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Panama Francis, Drummer
| by Michael Macomber |
Panama Francis
Dec 21, 1918 to
Nov 13, 2001
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Panama Francis is one of the true unsung heroes of modern music. As the heartbeat at the center of recordings by Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Big Joe Turner, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Holly, and countless others, he kept hands clappin' and toes tappin' for decades.
He is also the man who set the pace for Bobby Darin's first big hit, Splish Splash.
Born David Albert Francis in Miami, Florida, he was already performing in nightclubs by the age of 13 (Francis recalls his mother waiting backstage to take him home after gigs).
Francis was still a teenager when his parents separated, and in 1938, at the age of 19, he followed his father to New York City, where he secured a position with saxophonist Tab Smith. |
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It was in New York where he picked up the nickname "Panama." It happened during a gig with noted jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge. While introducing the band, Eldridge forgot his new drummer's first name. Glancing back, he saw the young man was wearing a Panama hat, so he introduced him as Panama Francis.
In 1940 Francis joined the swingin' Lucky Millinder Orchestra (an interesting side note: the Lucky Millinder Orchestra also featured the amazing Bull Moose Jackson, inspiration for Bobby Darin's rockin' single "Bullmoose.") Francis stayed with Millinder until 1947, and then joined up with the legendary Cab Calloway. Francis toured with Calloway until 1952, then moved on to become one of the most prolific and talented studio drummers of the rhythm and blues era.
During this period, Francis worked for many of the best labels on the scene, including Atlantic, Verve, Mercury, Savoy, Roulette, Bethlehem, and Clef. He supplied the backbeat for such historic recordings as Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue," Ray Charles' "Drown in My Own Tears," the Four Seasons' "Big Girls Don't Cry," Dinah Washington's "What a Difference a Day Makes," and Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl."
In 1974, Francis put together a one-off band called the Savoy Sultans, named in honor of the original Savoy Sultans, who ruled the Savoy Ballroom in the 1930's. The idea was to recreate the authentic stompin' sound of that era, and judging from the accolades the new Sultans received, they succeeded beautifully. 5 years later, in 1979, Francis re-established the Sultans as a going concern, and between 1979 and 1983 they recorded several kickin' swing records for the Black & Blue and Stash labels, and racked up 2 Grammy nominations.
Francis continued touring and recording in the 1990's, most notably as a member of the Statesmen of Jazz, a group put together in 1994 by the American Federation of Jazz Societies. Members included Francis, alto saxophonist Benny Waters, violinist Claude Williams, flugelhornist Clark Terry, trumpeter Joe Wilder, trombonist Al Grey, tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate, pianist Jane Jarvis, and bassist Milt Hinton. With members ranging between the ages of 69 and 93, the Statesmen put out a self-titled debut that managed to smoke most of the young up and comers.
A children's book written by Francis, David Gets His Drum, was published by Marshall Cavendish in 2002. Co-written with Bob Reiser, it tells the autobiographical story of a little boy who dreams of getting his own drum and marching in the Sunday parade. |
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Panama Francis on Darin LPs:
Bobby Darin (Atco 33-102, September 1958)
For Teenagers Only (Atco SP-1001, September 1960)
The Bobby Darin Story (Atco 33-131, 1961)
Twist with Bobby Darin (Atco 33-138, December 1961)
Things and Other Things (Atco 33-146, July 1962) |
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Panama Francis on other LPs (Selected Discography):
Ray Conniff and His Orchestra: 'S Awful Nice (Columbia 08001, 1958)
Big Joe Turner: Rockin' The Blues (Atlantic 8023, 1958)
Dinah Washington: Back To The Blues (Roulette SR 25189, 1962)
Panama Francis Blues Band: Tough Talk (Stateside 10070, 1964)
Wilson Pickett: In the Midnight Hour (Atlantic 8114, 1965)
Panama Francis: Panama Francis & The Savoy Sultans (Classic Jazz 149, 1980)
Statesmen of Jazz: Statesmen Of Jazz (AFJS 201, 1994) |
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