CAROL FRAN/ Louisiana Swamp blues
Anyway, she was already a proficient piano player when, at just 15!, she started to play in the Louisiana clubs with the Don Coway Orchestra. Don encouraged her to sing and soon she was fronting the band and garnering good followings. Another step and Carol was hired by Bubba Lutcher's (brother of Nellie and Joe) agency from Lake Charles and she started to tour across the South West from Texas to California before settling awhile in New Orleans. There she sang in many cabarets of the French Quarter with many bands, those of Edgar Blanchard, Sugar Boy Crawford and even Guitar Slim, becoming a very favorite female singer of Bourbon Street and, of course, she married in New Orleans to saxophonist Bob François. She then dropped her maiden name and began a new career under the name of Carol Fran, thinking François was too difficult to pronounce in Texas or California!
A two years and fruitful contract with the main venue of Ciudad Juarez at the Mexican border and Carol was at last recorded in 1957 by the ever smart Jay Miller from Crowley who recognized in Carol a major talent. The nice swamp pop ballad Emmitt Lee, penned by Carol and issued by Excello was a modest local hit but the driving and witty Knock Knock enjoyed a wider success and the song is still a Swamp blues/rock classic.
Carol signed then a contract with the Lyric label from Lake Charles: The great pretender was a smash hit from Houston to New Orleans and Carol became a major New Orleans artist, singing at the Dew Drop Inn and the Sugar Bowl clubs and appearing with Earl King, Lee Dorsey, Joe Tex... This is on a tour with the Joe Tex Revue that she appeared in New York at the famous
Apollo Theatre and signing with the Port Records label for which she recorded her smoldering Crying in the Chapel, an instant hit that would be very soon recorded by Elvis Presley. She toured the USA from coast to coast with the Joe Tex Revue until, tired of the hectic life on the road, she settled in Miami and around 1977 in Houston, to be closer to her kinfolks. At that time, the opportunities were scarce but Carol formed a duo with her second husband, ace Texas guitarist Clarence Holliman. Her early records having a great reputation in Europe, she was "re-discovered" by local producers and Carol and Clarence started to appear in festivals all around the USA and Europe, recording a string of mostly excellent albums for Black Top and JSP.
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| At the Apollo. Courtesy Living Blues |
After the death of Clarence Hollimon in 2000, she was devastated but managed to pursue her career, touring Europe and recording a very emotional album Fran-Tastic backed by Louisiana guitarist Selwyn Cooper. She relocated in Lafayette, appearing in festivals all over the world and on records by Grady Gaines, Bob Corritore or Anson Funderburgh. She gained a National Endowment for the Arts Awards in 2013.
Gérard HERZHAFT
A lot of thanks to Benoit Blue Boy and Mike K. from Australia for their help and loan of rare records.
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Crowley, La. 12 June 1957
01. Tomorrow
Carol Fran, vcl; John Johnson, g; Guitar Gable, g; Fats Perrodin, bs; Clarence Etienne, dms. Crowley, La. 22 February 1958
02. Emmitt Lee
03. One look at you daddy
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Crowley, La. 18 June 1958
04. I quit my knockin'
If we should meet again
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Crowley, La. 24 February1959
05. Knock knock I & II
06. Emmitt Lee's come back
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Crowley, La. March 1960
07. One more chance
08. Run a while (Running and hiding)
09. Hold me
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Lake Charles, La. 1961
So tired of crying
10. Just because you're mine
Carol Fran, vcl; Cookie Thierry, t-sax; Sheldon Dunaway, t-sax; Ernest Jacobs, pno; Marshall Ladee, g; Joe Landry, bs; Soko Richardson, dms. Lake Charles, La. 1962
11. The great pretender
12. Please stand by me
Carol Fran, vcl; band. Lake Charles, La. late 1962
13. After a night out
It's you
Carol Fran, vcl; band. New York City, 1964
14. Crying in the chapel
15. I'm gonna try
Carol Fran, vcl; Sammy Lowe Orchestra. New York City, early 1965
16. It's my turn now
17. You can't stop me
18. A world without you
19. I know
Carol Fran, vcl; band. New York City, late 1965
20. Any day love walks in
21. Just a letter
Carol Fran, vcl; band. New York City, 1966
22. So close
23. Out of sight, out of mind
Carol Fran, vcl; band. New York City, March 1967
24. My runaway heart
25. C'mon let's make up
26. You're my pleasure
27. A woman in love
28. I was such a fool
29. Roll with the Punches