Frank Bey.

https://allmyduesarepaidfilm.com/#the-film
https://allmyduesarepaidfilm.com/

Frank Bey is one of the most engaging performers I have had the pleasure of working with. Frank was, in my own words, a treasured link between the music of today and the sound of Rhythm & Blues when it was first leaving the gospel churches of the south and heading north and west across America and toward its destiny. Its destiny was to become the cornerstone of American Music. Frank Bey is a part of that legacy; an early and fundamental part of that legacy.

I learned so much from Frank. His lessons were always quiet utterances, softly spoken directions to what he wanted to hear in his arrangements of songs. His gentle guidance was a notebook of recreating the music of his childhood. when he first began to sing, the development of his singing as a teenage gospel performer, and the wisdom of his years working for Otis Redding. None of us can imagine the profound lessons of opening shows singing with his mother; for The Blind Boys of Alabama, the Soul Stirrers, and other notable groups.

Frank had insight into everything soulful. He would say,
“Just play the chords for me, Walt. Leave air in the song for me to breathe and sing”.
(to the bass players) “Leave air between the notes. Create a heartbeat with the bass”.
(on playing solos) “Don’t build a solo. Come in strong, play your heart”. Or sometimes he would say, “just play the melody on the ballad”.
(to the drummers) “Just give me the heartbeat of the song, let me feel it”.

The Legacy he left was one of kindness, sincerity, and honesty in his performance and his life. Frank was truly grateful for every breath he took, every opportunity to sing, and every friend he made along the way. As a result, so many people were willing to work with him and help create his special world of sound on stage; Music and Love.

Maestro Bey was not above learning from those around him. Jeff Monjack, his long-time friend, composer, and guitarist, guided him toward the songs in the Rhythm and Blues Songbook. In the 90’s, when Jeff met him, Frank was singing the songs of the crooners like Lou Rawls. Jeff insisted that he add the sounds of Mighty Sam McClain, Ray Charles, Keb Mo, and Buddy Guy to his repertoire. When Frank saw his audiences’ reaction to the upbeat Joy of the Blues, he was stunned! His powerful renditions of Country, Gospel, and Rhythm and Blues songs exponentially grew Frank’s fan base.

Jeff Monjack was now Frank’s Musical Director. An astounding number of Jeff’s original compositions became part of The Frank Bey Show. His soul was so deeply rooted in this music that when he began performing Imagine, by John Lennon, it became an awe-inspiring gospel anthem that Frank sang in his own heart-wrenching voice at the end of every performance. I told everyone I met that I was performing with a Living Link between modern R&B and the Legacy of the Blues. Frank embodied Blues and Gospel as it left the Black Churches in the South and married the music of White Country artists. Frank’s voice personally called forth the spirit of collaboration that would become Rock n Roll, in much the same way that Muscle Shoals Studio documented the history of American Music. When we heard Frank sing, we all believed that the World could indeed “Live as One”.

Care to know more?
Frank grew up in the Jim Crow South. He struggled to make a living in Georgia, Philadelphia, and Montreal. Frank studied the shows of Otis Redding. He took a job as a driver for his entourage. Occasionally, Frank would sing before Otis took the stage, mimicking one of the masters of the trade. Frank’s chance to shine would come later. When the music he produced with the Philadelphia group, the Moorish Vanguard was stolen, he left the music business for 17 years. He had his own construction and remodeling business with his wife Toni. He opened a restaurant in downtown Philly. Frank was always sweet and thoughtful as he went through long months of liver dialysis while he waited patiently for a donor. Frank was a model of humility and perseverance.

His accomplishments in spite of hardship were many. Growing up in Georgia, he sang gospel with his brother and two cousins in ‘The Rising Suns’. At a young age in Georgia, he would sneak out to sing with Robert Sharp. Mr. Sharp had a group called The Untouchables. He moved to Canada to sing with Honey and the Bees, a singing group in Montreal. The band behind that group was called the Interpretations. When they moved and reformed in Camden PA as The Prophecy, Frank moved with them. They changed their name to the Moorish Vanguard. His tenure with the Moorish Vanguard produced inspired and unique music that was, in my opinion, way ahead of its time! James Brown, also a Georgia native, took interest and brought the recordings to Polydor. Six weeks later the band heard the music on the radio while traveling through Florida. The DJ announced them as the Moorish Vanguard, produced by James Brown. That would drive a stake between Frank and the other members of the Vanguard. Even though Frank had nothing to do with the deception, the band left him in Florida. He returned to Georgia after he secured the van and the equipment that was taken from him, sold the gear and set music aside. He would fight for years to regain the rights to the music that he had produced and paid for.

