| Preston Frank | |
| Birth Place: | Oberlin, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Origin: | Soileau, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genre: | Zydeco |
| Label: | Arhoolie, Lanor, Soulwood |
| Past Member Of: | The Preston Frank Soileau Band |
Preston Frank (born 1947) is an American zydeco musician.
Frank was born in Oberlin, Louisiana, of Louisiana Creole ancestry, and grew up in Soileau, Louisiana. Frank's great-grandfather, Joseph Frank Jr., played accordion, and his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Frank Sr., played fiddle, sometimes with fiddler Dennis McGee.[1] Though both Joseph Sr. and Joseph Jr. were known musicians in the area, neither ever recorded.[2] His father, Paul Frank, worked with and played guitar with fiddler Canray Fontenot. Paul Frank was from Duralde, Louisiana prior to settling the family in Soileau. Paul's wife, Preston's mother, was named Rose Frank (née Victoria).
As a child, Frank's family all made a living farming cotton. His father also played house dances. Frank attended Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Louisiana.
Frank began listening to live music at the insistence of his father and his uncle Carlton Frank, who was a fiddler. Once Preston Frank became interested in music, he purchased a Hohner diatonic accordion from a drugstore in Kinder, Louisiana. He learned by listening to records and with some assistance from his father.
In 1977, Frank assembled The Preston Frank Soileau Band, which included Preston Frank (accordion), his uncles Carlton (fiddle) and Hampton (guitar) Frank, and brothers Charles (guitar) and "Slim" (bass) Prudhomme. The Prudhommes would go on to play in John Delafose's band.
Frank made his first recordings at Savoy Music Center with Arhoolie producer Chris Strachwitz. In 1981, Frank released two singles with Arhoolie, "Shake What You Got" / "Why You Want to Make Me Cry" and "Swallow Special" / "Hey My Little Woman."[3] "Swallow" in both the band name and song title was a homophonous misspelling of Frank's hometown, Soileau. Arhoolie also released Zydeco Vol. 2 in 1985, an LP whose A side consisted of 1981 recordings of Frank's group.[4]
In 1982, Frank and the family band recorded an album with producer Lee Lavergne of Lanor Records. The Preston Frank Family Band released several more albums until 1991's Let's Dance.
Preston Frank has played at festivals including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,[5] Festival International,[6] Blackpot Festival,[7] Festivals Acadiens et Créoles,[8] Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance,[9] the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival,[10] and the Atlanta Harvest Festival.[11]
Frank cultivated an early interest in music in his son, Keith Frank, who would go on to lead the family band at accordion. In an interview, Frank said, "I started Keith young, him. He played my style at first, then he changed to Boozoo’s style, then he went to another style, then he went to his own style. But there’s still some of me in there."
Frank worked in a plywood plant for a living. Shiftwork limited his involvement, and Keith subsequently took over leadership of the band. Preston Frank has still made public appearances with the band, however, playing for example at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in 2023.[12]
In 2023, Preston Frank & the Frank Family Band released Seventy-Five, an album to celebrate Frank's 75th birthday. A reviewer referred to Frank as "one of the last living links to traditional Creole music."[13]