Don Francisco (born February 28, 1946) is an independent American singer, songwriter, and musician, specializing in the field of contemporary Christian music. He has won two Dove awards, 1980 song of the year (for "He's Alive"), and 1980 Songwriter of the year.[1]
Don Francisco was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a Christian seminary professor Clyde T. Francisco. Francisco pursued a career in secular music before rededicating his life to God after an experience he believed was supernatural.[2] Francisco has a son Uri (born 1974) with his first wife Karen,[3] from whom he divorced in 1994.[4] Francisco is currently married to his second wife Wendy, who is also a recording artist as well as a graphic artist, and lives in Colorado.
In 1977 Don Francisco recorded "I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping" for the album Forgiven. It is one of the most uncompromising songs he has ever written and it is considered by many to be one of his best songs.[5] [6] Benson Records re-released the original album Forgiven along with Got to Tell Somebody, and put them both on one CD in 1988. That re-release left the song "I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping" off in order to fit both albums on one 70-minute CD.[7] However, they did release the Forgiven album in the early 1990s with that song on it, along with all others, on their "Right Price" line of CDs.
Eventually after 1994, Don Francisco opted to operate independently, which, while affording him more control, seems to have had no ill effect on his musical output or quality. On the contrary, albums released after have gradually gained the use of further session work and demonstrate an even greater range of styles.
In 2003 Francisco released The Promises, which consists almost entirely of selected and paraphrased readings from the Bible. The disc is a collaboration between Don and his wife Wendy.
Francisco's style is fairly distinctive, focusing on acoustic instruments barren of modern production techniques and concentrates on the narratives of the songs, using ballad styles or speaking through the music that interprets Scriptural events or Biblical lessons.[8] This is specifically with respect to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his messages of "unconditional love" ("I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping"), salvation ("Give Your Heart a Home"), and a lesson against religious self-righteousness and pharisaic condemnation ("Beautiful To Me"). As is the case with many singer-songwriters advocating a specific religious belief or philosophical viewpoint through music, Francisco uses his adaptations and interpretations as the means to convey what he feels are the most important teachings of the Judeo-Christian scriptures.
Some of Don Francisco's songs deal with what his site calls Churchianity where the habit of church life replaces actual Christianity.[9]
In March 2009, Don Francisco was scheduled to perform in an Easter music program called "Why Good Friday?" in the English port town of Poole in Dorset, but was barred from entering the United Kingdom after listing his occupation as "gospel singer" and failing to obtain a religious worker visa and a certificate of sponsorship, a new requirement that the organizers of the concert were unaware of. That year the United Kingdom phased in an immigration system that increased scrutiny for religious workers traveling to the country.[10] [11] [12] [13]