate the upbeat vibe. Seven band originals, including three instrumentals, fit nicely alongside four cover tunes given the Blues Mission treatment. The guitar playing is at times familiar and driving without going the “hey look at me” rout.

Enough personal nuances are added to the sound to catch your ear playing after playing. Drummer Alfonso Largo and bass player Kermit J. Maxwell are there at every turn. The soothing vocals lend themselves to the groove-infused music, well showcased on the lead-in track “I’m So Lonely Since You’re Gone”. “Lyin’ Thinkin” is infused with a mellow Robert Cray groove replete with jazzy chording as it comments on life’s hardships. Shuffle drumming propels the title track, along with the harmonica shadings of Vince Alexander. Organ-fueled R&B lilts along hand-in-hand as jazzy guitar flourishes float through the original parable played out in “I Need Me Some You”.

Cover songs here are given new life, as best witnessed in a reworking of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Who Been Talkin’”, reinvented as a mellow rumba. B.B. King’s “Woke Up This Morning” begins life with a syncopated mambo groove and soon shifts into a romping swing workout. Robinson’s playing reveals T-Bone Walker’s influence in his jazzy style. “Five Long Years” and “When A Guitar Plays The Blues” are given pretty straight but mellower readings.

Three original instrumentals shine light on the band’s groove-skills. “Soul Shuffle” sounds like Booker T & The M.G.’s “taking us to church” in a land were gospel-meets-the blues. T-Bone’s ghost once more appears in the jazzy romp of “Blues For C.K.”. An upright bass starts us strolling down “McDaniel Street” and “Bone” once again rears his head alongside the jazz piano stylings.

For anyone harboring the notion that blues music is “downer music”, take a tip and give this toe-tapper of a record a spin and come out a believer. Frankie Lee and crew put enough of themselves in their music to give it a life of its own. Fans of goodtime vibes, Robert Cray and T-Bone Walker will derive hours of listening enjoyment from this offering.

Reviewer Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony is from the New Jersey Delta. He is the proprietor of Bluesdog’s Doghouse at http://bluesdog61.multiply.com

- Blues Blast Magazine

Frankie Lee’s Blues Mission - Sleepin’ Dog

Self Release

http://bluesmission.homestead.com/

Time-53:42

Georgia native Frankie Lee Robinson and his Blues Mission inject their blues with a refreshing dose of jazz, R&B and gospel that takes the listener on an upbeat ride. His more than pleasant voice and guitar skills bring Robert Cray to mind, but with more jazz leanings. Frankie switches from jazzy chording to single-string blues runs all within a solo, moving the music along seamlessly, and if I dare say, with a “peppy” and swinging rhythm section. The occasional keyboards of Martin Kearnes accentuate the upbeat vibe. Seven band originals, including three instrumentals, fit nicely alongside four cover tunes given the Blues Mission treatment. The guitar playing is at times familiar and driving without going the “hey look at me” rout.

Enough personal nuances are added to the sound to catch your ear playing after playing. Drummer Alfonso Largo and bass player Kermit J. Maxwell are there at every turn. The soothing vocals lend themselves to the groove-infused music, well showcased on the lead-in track “I’m So Lonely Since You’re Gone”. “Lyin’ Thinkin” is infused with a mellow Robert Cray groove replete with jazzy chording as it comments on life’s hardships. Shuffle drumming propels the title track, along with the harmonica shadings of Vince Alexander. Organ-fueled R&B lilts along hand-in-hand as jazzy guitar flourishes float through the original parable played out in “I Need Me Some You”.

Cover songs here are given new life, as best witnessed in a reworking of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Who Been Talkin’”, reinvented as a mellow rumba. B.B. King’s “Woke Up This Morning” begins life with a syncopated mambo groove and soon shifts into a romping swing workout. Robinson’s playing reveals T-Bone Walker’s influence in his jazzy style. “Five Long Years” and “When A Guitar Plays The Blues” are given pretty straight but mellower readings.

Three original instrumentals shine light on the band’s groove-skills. “Soul Shuffle” sounds like Booker T & The M.G.’s “taking us to church” in a land were gospel-meets-the blues. T-Bone’s ghost once more appears in the jazzy romp of “Blues For C.K.”. An upright bass starts us strolling down “McDaniel Street” and “Bone” once again rears his head alongside the jazz piano stylings.

For anyone harboring the notion that blues music is “downer music”, take a tip and give this toe-tapper of a record a spin and come out a believer. Frankie Lee and crew put enough of themselves in their music to give it a life of its own. Fans of goodtime vibes, Robert Cray and T-Bone Walker will derive hours of listening enjoyment from this offering.

