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Kam Franklin

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Kam Franklin
Background information
Birth nameKamerra Franklin
Born (1987-06-07) June 7, 1987 (age 37)
OriginBryan–College Station, Bryan, Texas, U.S.
GenresSoul, R&B, Ska, Indie rock, Reggae, Hip hop, Americana
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2005–present
LabelsUnsigned
Websitekamfranklin.com

Kamerra Franklin (born June 7, 1987[1]), known professionally as Kam Franklin, is an American singer-songwriter, performance artist, activist, writer and orator. She is the known as the lead singer for the Houston Soul group, The Suffers.[2] She began her career as a backing vocalist and dancer, and has toured with Jim James and The Very Best.

Background

Franklin is known for her soulful mezzo-soprano vocals,[Awards 1] as well as her collaborations with artists of many different genres,[3] including Houston rappers Z-Ro and Fat Tony (rapper), Americana-rocker Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit , and famed drummer Chris Tsagakis of RX Bandits and The Sound of Animals Fighting.

Career

2008–2017: Background career

Franklin was nominated for the 2008, 2009, and 2011 Houston Press Music Award for Best Female Vocalist. Franklin finally won the award in 2012, and again in 2014.[Awards 2][Awards 3] Her band, The Suffers, took home The 2012 Houston Press music award for "Best New Act" and Best Reggae/Ska/Dub.[Awards 4][Awards 5] Franklin won 2014 and 2015 Houston Press Music Award for Local Musician of the Year.[Awards 2][Awards 6]

Franklin was featured in a national advertising campaign for ModCloth[2] and has been featured in a BuzzFeed article on fashion for plus-sized women.[4][5]

Franklin was in Houston when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017 and gave an account of it to the Texas Monthly newspaper.[6][7][8][9]

Influences

Her primary musical influences are drawn from soul, country, gospel, and reggae music.[10]

Appearances

On August 28, 2016, she performed lead vocals on "I Against I" during the 2016 Afropunk Festival Power Jam alongside Bad Brains, Living Colour, and Fishbone.[11] She has performed with the Suffers on the Late Show with David Letterman,[12][13][14] The Daily Show[15] and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[16][17] She sang the National Anthem before a Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park in August 2017.[18]

Critical reception

Franklin is often praised for her "massive voice".[19][20] The Edmonton Journal applauded her "vibrant grooves and emphatic vocal declarations",[21] while 303 Magazine referred to her "highly personal style".[22] The Seattle Weekly called her "the epitome of a powerhouse vocalist".[23] The Idaho Statesman called her the band's "powerhouse singer".[24] JamBase said that Franklin and her band had become "WXPN Fan darlings".[25] Jewelry designer Jessie Dugan said that Franklin is the "contemporary vision of rockstar royalty in a world where women reign".[26] Houston Public Media stated that "the Suffers are fantastic, and everybody wants lead singer Kam Franklin to be their big sis/best friend".[12] The Houstonia magazine called her a "burgeoning Houston style icon"[15] with "engaging, high-energy style".[13] CultureMap.com said "While rocketing to fame, Franklin has become the band's style icon by pairing colorful dresses with hip cowboy boots and funky jewelry".[16] In a live concert review, the Houston Press said "The crowd roared with Franklin extra wispy, almost ready to let her arms and joints do all the talking for her".[27] Describing a duet with Clay Melton, Broadway World said: "Kam's soulful, sexy tones embellish the more raspy masculine voice of Clay Melton and together they lay down a track that begs a closer listen."[28] The New Orleans' Times-Picayune said "Singer Kam Franklin has enough soul to melt away the decades between the band's source material and today."[29] The San Diego Reader talked about her "sonic gravity".[30]

The Austin American-Statesman wrote: "Houston’s diversity and internationalism is reflected in my favorite H-Town bands. The Suffers, fronted by vocal powerhouse Kam Franklin, blend reggae, Mexican influences and hints of bayou Cajun sounds into a mix they call Gulf Coast soul. Khruangbin mixes surf pop and psychedelic sounds with Thai funk of the 1960s."[31]

Discography

Solo Studio albums

  • (2008) – Bamitskam (EP)[1]
  • (2018) – Nu Metals (EP)[1]

The Suffers

  • (2013) "Slow it Down" b/w "Step Aside" (single)
  • (2014) "Make Some Room" (EP)[23]
  • (2016) The Suffers (album)[32]
  • (2018) "Everything Here" (album)

Other appearances

  • 2009 – Nick Gaitan and The Umbrella Man – Self Titled
  • 2010 – RABDARGAB – Fat Tony (rapper) ("Not Now")
  • 2010 – Horse shoes and Hand Grenades – Nosaprise
  • 2011 – SCREWDARGAB Chopped-Up, Not Slopped Up by OG RON C – Fat Tony (rapper) ("Not Now")
  • 2011 – Disaster – Chris Tsagakis
  • 2011 – Revelator – Sideshow Tramps ("Revelator")
  • 2012 – 24KT GOLD – DIRTY AND NASTY Featuring Hollywood Floss
  • 2016 – Tomorrow Never Comes – Funk in the Trunk Featuring Neko
  • 2017 – Matthew Logan Vasquez – "Same"[33]
  • 2017 - "Once Upon A Time" - with Scarface (rapper) and Starlito
  • 2018 – Z-ro – "Hi Hater"
  • 2018 – La Mafia – "Enamorada"

