Frankie Paul 1965-2017
By: Brian Jahn
Tags: Africa, Earl"Chinna"Smith, Frankie Paul, Gambia, Jamaica, Jamaican Music, Lovers Rock, music, Recording Studios, reggae, Reggae Sunsplash
Category: Africa, Dancehall Music, Dancehall Reggae, Deejay Music, Jamacian Music, Jamaica, Jamaican Music, Jamaican Musicians, Jamaican Reggae, Kingston, Kingston Jamaica, Live Reggae, Montego Bay, Musician, New York Reggae, NYC Reggae, reggae, Reggae Classics, Reggae Legend, Reggae music, Reggae Musicians, Reggae Sunsplash, Roots Reggae, Sound System
Frankie Paul, live at Reggae Sunsplash, Montego Bay (1993?)
We learned today that singer Frankie Paul died this morning after a long illness. His golden voice will be missed by all. I had always been a fan of Frankie’s and in my previous post I mentioned hanging out at rehearsals in Brooklyn when he practiced with the A-Team Band in the late 80’s. His shows were always killer and the front rows were usually filled with wildly screaming women yelling “Frankie Paul, Frankie Paul!”.
In 1982 he was just 15 years old when legendary guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith brought him into the studio to record his first single, “African Princess”. Frankie’s rise to fame started in the late 1980s and early 90s with hits like “Worries in the Dance,” “Pass The Tu-Sheng Peng” (2 of my favorite), “Casanova,” “Tidal Wave,” “I Know The Score,” and “Sarah.” Years ago I remember running into him at the Ft. Lauderdale airport in Florida, we spoke briefly about those days in NYC then were both off on our separate ways.
Since 1994 he has lived in Gambia in Africa. In recent years he had faced several health issues and last year he had his foot amputated due to an infection. He had been in the hospital for almost a month when he died at 10:00 this morning in Kingston due to kidney problems.
Blessings all over, seen ... 
RIP Frankie, one of the golden and most easily recognisable voices in Reggae. You will be missed.