Reviewer Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony is from the New Jersey Delta. He is the proprietor of Bluesdog’s Doghouse at http://bluesdog61.multiply.com

- Blues Blast Magazine

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2011
Listen - (webstream) (Download: Right click - Save target or link as)
Teaching and learning in the digital age. Dr. Bob Becker, director of the Strom Thurmond Institute on Government and Public Affairs talks with Dr. Vernon Burton, former director of the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts and Social Science (CHASS) at the University of Illinois, where he is professor emeritus of history, African-American studies and sociology and the author of The Age of Lincoln.

Industrial manufacturing and wind energy research. Bob Schuster talks with Danny Rowland, CEO of CMMC, during the October 2010 groundbreaking events at the wind turbine testing facility located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) in North Charleston.

Growing organic vegetables at home. Peter Kent speaks with Dr. Geoffrey Zehnder, entomologist and coordinator for the Clemson University Sustainable Agriculture Program and the CU Student Organic Farm about the trend towards organic gardening by home gardeners. Clemson University Extension, the Clemson Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Clemson University Sustainable Agriculture Program present a series of classes on growing organic vegetables on Saturdays in February. Contact kgilker@clemson.edu/864-656-5057 for registration information.
NOTE: on Feb. 12, TEDx Manhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” comes to the upstate via an Official Viewing Party to be held in Hardin Hall on the Clemson University campus, 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM EST. This live TEDx event will be led by the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food & Farming. The free viewing party is hosted by Clemson Area Food Exchange (CAFE), Upstate Locavores, Students for Environmental Action (SEA), City of Clemson’s Farmers Market and others. For more information on attending this international webcast email elian@clemsonareafoodexchange.com or call 864-372-9004.

Frankie Lee Robinson. Roy Scott talks with blues guitarist Frankie Lee Robinson who performs with Frankie's Blues Mission at the 21st Annual Lowcountry Blues Bash which takes place in metro Charleston February 3-19, 2011.

- South Carolina ETV Radio

21ST ANNUAL
Feb 3-19, 2011• Charleston, SC
LOWCOUNTRY
BLUES BASH
17 Days
50 Acts
93 Shows
25 Venues - Lowcountry Blues Society and Erwin Music

21ST ANNUAL
Feb 3-19, 2011• Charleston, SC
LOWCOUNTRY
BLUES BASH
17 Days
50 Acts
93 Shows
25 Venues - Lowcountry Blues Society and Erwin Music

Welcome to the third annual Pee Dee Blues Bash, part of the South Carolina Pecan Festival! It is our pleasure to partner again with this beloved community event and, accordingly, offer you FREE performances at two outdoor stages downtown on Saturday, November 6 and three comfortable indoor venues both nights November 5-6. We have recruited a stellar line-up of national and regional blues artists and there is truly something for everyone...from traditional to contemporary, acoustic to electric, solo to band. An essential part of Southern culture, the blues truly is the bedrock of Western popular music. Take this opportunity to check out all the performers...enjoy!

- Pee Dee Blues Bash

Concert & Band Schedules
Friday Night:
4U2C- 5-6:45 pm
Melflames- 7-8:30 pm
Buckeye Band with Special Guests- 8:30 pm- 10:30 pm

Saturday Day:
Veronika Jackson- 11:30 -1:00 pm
Frankie’s Blues Mission- 1-3 pm
Ben Ratliff Band- 3-5 pm

Saturday Night at Ritz Park Amphitheater:
Mark Henson- 5:30 -6:30 pm
Long Hot Summer- 6:30 -7:30 pm
E.G. Kight- 7:30- 9:00 pm
Special Presentations: GA Music Legend Award and Dewaine T. Bell Scholarship
Contagious- 9:30- 11:00 pm

- Barnesville/Lamar County Chamber of Commerce

Low Country Blues Bash Feb. 3 – 19, 2011

Blues aficionados from the Carolinas, Georgia and all over the southeastern U.S. will soon be making their way toward Charleston, S.C. for the twenty-first annual Lowcountry Blues Bash, which begins Feb. 3 and rocks on through Feb. 19.

Not officially part of the Blues Bash, but warmly welcomed by the local blues community are two British blues-rock legends – Robert Plant, former frontman for Led Zeppelin and Robin Trower, from the legendary Procul Harum. Plant will appear with his Band of Joy at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on Feb. 4. ($55.30 – $76.50 including fees).Trower, also performing on Feb. 4, will be at the Music Farm. ($23 ADV/$25DOS) Wow! Trower for $23. No brainer! Bummer they’re on the same night. Tickets for both are available at the venues. As in the past, organizer Gary Erwin of Erwin Music and the Lowcountry Blues Society are bringing a mix of local, regional and national talent to the Palmetto City. The blues-driven frets-n-frenzy takes place over 17 days and features high-end performances by 50 different acts at 25 different locations.

