Chris Frantz
Encyclopedia
Chris Frantz is an American
musician
and record producer
. He was the drummer
for both Talking Heads
and the Tom Tom Club
.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. He and David Byrne
met in the early 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design
. They formed a band called the Artistics, which evolved over time into Talking Heads. Frantz also convinced his girlfriend Tina Weymouth
to join the band as bass guitarist. They were married in 1977.
Members of the Compass Point All Stars
family, Frantz and Weymouth formed the Tom Tom Club
in 1980, which kept them busy during a fairly long hiatus in Talking Heads activity. Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison
reunited as The Heads for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head
in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists, including Debbie Harry
.
He and Weymouth produced The Happy Mondays
' 1992 album, Yes Please!
. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth recently contributed backing vocals and percussion for Damon Albarn
's alternative rock
virtual band, Gorillaz
.
He is ranked number 12 in Stylus Magazine
s list of the 50 greatest rock drummers.
He currently has a radio program on 89.5 WPKN
out of Bridgeport
, Connecticut
.
before going to boarding school.
Frantz has two sons with Weymouth, named Egan and Robin. Chris and Tina Frantz currently reside in Fairfield, Connecticut
.
Frantz' brother Roddy Frantz is the lead singer for The Urban Verbs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He was the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for both Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and the Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
.
Career
He graduated from Shady Side AcademyShady Side Academy
Shady Side Academy is a private, secular coeducational PK-12 preparatory school located on three campuses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, established in 1883.- Campuses :Shady Side Academy has three campuses in Pittsburgh....
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He and David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
met in the early 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
. They formed a band called the Artistics, which evolved over time into Talking Heads. Frantz also convinced his girlfriend Tina Weymouth
Tina Weymouth
Martina Michèle "Tina" Weymouth is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the New Wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club .-Profile:Weymouth is of French heritage on her mother's side. Weymouth was a cheerleader in high school...
to join the band as bass guitarist. They were married in 1977.
Members of the Compass Point All Stars
Compass Point All Stars
The Compass Point phenomenon was designed to be to reggae-based pop/rock music of the 80s, what Nashville was to country music, or the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was to soul and R&B in the 60s: a recording facility animated by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producers and engineers, all...
family, Frantz and Weymouth formed the Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being bandmembers of Talking Heads.-Biography:...
in 1980, which kept them busy during a fairly long hiatus in Talking Heads activity. Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
reunited as The Heads for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head
No Talking, Just Head
No Talking, Just Head is an album by The Heads, a band composed of Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, joined by a variety of guest singers...
in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists, including Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
.
He and Weymouth produced The Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
' 1992 album, Yes Please!
Yes Please!
Yes Please! was the last studio album that the British band Happy Mondays recorded before leaving Factory Records. Generally seen as their poorest work, it was released in 1992 and was produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads...
. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth recently contributed backing vocals and percussion for Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
's alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
virtual band, Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
.
He is ranked number 12 in Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
s list of the 50 greatest rock drummers.
He currently has a radio program on 89.5 WPKN
WPKN
WPKN is a 100% non-commercial, listener-supported† radio station broadcasting at 89.5 FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut and formerly 88.7 FM in Montauk, New York. Its volunteer programmers present a wide variety of music and public affairs programming including the syndicated weekly radio news magazine...
out of Bridgeport
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut.Bridgeport may also refer to:-Places:In Canada:* Bridgeport, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:* Bridgeport, Alabama* Bridgeport, California, in Mono County...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Personal life
Frantz lived in Maysville, KentuckyMaysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...
before going to boarding school.
Frantz has two sons with Weymouth, named Egan and Robin. Chris and Tina Frantz currently reside in Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
.
Frantz' brother Roddy Frantz is the lead singer for The Urban Verbs.