Francis Dunnery
| Francis "Frank" Dunnery | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 25 December 1962 |
| Origin | Egremont, Cumbria, England, UK |
| Genres | Progressive Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, tapboard, programming |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Aquarian Nation |
| Associated acts | It Bites, Robert Plant, The Syn, Ian Brown, Chris Difford, David Sancious, James Sonefeld |
| Website | Francis Dunnery official webpage |
Francis "Frank" Dunnery (born 25 December 1962) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner.
Dunnery was originally the frontman for British prog-pop band It Bites, working with the band between 1982 and 1990 (during which he co-wrote and sang their No. 6 UK hit single, "Calling All the Heroes"). Since 1990 Dunnery has pursued a solo career, and has owned and run his own Aquarian Nation record label since 2001. In addition, he has performed as a sideman and musical contributor for artists as diverse as Robert Plant, Ian Brown, Lauryn Hill, Santana and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. He has worked as producer and/or collaborator with David Sancious, Chris Difford (of Squeeze), James Sonefeld (Hootie and the Blowfish), Erin Moran, Steven Harris (ex-The Cult, Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction), and Ashley Reaks (Younger Younger 28s).
Dunnery was one of the candidates invited to audition as a lead singer and frontman for Genesis following Phil Collins' departure in 1996 (although the position ultimately went to Ray Wilson). He also played in the reformed 1960s beat/prog band The Syn between 2008 and mid-2009.
"When I heard John McLaughlin on fire, I wanted to be on fire like that. When I heard Allan Holdsworth, I could hear a different approach and wanted to know what he was doing. I once saw Shakti on a TV show in the '70s, and these guys played themselves into a fucking frenzy and the molecules were jumping around. It was always that kind of stuff that excited me about music ... Later in It Bites, we were criticised for being virtuosos, but I was silly enough to think that I could change people's opinions about musicianship. I thought I could get everyone to listen to Soft Machine, Yes, Focus and Pink Floyd. And I badmouthed bands like The Smiths, saying that they couldn't play!"
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Wikipedia