Frank Guida

born on 26/5/1922 in Palermo, Sicilia, Italy

died on 19/5/2007 in Norfolk, VA, United States

Frank Guida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Frank Guida (May 26, 1922 May 19, 2007) was a Sicilian-American songwriter and music producer credited with discovering Gary U.S. Bonds, whose hits, including "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three", he produced.[1] He was also a songwriter for Leroy Toombs. Other performers discovered by Guida include Jimmy Soul, Tommy Facenda (who gave Guida his first hit with "High School U.S.A."),[2] Lenis Guess and Pamala Stanley. The distinct sound he helped to create has been credited as influencing such major songwriters and producers as Bruce Springsteen and Phil Spector.[2] Together with musicians like the tenor saxman Gene "Daddy G" Barge, he helped establish what became known as "the Norfolk sound".[3] His songs have been used in such films as Mask, Mermaids and Jaded.[2]

Biography

Born at Palermo, he came to New York with his family as a child. While stationed in Trinidad during the Second World War, he fell under the influence of calypso. He relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, where he opened a record store in 1953. That store, Frankie's Got It, was located on Granby Street but has closed. Its motto was Shakespeare's "If music be the food of love, play on!", which later became a song on a Bonds B-side.

Apart from his hits with Bonds, his most famous song is "If You Wanna Be Happy", recorded by Jimmy Soul. His 'live' 'party-in-the-studio' sound is thought to have influenced Phil Spector.

He owned a number of record labels, including LeMonde (distributed by Atlantic), then Legrand (distributed by Rust/Laurie) and finally SPQR (distributed by London).

Guida died in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2007.

References

  1. Baker, Greg, Hero to the Boss, Miami New Times, February 22, 2007. URL accessed on 25 April 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Frank Guida - Record producer who created a unique party sound so distinctive in many Sixties pop hits, Times Online obituary, Times Newspapers Ltd, June 30, 2007. URL accessed on 25 April 2010.
  3. McNutt, Randy (2002). Guitar towns: a journey to the crossroads of rock 'n' roll, Illustrated, Indiana University Press.

External links

  • Frank Guida at All Music Guide
  • Legends of Music Frank Guida
  • Birdland Music
  • Legrand Records
  • Frank Guida at the Internet Movie Database
This page was last modified 14.12.2013 19:51:56

This article uses material from the article Frank Guida from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.