Panama Francis

David Albert "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918 – November 13, 2001) was an American swing jazz drummer[1][2] who played on numerous hit recordings in the 1950s.

Panama Francis
Birth nameDavid Albert Francis
Born(1918-12-21)December 21, 1918
Miami, Florida, United States
DiedNovember 13, 2001(2001-11-13) (aged 82)
Orlando, Florida
GenresJazz, swing, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1930s–1980s

Early life

Francis was born in Miami, Florida, on December 21, 1918.[3] His father was Haitian, and "his mother came from an English property-owning background in the Bahamas".[4] His father collected records. The young David was enthusiastic about music and playing the drums even before attending school.[3] He initially played in marching bands and local drum and bugle corps.[3]

Career

Francis first played professionally in the 1930s.[3] He was part of George Kelly's band from 1934 to 1938, and was then with the Florida Collegians in 1938.[3] After moving to New York that year, he worked with Tab Smith, Billy Hicks, and Roy Eldridge before the 1940s.[3] Francis acquired his nickname from Eldridge "at a moment when [Francis] was wearing a panama hat and Eldridge could not remember his new drummer's name".[3]

Francis joined Lucky Millinder's big band in 1940, so often played at the Savoy Ballroom.[3] After leaving Millinder he was with Willie Bryant's band (1946), and then Cab Calloway (1947–52); he was in three short films alongside the latter.[3]

For much of the 1950s, Francis was a studio musician in New York, accompanying rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll groups and singers.[3] The hits he played on included: Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash"); the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man"); the Platters ("The Great Pretender", "My Prayer", "Only You", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), Dion DiMucci "Runaround Sue", Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl");[5] and Jackie Wilson ("Reet Petite").[4]

From 1963 Francis toured with singer Dinah Shore for five years.[3] He then resided in California but struggled to find work.[3] He toured Japan with saxophonist Sam "the Man" Taylor in 1970–71, and appeared on film again in 1972, in Lady Sings the Blues.[3] Back in New York, Francis was part of Sy Oliver's nonet from 1973 to 1975, during which time he also appeared at jazz festivals and toured internationally with other bands.[3] He revived the Savoy Sultans jazz and dance band in 1979, and he appeared regularly at the Rainbow Room in New York City for eight years from 1980.[3] Francis became drummer in the Benny Goodman Quartet for concerts in 1982.[3] He appeared in the 1994 film The Statesmen of Jazz as a member of the Statesmen of Jazz.[3]

Personal life and final years

David Francis died on November 13, 2001, following a stroke, at age 82.[4]

Discography

As leader
  • Latin American Dixieland (MGM, 1954)
  • Exploding Drums (Epic, 1959)
  • The Beat Behind the Million Sellers (ABC-Paramount, 1960)
  • Gettin' in the Groove (Black and Blue, 1979)
  • Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans (Classic Jazz, 1980)

As sideman

With Eddie Barefield

  • Eddie Barefield (RCA, 1974)
  • The Indestructible E. B. (Famous Door, 1977)

With Ray Bryant

  • Groove House (Sue, 1963)
  • Hot Turkey (Black and Blue, 1979)

With Milt Buckner

  • Green Onions (Black and Blue, 1975)
  • Midnight Slows Vol 6 (Black and Blue, 1977)

With Solomon Burke

  • If You Need Me (Atlantic, 1963)
  • King Solomon (Atlantic, 1968)

With Cab Calloway

  • Hi De Ho Man (Columbia, 1974)
  • Jumpin' Jive (CBS, 1984)

With Arnett Cobb

  • Jumpin' at the Woodside (Black and Blue, 1974)
  • The Wild Man from Texas (Black and Blue, 1977)
  • Keep On Pushin' (Bee Hive, 1984)

With Ray Conniff

  • 'S Awful Nice (Columbia, 1958)
  • Ray Conniff's Concert in Stereo (CBS, 1970)
  • Live in Japan (CBS, 1975)

With Sam Cooke

  • My Kind of Blues (RCA Victor, 1961)
  • Twistin' the Night Away (RCA Victor, 1962)

With Dion DiMucci

  • Runaround Sue (Laurie Records, 1961)

With Earl Hines

  • Hines '74 (Black & Blue, 1974)
  • Earl Hines at Sundown (Black & Blue, 1974)
  • The Dirty Old Men (Black and Blue, 1978)

With John Lee Hooker

  • It Serve You Right to Suffer (Impulse! Records, 1966)

With Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry

  • A Long Way from Home (Bluesway, 1969)
  • I Couldn't Believe My Eyes (Bluesway, 1973)

With Wilson Pickett

  • In the Midnight Hour (Atlantic Records, 1965)