After seventeen years, Frank returned to Philadelphia and opened his club featuring music. He sang the romantic music of that time. But with Jeff Monjack, he formed a band singing music that had been etched on his heart through Sunshine and Rain. As his audience grew, Frank employed many Philadelphia, Delaware, and New Jersey area musicians. I was only one of the fortunate souls that spent time in Frank’s bands and in the shadow of R&B Genius!

Stay with me now! ‘Steppin’ Out’ and ‘Blues in the Pocket’ were two records produced by his friend, Jeff Monjack, between 1998 and 2007. These were the songs that I was introduced to when I first joined Frank and Jeff on stage. When Frank enjoyed an exciting period of bi-coastal popularity, he recorded two studio albums with Anthony Paule, in California. ‘Frank Bey & Anthony Paule, Soul For Your Blues’; and the ‘Bey-Paule Band, Not Goin’ Away’ were both produced between 2013 and 2017. His first recording out west was a Live album with Paule’s band in San Francisco, ‘Frank Bey with the Anthony Paule Band: You Don’t Know Nothing’. This CD was recorded live at the Biscuits & Blues nightclub in downtown San Francisco on Friday July 20, 2012. There are no overdubs anywhere on this recording.

I remained a player in Frank’s band on and off for many years. The last few years of Frank’s career were, in his words, “A dream come true”! Frank completed two more extraordinary albums. ‘Back in Business’ was produced by Tom Hambridge. Tom Hambridge invited Frank to his studio in Nashville in 2018 to produce this autobiographical record. Tom, who has produced much of Buddy Guy’s music, wrote six of the eleven songs on the CD. He drew the lyrics from stories that Frank shared with him about Georgia and Philadelphia, family, life, love, and the struggles he endured. Four of the songs were penned by Jeff Monjack. A cover of Mighty Sam McClain and Kevin Berry’s song ‘Where You Been So Long’ rounds out the CD and the stories it tells. Like his earlier albums, Frank’s new music was a Blast to perform! Many of these songs are performed in the feature film about Frank’s life and music, “All My Dues Are Paid”.

In 2020, Frank Bey powerfully asserted his status as the Southern Gentleman of the Blues with his last CD ‘All My Dues Are Paid’. Co-written with Nola Blue Records label mate Kathy Murray, and co-produced by Kid Andersen and Rick Estrin, this record’s songs are unforgettable. It is Frank’s Swansong. It seems to be Frank’s way of saying, “No Regrets”.

Frank’s rendition of Imagine by John Lennon always left me crying tears of Joy. Frank’s heart and soul made it Glorious. My tears made it difficult to see what I was doing at the piano and organ every night we played that song. Aside from the songs, stories, and wisdom that he left me with, there is one last thing I will always remember. I will forever hear it in the voice of one of the best human beings I will ever recall; and it is simply this, “I must be one of the luckiest people alive”.

Frank Bey was born in Millen, GA January 17, 1946. Frank departed June 7, 2020. His final artistic creation was released in January that same year.

This past autumn, September 15th, 2024. I attended a screening of All My Dues Are Paid. It brought back great memories. It also opened my eyes to other fascinating facets of Frank’s extraordinary life. I was taken aback by the number of people in attendance, knowing how many times similar showings were held in other parts of the U.S. and the World. Screenings like these will continue until the movie’s production team secures the distribution to attract a larger audience. It was great to see some of the players that I performed with seated in the audience! I got pictures of Jeff Monjack and his wife, Tonya. Drummers Thomas Jefferson and Grant C Weston were there. Bassist Cliff Kellem and his wife, Rebecca made an appearance. Frank’s lovely wife Toni thanked everyone for their love and support. Also present was saxophonist Jay Davidson. Many loyal fans shared anecdotes as we slowly wandered out of the theater. I was excited to be on stage for the taping of one of the concerts used in the film. Tom Dwyer and his wife, Kathy produced the film. Other credits include Marie Hinson, cinematographer, and director and editor, Lisa Palattella. Trevite Willis and Jamila Paksima both served as consultants and producers.