Franny Whitfield was born on May 28th, 1974 in Los Angeles. At the age of six she began to study voice intensively with a private trainer and from then on she has been practically engrossed in the world of music as a vocalist.
Franny has always remained vigilant in her pursuit to expand her skill set by involving herself in a myriad of genres. In junior high and high school she sang a range from hardcore funk jazz to classical art music. She got her first juicy taste of a scene with acts like Skeletones and No Doubt while buzzing around the boys of, Brother Vibe in Riverside California. Meanwhile, she was keeping herself busy in the world of jazz and in 1992 managed to win the Soloist of the Year award from the International Association of Jazz Educators.
She left L.A. and moved to Oregon for university and continued to involve herself in a series of fruitful endeavours. During her first year in Eugene, she met drummer Kenny Reed and collaborated with him on a project called, Swing Cats. They toured for several years together. She also was involved in voice over work doing cartoons and commercials. In 1997 Franny moved to Portland and began work on A compilation, Nebula, that involved a circuit of high-profile local professionals coaching a group of select amateurs for an international record release. This was Frannys first experience with producing and arranging for others. When the Nebula project ended she found herself being approached by world renown musician/producer, Gardner Cole, for session work.
In 1998, Franny moved to New York to seek out a faster pace. She quickly found she was among some of Long Islands most prominent session players including John Miceli, Eamon O'Rourke, George Citron, Rob Deloney, Mike Frost and Jack Licitra. Though they all function individually, this group has been supportive of each others professional and personal projects and they have all called on Franny to lend her remarkable talents because of her ability to work quickly and professionally. She has been working closely with this group and is forever grateful for what they have taught her.
Her last record, Upbringing, represented an amalgam of experiences, painful or pleasurable, that have significantly defined her as a woman. It was a collection of songs written over the last 10 years that had finally found a means to be recorded. As is evidenced by this record, Franny is a prolific songwriter and a succulent woman who has overcome and persevered through a challenging set of circumstances to bring you her emphatic and hopeful vision.
The latest record which is soon to be released is her chance to 'shake off' some of those blues, and tell some stories. She looks forward to having you along for the ride, and is grateful for all the continued support.
Layout made by lisag74
Layout by CoolChaser