With Big Joe Turner

  • Singing the Blues (BluesWay, 1967)
  • Joe's Back in Town (Black and Blue, 1974)
  • Effervescent (Classic Jazz, 1979)

With others

  • Red Allen, Jazz at the Metropole Cafe (Bethlehem, 1955)
  • Casey Anderson, The Bag I'm In (Atco, 1962)
  • Cat Anderson, Cat on a Hot Tin Horn (Mercury, 1958)
  • Doc Bagby, A Place in the Sun (Current, 1967)
  • Mickey Baker, The Blues and Me (Black and Blue, 1974)
  • Emmett Berry, Buddy Tate, Beauty and the Blues (Columbia, 1960)
  • Big Maybelle, Gabbin' Blues and Other Big Hits (Epic, 1968)
  • Eubie Blake, The Marches I Played on the Old Ragtime Piano (20th Fox, 1960)
  • Nappy Brown, Don't Be Angry! (Savoy, 1984)
  • Oscar Brown Jr., Sin & Soul (Columbia, 1960)
  • Gene Conners, Coming Home (Belter, 1978)
  • Dorothy Donegan, The Many Faces of Dorothy Donegan (Mahogany, 1975)
  • Roy Eldridge, At the Arcadia Ballroom Broadway New York City 1939 (Musidisc, 1975)
  • Roy Gaines, Superman (Black and Blue, 1975)
  • Dizzy Gillespie, The Melody Lingers On (Limelight, 1966)
  • Lloyd Glenn, Old Time Shuffle (Black and Blue, 1976)
  • Tiny Grimes, Some Groovy Fours (Black and Blue, 1974)
  • Lionel Hampton, At Newport '78 (Timeless, 1980)
  • Woody Herman, Hey! Heard the Herd? (Verve, 1963)
  • Eddie Heywood, Eddie Heywood at the Piano (Mercury, 1960)
  • Claude Hopkins, Music of the Early Jazz Dances (20th Fox, 1958)
  • Dick Hyman, Traditional Jazz Piano (Project 3, 1973)
  • Johnny Letman, The Many Angles of John Letman (Bethlehem, 1960)
  • Little Willie John, Fever (Regency, 1956)
  • Odetta, Sometimes I Feel Like Cryin' (RCA Victor, 1962)
  • Andrew Odom, Farther on Down the Road (Bluesway, 1973)
  • Red Prysock, Swing Softly Red (Mercury, 1961)
  • Charlie Shavers, Horn o' Plenty (Bethlehem, 1954)
  • Carrie Smith, Do Your Duty (Black and Blue, 1976)
  • David T. Walker, Going Up! (Revue, 1969)
  • Dick Wellstood, Fats Waller Revisited (Classic Jazz, 1975)
  • Jimmy Witherspoon, Sing the Blues with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans (Muse, 1983)

Singles
YearTitleArtistDateU.S. chartR&B chartUK chartProducerNotes
1955"Only You (And You Alone)"The PlattersApril 265118Buck Ram plays piano
1955"The Great Pretender"The Platters115Buck Ram
1956"I Put a Spell On You"Screaming Jay HawkinsSeptember 12
1956"My Prayer"The Platters1224Buck Ram
1958"Splish Splash"Bobby DarinMay 193128
1958"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"The Platters131Buck Ram
1960"Lullabye"The ChevronsJuly 20
1959"What a Diff'rence a Day Made"[6]Dinah WashingtonFebruary 1984with the Belford Hendricks Orchestra
1959"I Cried a Tear"[7]LaVern Baker62Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler
1961"Runaround Sue"[8]Dion41111Gene Schwartz, Dionbacking vocals by the Del Satins
1962"Big Girls Don't Cry"The Four SeasonsOctober1113Bob Crewe
1962"Prisoner of Love"James BrownDecember 17186James Brown, Hal Neely
1963"Walk Like a Man"The Four SeasonsJanuary 19621312Bob Crewe

References
  1. Ratliff, Ben (2001-11-17). "Panama Francis, 82, Jazz Drummer of Swing Era". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  2. "Drummer David 'Panama' Francis, 82; Career Spanned Seven Decades". Los Angeles Times. 2001-11-17. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  3. Brown, T. Dennis; Kernfeld, Barry (2003). "Francis, Panama [Dave, David Albert]". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J156300.
  4. Monaghan, Terry (27 November 2001). "Obituary: 'Panama' Francis". theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  5. Prato, Greg. "Panama Francis". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  6. Project, Jazz Discography. "Mercury Records Discography: 1959". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. Baker, LaVern, Soul On Fire: The Best of Lavern Baker CD, Atlantic Recording Corporation, 1991
  8. Myers, Marc, Anatomy of a Song:The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop, Grove Press, New York, 2016 p. 38
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