Frank Black

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Black Francis born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV on April 6 1965 is an American singer songwriter and guitarist He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis Following the bands breakup in 1993 he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black After releasing two albums with 4AD he left the label and formed a backing band Frank Black and the Catholics He reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and tour as a solo artist having readopted his current stage name in 2007 His vocal style has varied from a screaming yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodical style in his solo career His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects such as surrealism incest and Biblical violence along with science fiction and surf culture His use of atypical meter signatures loudquiet dynamics and distinct preference for livetotwotrack recording in his career as a solo artist give him a distinct style within alternative rock As frontman of the Pixies his songs such as Where Is My Mind and Debaser received praise and citations from contemporaries including Radioheads Thom Yorke and Nirvanas Kurt Cobain Cobain once said that Smells Like Teen Spirit was his attempt at trying to rip off the Pixies However in his solo work and records with the Catholics he received fewer popular and critical accolades Description above from the Wikipedia article Black Francis licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia