Lori Franke

No one has ever said that life is easy, and Lori Franke knows that better than most.
Franke, a local singer/songwriter from Shipman, has had her fair share of hardships, but those bumps in the road have made her stronger and inspired her even more, she said.
Franke said she seems to get inspired through life sutruggles, and she has encountered many. With the death of her brother and oldest child Andrew, who died in 1991 from a heart disease, Franke has taken the hardships and turned them into something positive -- her music.
Those life experiences have prepared her for the fairly male-domiated music industry. Franke just released her debut album, "Sometimes" with MW Productions/Records based in Alton.
Franke grew up with three brothers and learned at an early age how to survive as the only female. Her father and brothes were all servicement; she, too, is a former Marine who continues to live by the corps motto, "semper fidelis, "which means, "always be faithful -- faithful to yourself, your corps, your country and your God." Those life experiences have prepared her for the fairly make dominated music industry.
For most of her life, she has been surrounded by males. After her service, she became a security guard -- a job thatmost do not think of as a typical femal occupation -- for the Alton Belle Casino for seven years, but she said those experiences really helped her stay determined.
"I really held my dad and my brothers in high esteem," she said. "All my life I have been surrounded by strong men. One learns how to talk to men and I definitely became assertive and direct."
MW Productions is an independent record label started by Jeff Hunter and Gary Holloway in 1994. They first stared producing music for commercials for major companies. They focus on assisting and promoting local talented songwriters, musicians and recording artist by bringing them together to create quality original music.
"Lori is a straigt-up country rocker with attitude," Marketing Director for MW Productions, Debbie Crisswell, said. "Lori is very outgoing and is very much a perople person. She is a natural showman and manges to draw in her audience."
Franke found the record company in the phone book because she wanted to record some vocal tracks to a melody her brother, Craig, provided.
"One reason I sought out a recording studio is so I could keep them as a memory," she said.
Craig was diagnosed with Leukemia in May 1996, and he died on Sept. 9, 1996, however he helped Franke write two of the songs that are on the current album. The album took two-and-half-years to complete, but Franke said the finished product is a reflextion of various genres of country music. The rest of the songs on the album were written by MW musicians/producers, and two were written while just hanging out and playing around in the studio.
Franke said music has always played a big part in her life. As a young girl, she grew up listening to patriotic songs, and was forced to listen to her dad make up his own words to songs that did not have lyrics, which she said really contines to her her today.
"I remember listining to albums from The Lennon Sisters to Boots Randolph, a saxophonists. Boots really influenced me because I decided to play the saxophone in the fifth grade and continued all the way through the 12th grade," she said. "When I was 7, I remember getting a record player from Santa and got two records, The Carpenters and Captain and Tennille. I knew all their songs by heart."
Living a dream is not so easy becaise the music industry takes time and money in order to succeed. But Franke is a dedicated musician who loves being busy, she said. She is employed full time at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a training administrator, and is a mother of three, Shayelle, 14, Delani, 4 and Korrie, 1.
"The busier I am, the better I fee," she said. "I make it a priority to give as much as I can to my family while still finding the time to deicate to my music. My husband and girls know ho important this endeavor is to me, so my husband will watch the girls when I'm working at MW."
If Lori's success contines, Gretchen Wilson might just have herself some competition and a local native to share the road with.
"I feel blessed to have been given the gift of song and voice. Other than having such a great family, friends and colleagues, I can't think of a better gift".
Franke's album is availabe on her Web Sit at www.lorifranke.com and Hardin Package Liquor, Cheney's Market in Shipman and in the near future at Wal-Mart.
For mor information on MW Productons/Records visit their Web Site at www.mwproductions.com. - Alton Telegraph - 24 Seven

Please see website EPK for all Press.

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www.lorifranke.com/epk

- Calhoun County Jornal