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2018 Nothing Really Happens Health Department Operator Voice role

Award references

  1. ^ Guerra, Joey (December 13, 2009). "Top Houston Discs of 2009". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "The 2014 Houston Press Music Award Winners". Houston Press. August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Gray, Chris (August 9, 2012). "2012 Houston Press Music Award Winners". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Gray, Chris (August 9, 2012). "HPMA Ceremony Heavy With Winners, Light on Drama". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Gray, Chris (August 9, 2012). "2012 Houston Press Music Awards Recipients List". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Gray, Chris (August 21, 2015). "The 2015 Houston Press Music Award Winners". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.

References

  1. ^ a b c Serrano, Shea (January 13, 2008). "Kam: Bamitskam EP". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Young, Erica (July 19, 2017). "Lead singer of The Suffers featured in national campaign". KPRC-TV. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Cress, Sara (March 14, 2008). "Underground with Kam". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Whelan, Nora (May 14, 2016). "This Woman Proves Plus-Size Fashion "Rules" Are Meant To Be Broken". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Cress, Sara (May 14, 2016). "Buzzfeed loves Suffers singer Kam Franklin". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Hardy, Michael (August 28, 2017). "Here's What It Was Like To Evacuate Houston During Hurricane Rita". Texas Monthly. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Caldwell, Brandon (August 29, 2017). "Houston Musicians Hit the Ground For Harvey Relief". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "Why didn't Houston evacuate before Harvey hit?". Fox News Channel. August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  9. ^ Osberg, Molly (August 28, 2017). "'It's a Privilege to Evacuate': A Houston Native on Battling Harvey". Splinter News. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Seetharam, Tara (June 28, 2012). "Hurt So Good!". Modern Luxury. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Rosenberg, Axl (August 29, 2016). "Video: Bad Brains, Living Colour, and Fishbone Stage Awesome Megajam at Brooklyn's Afropunk Fest". MetalSucks.org. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "MIXTAPE: Kam Franklin, The Suffers – The frontwoman shares her mixtape. It gets emotional". Houston Public Media. October 5, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Nielsen, Sarah Rufca (April 1, 2015). "What The Suffers' Kam Franklin Wore on Letterman". Houstonia magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  14. ^ Carpenter, Craig (September 25, 2015). "Gulf Coast Soul Returns to Charm New York". HuffPost. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Nielsen, Sarah Rufca (June 7, 2016). "Kam Franklin Is Not Afraid to Wear Yellow (or Anything Else)". Houstonia magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  16. ^ a b Pugh, Clifford (March 9, 2016). "The Suffers go national again, but lead singer Kam Franklin is just a 'boot lady' at heart". CultureMap.com. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  17. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (June 6, 2017). "The Suffers bring Gulf Coast soul to SFJazz". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  18. ^ Hlavaty, Craig (August 24, 2017). "The Suffers' Kam Franklin prepares to achieve rare Houston performance feat". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  19. ^ "The Suffers – On Tour". WHYY-FM. Philadelphia. May 12, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  20. ^ Sharp, Elliott (May 7, 2015). "The Suffers: The Big Band That Wowed Letterman". Red Bull. New York City. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  21. ^ Levesque, Roger (July 21, 2017). "Soul and funk can't be denied for The Suffers". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  22. ^ Wrenn, Colin (August 9, 2017). "Review – Telluride Jazz Fest Brought Hot Funk Despite Cold Rain". 303 Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Podplesky, Azaria C. (February 17, 2015). "Live Tonight: Gregory Alan Isakov, The Suffers". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  24. ^ Deeds, Michael (November 3, 2016). "Canceled at Alive After Five, The Suffers feelin' good about Sunday concert". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  25. ^ Krolick, Jake (August 4, 2017). "Dancing Beside The Delaware River: XPoNential Music Festival 2017 – Review & Photos". jambase.com. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  26. ^ Nielsen, Sarah Rufca (February 22, 2017). "Meet Kam Franklin's Favorite Houston Jewelry Designer". Houstonia magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  27. ^ Caldwell, Brandon (November 28, 2016). "The Suffers Give Back to Houston With Yet Another Star-Making Turn". Houston Press. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  28. ^ "Clay Melton Premieres Music Video for 'Wind & Wave'". Broadway World. August 25, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  29. ^ Rawls, Alex (April 24, 2016). "New Orleans Jazz Fest 2016: 6 important, smaller acts for Weekend 2". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  30. ^ Monk, Barnaby (February 25, 2015). "Deap Vally rawk, Gulf Coast soul, Six Organs psych-out". San Diego Reader. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  31. ^ Stith, Deborah Sengupta (September 1, 2017). "The magnificent diversity of Houston shines through its music". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  32. ^ Payne, Chris (January 7, 2016). "Keep Warm Through the Winter With New Retro Soul Jam From the Suffers: 'Peanuts' Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  33. ^ Brennan, Collin (January 27, 2017). "Matthew Logan Vasquez amplifies his agitation on new solo single "Same"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
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