Rodney Franklin

{{Short description|American jazz pianist and composer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Rodney Franklin | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Rodney Franklin | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|9|16}} | birth_place = Berkeley, California | genre = Jazz Jazz Fusion | occupation = Musician | instrument = Piano | years_active = 1972–present }}

'''Rodney Franklin''' (born September 16, 1958)<ref name="bio1"/> is an American jazz pianist and composer.

==Biography== Franklin was born in Berkeley, California in September, 1958.<ref name="bio1"/> In 1964, aged six, he took jazz piano lessons at the Washington Elementary School and was taught by Dr Herb Wong who was a jazz journalist, disc jockey and music teacher. In 1972 at the young age of 14 he led the funk-jazz band ''In One Piece'' (alt. In One Peace) performing his first 3 recordings at a studio in Ray Dobar's House of Music in Berkeley, California. Produced by George Semper, only one of the songs has been released on the 2003 Inner City Sounds 2X LP Compilation released on Luv N'Haight Ubiquity Recordings.<ref name="bio1">{{cite web|url=https://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Rodney-Franklin.html|title=Rodney Franklin Biography|website=Oldies.com}}</ref>

Prior to signing up with CBS Records in 1978, Franklin worked with John Handy in San Francisco, as well as Bill Summers, Freddie Hubbard and Marlena Shaw.

His debut CBS album was ''In the Center'' (1978), a jazz fusion album featuring "On the Path" and "I Like the Music Make It Hot". Although aged 20 when he recorded the album, he had already developed his own sound which was influenced by McCoy Tyner and George Duke, Chick Corea, Lonnie Liston Smith and George Semper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rodney-franklin-mn0000294144/biography|title=Rodney Franklin - Artist Biography|work=AllMusic|first=John|last=Bush}}</ref>

In 1980 the album ''You'll Never Know'' he had major chart success with "The Groove" (it reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart).<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=213}}</ref> The track was released on both 7" and 12" format. It created a UK dance craze called 'The Freeze' which was started up by DJ Chris Hill.

Additional albums which were also recorded on the CBS label have included ''Rodney Franklin'' (1980), ''Endless Flight'' (1981), ''Learning to Love'' (1982), ''Marathon'' (1984) (probably his most famous in the UK, produced by bass player Stanley Clarke and the LP which released a single called ''Stay on in the Groove''), ''Skydance'' (1985) and ''It Takes Two'' (1986).

In 1988 he moved over to the BMG record label and recorded ''Diamond Inside of You'' which introduced vocals by Jennifer Holliday on the single, "Gotta Give It Up". In addition, Franklin has also produced and released an album on Nova Records called ''Love Dancin' '' in 1992.

