Elliott Franks

In a time when the airwaves are dominated by angst-ridden twenty-somethings and the next big thing on Friday is a laughing remembrance by Monday, it’s a welcome find to stumble across an artist like Ernie Franks.
Franks' music is robust and driven by an emotional core that materializes in soulful riffs and soaring vocals.
The artist that calls Columbia, South Carolina home is unrelenting in setting himself apart from the mainstream by taking his music back to what rock music once was- stripped down, guitar driven, and then he wraps it in a soulful blend of piano grooves and acoustic nuances.

From the start, Franks has consistently redefined his sound, never painting the same picture twice, never using the same colors. This approach has rewarded Franks with musical appeals on Local Television and Radio. When he plays live, Franks’ easily accessible voice billows over the sounds of his Stratocaster and paints visions, taps into your memories and dreams, where you hear love, pain and triumph, making you want to listen again and again to be a part of those melodies that only time can define.

At an early age Franks began playing piano. By the age of ten he set his sights on the guitar. Franks recalls listening to Jimi Hendrix as a child and spending hours learning the riffs. It must have been those formative hours that molded him into one of the region’s most versatile guitarists. After years of demanding study in classical guitar at The University of South Carolina’s School of Music, he rushed in to the area rock scene.
Throughout his career, Franks has divided his endeavors between recording on his own, as a studio musician, recording and performing with his long-time partners Voices of Dissent. Over the course of his career, Franks has established himself as a composer, bandleader, solo artist and producer. In the past three years, he has stepped into the solo spotlight performing through out the region.