By Frank Matheis
One of the “new generation” of Piedmont players is Rick Franklin, a swift practitioner who carries on the D.C. acoustic blues tradition and has actually been a part of the D.C. blues scene for a long time. He is an Arlington, Virginia, resident who regularly performs in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and he was an original member of the D.C. Blues Society. Franklin was greatly influenced by Arthur “Blind” Blake, Bo Carter, Mississippi John Hurt, Big Bill Broonzy, Georgia Tom Dorsey & Tampa Red. He has been actively playing the D.C. area since 1981 and regularly performs with other local musicians, including Phil Wiggins and Eleanor Ellis, Tom Mindte, Mike Baytop, Neil Harpe and others. In the true folk music tradition, chances are that you can catch him performing at a concert venue, or a local farmer’s market or a festival, in schools, and even in the local prison for appreciative, albeit captive, audiences. Farmer’s markets and other public events are prime ways to keep the blues vibrant, as unexpected visitors get free entertainment and exposure to the blues culture and acoustic live music. People who may otherwise not get a chance to hear traditional blues are in for a treat and musicians get a great local daytime gig. Franklin also actively teaches guitar.
His past projects have included the revival of the music by Frank Stokes, one of the unsung great songsters and folk blues musicians from Tennessee, in collaboration with Michael Baytop. Rick Franklin and Tom Mindte released an exciting project that bridged the Appalachian regional folk and string band music with the blues, a musical journey that again proved that throughout time since slavery days, black and white musicians have always played together, even if behind the scenes, borrowed from one another and inspired each other’s sounds.
Rick Franklin is a fabulously heartfelt and skilled picker. He sings in a warm tenor, smoothly accompanying himself on guitar with the traditional Piedmont fingerpicking. His lighthearted, easy-swing syncopation carries a tune with a lightness, an underlying sensitivity and emotive touch of a gentle giant.
He has performed with the trio Franklin, Harpe and Usilton; and regularly performs with the Phil Wiggins House Party, a musical trio featuring Phil Wiggins on harmonica, Marcus Moore on fiddle and Rick Franklin on guitar, with dancer Junious Brickhouse rounding out the ensemble. Plus, he partners with the Phil Wiggins Country Blues Trio, featuring Eleanor Ellis and Phil Wiggins, with Rick on guitar.
He explained his connection to the past, [1]
“Archie Edwards and John Jackson were both mentors to me. Archie taught me the history and song selection, how to entertain and storytelling. All those guys believed strongly in passing on the tradition and I feel strongly about carrying it on. The other musicians here and I, we try to keep it going. I call it the Piedmont renaissance, kind of as a take-off to the Harlem Renaissance.”
Discography
Rick Franklin, Neil Harpe & Rick Usilton – Hokum Blues – Patuxent Music 1993 – CD 022
Rick Franklin & Neil Harpe – Doin’ The Dozens – Patuxent Music 1996 – CD 034
Rick Franklin & Michael Baytop - Searching for Frank(Stokes) – Patuxent Music 2007 – CD 156
Rick Franklin & Tom Mindte – Dancing With My Baby – Patuxent Music 2013 – CD 246
[1]Telephone conversation with Rick Franklin, May 30, 2017.
