Bob Frank, the Memphis folk singer-songwriter who developed a cult following after his 1972 self-titled debut album, has died at the age of 75. Light In The Attic, which reissued that record in 2014, confirmed the news via Twitter.
“LITA is incredibly bummed to hear that Bob Frank passed away yesterday,” the label tweeted. “In 2014 we reissued Bob’s 1972 album and loved working with him. He took elements of Dylan, Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson and filtered it through a pot-smoked haze infused with Bob’s friend, Jim Dickinson. RIP, Bob.”
Frank was a Vietnam veteran who moved to Nashville and became a songwriter for the Tree music publishing company after the war. His debut album, originally released by Vanguard Records, received positive reviews but wasn’t a commercial success; it eventually became a rare collector’s item before being reissued decades later.
In 2001, he reemerged after decades away from music with a series of new albums on his own label, Bowstring Records. His most recent album, Dancing In Dallas, was released in 2018.
Check out Light In The Attic’s tweet about Bob Frank below.
LITA is incredibly bummed to hear that Bob Frank passed away yesterday. In 2014 we reissued Bob’s 1972 album and loved working with him. He took elements of Dylan, Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson and filtered it through a pot-smoked haze infused with Bob’s friend, Jim Dickinson. RIP, Bob. pic.twitter.com/YAkkmyEmRN
— Light In The Attic (@lightintheattic) July 20, 2019