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Detroit-based singer/songwriter Stewart Francke has been proudly recording personal folk-pop music since the early '90s, but was performing long before. Francke joined as the bassist in a local blues band when he was 19, playing the blues while the rest of his age group was experimenting with the punk and new wave sounds of the late '70s. The next ten years were spent in touring bar bands, highlighted by opening gigs for Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Luther Allison. The musician eventually settled down, getting married and working as a journalist until, in 1995, Franke released an independent CD called Where the River Meets the Bay, featuring the soulful "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," which ended up being used in an episode of Melrose Place. Every year since has seen the release of a new album, including Expecting Heroes (1996), House of Lights (1997), and Sunflower Soul Serenade (1998). His courageous fight with leukemia in 1998 encouraged the guitarist to lend his talents toward raising cancer awareness and he became the threads running through 1999's Swimming in Mercury and 2000's What We Talk of...When We Talk. Inspired by the flurry of interest, Francke decided to cap off this period with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: The Best of Stewart Franke in 2001.
from Wikipedia:
Stewart Francke (born September 15, 1958 in Saginaw, Michigan) is a singer/musician/songwriter in Detroit.
His most recent CD, Heartless World (released May 31, 2011) features a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen. His album, Motor City Serenade, was recorded with the legendary Motown session band The Funk Brothers.
Stewart's music has won numerous awards: nine Detroit music awards, Hour Detroit's most popular musician 2002-2004, four straight ASCAP writer's awards, and the prestigious Point of Light Award for his work in cancer care. The Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation (SFLF) was also presented the Partnership In Humanity Award by the Detroit Newspapers, and he was awarded a Creative Artist Grant by Artserve Michigan in 2003.
A leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor of 10 years, Francke often plays benefit concerts and donates his time to cancer support efforts. The SFLF continues to support many organizations such as Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Childrens' Leukemia Foundation, The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Gilda's Club. The priority mission of the foundation is to fund low income patients and increase marrow donation in minority communities. Francke and Broadway star Brian d'Arcy James recently raised $92,000 for the Fields Neurological Institute in their hometown of Saginaw, Michigan.
In 2009, Stewart Francke received the 20th Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Arts Award from his hometown of Saginaw.
He lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan with his wife Julia.