Highlights include guitarist Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones with Dennis Gruenling. Deming’s group alone is a much sought after swing band. Add Gruenling to the lineup and according to Erwin, you get “pure postwar blues bliss.” (www.dougdeming.com/www.dennisgruenling.com)

South Carolina’s favorite son, Drink Small, returns to the Bash, bringing a cure for whatever ails you. The Blues Doctor’s in the house! (www.myspace.com/drinksmallblues)

From Texas comes one of our favorite singing drummers slash harp players, the genre-jumpin’ Randy McAllister.

Hip-swingin’ blues mama DieDra, all the way from Alabama, will get you out of your chairs. Bring yo’ dancin’ shoes! (See p.24 this issue for CD review.)
Frankie’s Blues Mission from Atlanta dishes up some hot West Side Chicago-style electric blues. Yeah! Ten Foot Polecats are coming all the way from Boston, y’all. For my buck, this punk-edged Mississippi-inspired trio is the act to catch. Jim Chilson’s guitar work is some of the finest you’ll see. They’re at Fiery Ron’s Hometeam BBQ on Sullivan’s Island Feb. 5. I dare you to sit still!

There are so many more topnotch players at this year’s Bash – Mac Arnold & Plate full O’ Blues; acoustic icon

Paul Geremia; Big Bill Morganfield, making his daddy proud; from the Grand Strand, the talented My Buddy Todd; the rockin’Johnny Mac & the Booty Ranch; Charleston’s own Skye Paige bringing rockabilly and blues to the stage.

There’s a special dedication to Lil Dave Thompson, who tragically died in an automobile crash while returning home after last year’s Blues Bash. The event will take place at Fiery Ron’s Hometeam BBQ on Sullivan’s Island on Sunday evening, Feb. 13.

Most ticket prices will be less than $15 and many are free. Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina at Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant is offering preferred rates for festival goers. Call 843-356-0028 and mention the Blues Bash. To see the entire lineup, venue listing and schedule, visit www.bluesbash.com and download your very own brochure in PDF format. - DarielB - Flying Under the Radar

Low Country Blues Bash Feb. 3 – 19, 2011

Blues aficionados from the Carolinas, Georgia and all over the southeastern U.S. will soon be making their way toward Charleston, S.C. for the twenty-first annual Lowcountry Blues Bash, which begins Feb. 3 and rocks on through Feb. 19.

Not officially part of the Blues Bash, but warmly welcomed by the local blues community are two British blues-rock legends – Robert Plant, former frontman for Led Zeppelin and Robin Trower, from the legendary Procul Harum. Plant will appear with his Band of Joy at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on Feb. 4. ($55.30 – $76.50 including fees).Trower, also performing on Feb. 4, will be at the Music Farm. ($23 ADV/$25DOS) Wow! Trower for $23. No brainer! Bummer they’re on the same night. Tickets for both are available at the venues. As in the past, organizer Gary Erwin of Erwin Music and the Lowcountry Blues Society are bringing a mix of local, regional and national talent to the Palmetto City. The blues-driven frets-n-frenzy takes place over 17 days and features high-end performances by 50 different acts at 25 different locations.

Highlights include guitarist Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones with Dennis Gruenling. Deming’s group alone is a much sought after swing band. Add Gruenling to the lineup and according to Erwin, you get “pure postwar blues bliss.” (www.dougdeming.com/www.dennisgruenling.com)

South Carolina’s favorite son, Drink Small, returns to the Bash, bringing a cure for whatever ails you. The Blues Doctor’s in the house! (www.myspace.com/drinksmallblues)

From Texas comes one of our favorite singing drummers slash harp players, the genre-jumpin’ Randy McAllister.

Hip-swingin’ blues mama DieDra, all the way from Alabama, will get you out of your chairs. Bring yo’ dancin’ shoes! (See p.24 this issue for CD review.)
Frankie’s Blues Mission from Atlanta dishes up some hot West Side Chicago-style electric blues. Yeah! Ten Foot Polecats are coming all the way from Boston, y’all. For my buck, this punk-edged Mississippi-inspired trio is the act to catch. Jim Chilson’s guitar work is some of the finest you’ll see. They’re at Fiery Ron’s Hometeam BBQ on Sullivan’s Island Feb. 5. I dare you to sit still!

There are so many more topnotch players at this year’s Bash – Mac Arnold & Plate full O’ Blues; acoustic icon

Paul Geremia; Big Bill Morganfield, making his daddy proud; from the Grand Strand, the talented My Buddy Todd; the rockin’Johnny Mac & the Booty Ranch; Charleston’s own Skye Paige bringing rockabilly and blues to the stage.

There’s a special dedication to Lil Dave Thompson, who tragically died in an automobile crash while returning home after last year’s Blues Bash. The event will take place at Fiery Ron’s Hometeam BBQ on Sullivan’s Island on Sunday evening, Feb. 13.

