Frannie Golde -

Frannie Golde is an American songwriter from Chicago who released three albums between 1976 and 1980 on Atlantic and Portrait. She co-wrote hits for the Commodores (“Night Shift”), Diana Ross (“Gettin’ Ready for Love”), and the Dennis Edwards/Siedah Garrett duet “Don’t Look Any Further.”

Background

Frannie Golde (born Francine Vicki Golde) grew up in Chicago, Illinois. At home, her pianist mother played classical music, standards, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. Golde also named Top 40 radio, Motown, The Beatles, and the Beach Boys among her childhood listening.

Golde later identified Laura Nyro and Carole King as her chief early models. She repeatedly played Nyro’s Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, New York Tendaberry, Christmas and the Beads of Sweat, and Gonna Take a Miracle. She taught herself piano by listening to King’s Tapestry.

In the early 1970s, Golde sang and played piano at Chicago open mics. At a Rush Street piano bar, she met pianist and songwriter Tony Zito. They formed Frannie and Zoey and spent two years performing their own songs alongside outside material. The duo also played a piece by Zito with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra under conductor Dieter Kober at two outdoor concerts.

After their partnership ended, Golde assisted her manager on Todd Rundgren’s tour behind his 1973 album A Wizard, a True Star. She returned to Chicago and sang with musician Artie Feldman. Golde then spent a year at Chess Studios in a room rented by her father. She checked in with producer and A&R executive Ralph Bass each day and observed sessions at the studio.

Golde began performing under her own name at Man’s Country, a Chicago bathhouse. She assembled a four-piece band with three backing singers and took the act to New York clubs, including Max’s Kansas City and the Continental Baths. On March 6, 1975, Golde opened for the Manhattan Transfer at the Bottom Line.

In March 1976, Big Tree president Doug Morris and Atlantic chairman Ahmet Ertegun announced her recording contract. Andrew Sager heard one of her demos at Atlantic and passed a copy to his wife, songwriter Carole Bayer Sager. Golde traveled to New York to write with Sager, who recently co-wrote “Midnight Blue,” the breakthrough hit by Melissa Manchester. Big Tree issued “Save Me (I’m Falling in Love Again)” (b/w “Stop (And Look Around)”) as her first single. On April 29, Golde played Ratso’s in Chicago with pianist and bandleader Stephen Burns, a partner on her debut album for Atlantic.

Discography:

Frannie Golde (1976)
Frannie (1979)
Restless (1980)

Sources:

References and Notes

“Sailin’” copyright registration. Identifies Golde’s full name. The index lists 1952, while a contemporary Billboard account describes her as 22 in 1976; the background leaves the birth year unresolved. (Copyright Encyclopedia)
“Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Franne Golde,” 2021. Golde describes her parents’ music, childhood listening, her father’s Chess Studios arrangement, and Ralph Bass. (Authority Magazine)
“Interview with Songwriter Franne Golde,” 2013. Golde recounts the Zito partnership, Rundgren tour, Chess Studios year, Man’s Country sets, New York engagements, Atlantic signing, and introduction to Carole Bayer Sager. (Rediscover the ’80s)
“Dieter Kober Interview,” recorded 1987. Kober confirms the Frannie and Zoey performances with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and describes two outdoor concerts. (Bruce Duffie)
“Frannie Golde,” March 22, 1975. Contemporary account of the March 6 Bottom Line show with the Manhattan Transfer. (Billboard)
“Golde to Big Tree,” March 6, 1976. Names Morris and Ertegun in the signing announcement and identifies the debut single and its B-side. (Record World)
“Frannie Golde,” May 22, 1976. Places Burns in Golde’s band at Ratso’s on April 29 and reports that they were recording an Atlantic album. (Billboard)