Bob Franke in Concert

November in Ithaca, winter's verge, calls for insight and allegory. So the Cornell Folk Song Club has called again for Bob Franke.

Bob Franke balances a gentle presence with some of the most masterful songs being written and sung these days. Having begun his musical career 31 years ago as a Boston streetsinger, Bob knows how tackle tough subjects -- God, troubled familes, the End of the World -- with integrity, depth, and humor. Tom Paxton writes, "I always think of Bob as if Emerson and Thoreau had picked up acoustic guitars and gotten into songwriting, with touches of Mark Twain and Buddy Holly." Bob has 7 acclaimed solo recordings (1976-1997), most recently The Heart of the Flower and Long Roads, Short Visits. He has tackled some unusual musical projects: a celebration of Salem, Massachusetts, songs for an Episcopal Church Advent, and a ballet of the Velveteen Rabbit. He belts out the blues on his National Steel guitar, building innuendoes around catfish, bicycles, and computers.

His songs have enduring impact and a power that goes to the heart of life. They have found their way into weddings and funerals, living rooms and showers, and the concert stage of a multitude of other performers, including Cindy Kallet, Stan Rogers, Tony Rice, Priscilla Herdman, and Martin Simpson. But the best way to hear a Bob Franke song is from Bob himself. Please join us on November 8.
Margaret Shepard and John Henderson