Most ticket prices will be less than $15 and many are free. Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina at Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant is offering preferred rates for festival goers. Call 843-356-0028 and mention the Blues Bash. To see the entire lineup, venue listing and schedule, visit www.bluesbash.com and download your very own brochure in PDF format. - DarielB - Flying Under the Radar

Frankie’s Blues Mission is an Atlanta-based trio that plays it pretty close to traditional blues (especially Chicago West Side blues) and R&B, adding their own touches of soul and jazz to their sound. Their debut release, Sleepin’ Dog, bears strong witness to their artistry.

Frank “Frankie Lee” Robinson has been immersed in the blues since his early days….his father managed several bands in the southeast Georgia area. When Robinson moved with his family to Pennsylvania in his early teens, he discovered an old Kay acoustic guitar that had been left in their new apartment. He began to learn to play (taking lessons from Georgia blues/R&B legend Roy Lee Johnson at one time) and when the family moved to Atlanta when he was in his late teens, he saw B. B. King perform and knew he wanted to play the blues (wonder how many people B. B. King has influenced over the years?).

Robinson formed Frankie’s Blues Mission in 2000 and his current line-up (Kermit J. Maxwell – bass, Alfonso Largo – drums) has been together for four years. All three have years of experience playing blues, R&B, and jazz, and while the roots of their music is the blues, they’re not worried about taking things in other directions when so moved.

Sleepin’ Dog consists of 11 tracks, seven originals by the band. The opener, “I’m So Lonely Since You’ve Gone,” despite its mournful theme, pops along against a funky backdrop. The title cut is a tough West Side shuffle, featuring harmonica from Vince Alexander, and “I Need Me Some You” has a great guitar intro from Robinson. There are also three instrumentals – “Blues for C.K.” showcases Robinson playing some particularly grungy guitar, “Soul Shuffle” is a tight soul groover, and “McDaniel Street” leans toward the jazz side of blues.

There are also five solid covers, notably Roy Lee Johnson’s “When A Guitar Plays The Blues,” and two fine tributes to B. B. King (Eddie Boyd’s “Five Long Years” and “Woke Up This Morning”). The band’s take on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Who’s Been Talking” is also very good, staying pretty true to the original.

The band does an excellent job in support, and the addition of Martin Kearnes on keyboards for several of the tracks is an added bonus. An already great product is made even better thanks to the production skills of veteran Rodney Mills, who’s previously worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Tinsley Ellis, and Sean Costello,

If smooth urban blues and R&B are your bag, you need to check out Frankie’s Blues Mission first chance you get. Visit the band’s website or check out this disc at CD Baby.

--- Graham Clarke

- Blues Bytes Online Magazine

Frankie's Blues Mission performs on Atlanta's Best Blues Stage during the Montreux Jazz Festival at Underground Atlanta.
- Noel St. John

Frankie Lee Robinson of Frankie's Blues Mission plays the Fat Matt's stage on Sunday - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Frankie's Blues Mission gets the crowd into even more of a partying mood - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

I'd never heard of Frankie's Blues Mission until my brother gave me the group's CD, "Sleepin' Dog," when I headed South last week for Thanksgiving. I doubt I'll get a better Christmas present this year.

Frankie Lee Robinson Jr. and his bandmates, bassist Kermit J. Maxwell and drummer Alfonso Largo, play silky blues that sounds a lot like Robert Cray's best burners. But there's an undercurrent of danger in Robinson's guitar playing under his soft vocals. That's certainly the case on the band's covers of Howlin' Wolf's "Who Been Talkin'," B.B. King's "Woke Up This Morning," Eddie Boyd's "Five Long Years" and Roy Lee Johnson's "When a Guitar Plays the Blues."

Robinson's devotion to the masters who became before him is also apparent on the songs he and Maxwell wrote. The title track, in particular, sounds like a classic tune that's been given a modern makeover. - Carl Abernathy

I'd never heard of Frankie's Blues Mission until my brother gave me the group's CD, "Sleepin' Dog," when I headed South last week for Thanksgiving. I doubt I'll get a better Christmas present this year.

Frankie Lee Robinson Jr. and his bandmates, bassist Kermit J. Maxwell and drummer Alfonso Largo, play silky blues that sounds a lot like Robert Cray's best burners. But there's an undercurrent of danger in Robinson's guitar playing under his soft vocals. That's certainly the case on the band's covers of Howlin' Wolf's "Who Been Talkin'," B.B. King's "Woke Up This Morning," Eddie Boyd's "Five Long Years" and Roy Lee Johnson's "When a Guitar Plays the Blues."

Robinson's devotion to the masters who became before him is also apparent on the songs he and Maxwell wrote. The title track, in particular, sounds like a classic tune that's been given a modern makeover. - Carl Abernathy