==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Year ! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Title ! colspan="5" scope="col" |Peak chart positions |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |UK <ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=RODNEY FRANKLIN {{!}} full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18384/rodney-franklin/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Official Charts Company}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US Jazz ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US Cont. Jazz ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US R&B |- |1978 |''In the Center'' | style="text-align:center;" | — | — | — | x | — |- | rowspan="2" |1980 |''You'll Never Know'' | style="text-align:center;" |64 |104<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, June 14, 1980 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=24 |page=75 |date=14 June 1980}}</ref> |10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, July 5, 1980 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=27 |page=30 |date=5 July 1980}}</ref> | x |25<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, May 24, 1980 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=21 |page=33 |date=24 May 1980}}</ref> |- |''Rodney Franklin'' | — |207<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, November 29, 1980 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=48 |page=29 |date=29 November 1980}}</ref> |12<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, January 10, 1981 |magazine=Billboard |volume=93 |issue=1 |page=84 |date=10 January 1981}}</ref> | x |62<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, December 6, 1980 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |issue=49 |page=27 |date=6 December 1980}}</ref> |- |1981 |''Endless Flight'' | — | — |15<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, November 28, 1981 |magazine=Billboard |volume=93 |issue=47 |page=53 |date=28 November 1981}}</ref> | x |47<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, December 19, 1981 |magazine=Billboard |volume=93 |issue=50 |page=67 |date=19 December 1981}}</ref> |- |1982 |''Learning to Love'' | — |190<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, February 5, 1983 |magazine=Billboard |volume=95 |issue=5 |page=67 |date=5 February 1983}}</ref> |9<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, April 2, 1983 |magazine=Billboard |volume=95 |issue=14 |page=42 |date=2 April 1983}}</ref> | x |45<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, January 15, 1983 |magazine=Billboard |volume=95 |issue=2 |page=40 |date=15 January 1983}}</ref> |- |1984 |''Marathon'' | — |187<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, March 10, 1984 |magazine=Billboard |volume=96 |issue=10 |page=73 |date=10 March 1984}}</ref> |15<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, April 7, 1984 |magazine=Billboard |volume=96 |issue=14 |page=49 |date=7 April 1984}}</ref> | x |54<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, April 14, 1984 |magazine=Billboard |volume=96 |issue=15 |page=50 |date=14 April 1984}}</ref> |- |1985 |''Skydance'' | — | — |31<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, August 3, 1985 |magazine=Billboard |volume=97 |issue=31 |page=58 |date=3 August 1985}}</ref> | x | — |- |1986 |''It Takes Two'' | — | — |34<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, August 16, 1986 |magazine=Billboard |volume=98 |issue=33 |page=37 |date=16 August 1986}}</ref> | x | — |- |1988 |''Diamond Inside of You'' | — | — | — |20<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Billboard, December 24, 1988 |magazine=Billboard |volume=100 |issue=52 |page=60 |date=24 December 1988}}</ref> | — |- |1992 |''Love Dancin''' | — | — | — |<nowiki>—</nowiki> | — |- | rowspan="2" |1995 |''Rhythms of Africa'' (with Bernie Krause) | — | — | — | — | — |- |''Rain Forest Dreams'' (with Bernie Krause) | — | — | — | — | — |- |1998 |''Ocean Odyssey'' (with Bernie Krause) | — | — | — | — | — |- | align="center" colspan="7" style="font-size: 9pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. "x" denotes that chart did not exist at the time. |}

===Singles=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="2" |Year ! rowspan="2" |Single ! colspan="6" |Peak chart positions |- ! width="35"|BE (FLA) <ref>{{Cite web|title=ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/search.asp?search=rodney%20franklin&cat=s|access-date=2020-09-24|website=ultratop.be}}</ref> ! width="35"|CAN AC <ref>{{Cite news|last=Library and Archives Canada|title=Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada|language=en|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0429&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0429.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0429|access-date=2020-09-24}}</ref> ! width="35"|NL <ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=rodney%20franklin&cat=s|access-date=2020-09-24|website=dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> ! width="35"|UK <ref name=":0" /> ! width="35"|US Dance <ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Rodney Franklin Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts|url=https://www.musicvf.com/Rodney+Franklin.art|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Music VF}}</ref> ! width="35"|US R&B <ref name=":1" /> |- |1978 |"I Like the Music Make It Hot" | — | — | — | — | — | — |- | rowspan="2" |1980 |"The Groove" | style="text-align:center;" | 30 | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 31 | style="text-align:center;" | 7 | style="text-align:center;" | 27 | style="text-align:center;" | 41 |- |"In the Center" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 91 |- | rowspan="2" |1981 |"Windy City" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 89 |- |"The Theme from Hill Street Blues" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 29 | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- |1982 |"Enuff Is Enuff" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 68 |- |1983 |"That's the Way I Feel 'Bout Your Love" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 64 |- |1984 |"Stay On in the Groove" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 72 |- |1985 |"Fiesta" (Promo) | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- | rowspan="2" |1986 |"Look What's Showing Through" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | 59 |- |"The Eagle and the Condor" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- |1987 |"Bustin' Out" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- | rowspan="2" |1988 |"Gotta Give It Up" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- |"Stop to Love" | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — | style="text-align:center;" | — |- | align="center" colspan="8" style="font-size: 9pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/artist/rodney_franklin Rodney Franklin] discography at SoulAndFunkmusic.com * {{Discogs artist}} * {{youTube|pJt5HY5MgHs|Rodney Franklin}} video "Stay On in the Groove" (1984) * [http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/press/lh040.htm Liner notes at ubiquityrecords.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Rodney}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Berkeley, California Category:American jazz pianists Category:American male jazz pianists Category:American jazz composers Category:American male jazz composers Category:20th-century American pianists Category:Jazz musicians from California Category:21st-century American pianists Category:20th-century American male pianists Category:21st-century American male pianists

Rodney Franklin

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