Frankie Froba
Frank Froeba or Froba (August 1907, New Orleans - February 16, 1981, Miami) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Froeba held jobs in the bands of Johnny Wiggs and John Tobin while still in his teens. He played with Johnny de Droit in New York City in 1924-1925, then led his own band in Atlantic City in the latter half of the decade, in addition to moonlighting in other dance ensembles. He recorded with Jack Purvis in 1930 and with Jack Bland in 1932, then worked with Benny Goodman in 1933-1935. From 1935 to 1944, he led his own band, including on recordings for Columbia and Decca. Among his sideman were Bunny Berigan, Jack Purvis, Bobby Hackett and Joe Marsala. He was a house pianist for Decca in the 1930s and 1940s, playing behind Bob Howard and Lil Armstrong, among others. In 1955, he moved to Miami and performed as Frank Froba, moving more into popular performance. One of his more popular tracks, "Jumpin' Jive", which Froeba co-wrote with Cab Calloway, was recorded by Joe Jackson on his Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive album. |
Birth and Death Data: Born New Orleans (largest city of the state of Louisiana, United States), Died February 18, 1981
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930 - 1953
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, leader, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-100 of 277 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 39813 | 10-in. | 8/5/1935 | I wished on the moon | Mike Riley, Eddie Farley and their Onyx Club Boys | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60004 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | Looking for love | Riley-Farley and their Onyx Club Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60005 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | South | Riley-Farley and their Onyx Club Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60006 | 10-in. | 9/26/1935 | The music goes round and around | Riley-Farley and their Onyx Club Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60007 | 10-in. | 9/27/1935 | Truckin' | Johnnie Davis | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60008 | 10-in. | 9/27/1935 | Loafin' time | Johnnie Davis | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60011 | 10-in. | 9/28/1935 | I feel a song comin' on | Johnny Davis | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60012 | 10-in. | 9/28/1935 | Everything is okey-dokey | Johnny Davis | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60073 | 10-in. | 10/17/1935 | It's funny what a kiss can do | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60074 | 10-in. | 10/17/1935 | Sugar plum | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60075 | 10-in. | 10/17/1935 | It's written in the stars | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60076 | 10-in. | 10/17/1935 | Give me a break, baby | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60096 | 10-in. | 10/22/1935 | Georgia rockin' chair | Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60097 | 10-in. | 10/22/1935 | Monday in Manhattan | Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60098 | 10-in. | 10/22/1935 | Every now and then | Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 60099 | 10-in. | 10/22/1935 | Wouldn't I be a wonder | Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62027 | 10-in. | 3/1/1937 | When the poppies bloom again | Dick Robertson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62028 | 10-in. | 3/1/1937 | May I have the next romance with you? | Dick Robertson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62029 | 10-in. | 3/1/1937 | Wanted | Dick Robertson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62030 | 10-in. | 3/1/1937 | Marie | Dick Robertson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62036 | 10-in. | 3/12/1937 | Me, myself and I | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62037 | 10-in. | 3/12/1937 | Spring cleaning (Getting ready for love) | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62038 | 10-in. | 3/12/1937 | You can't take it with you | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62039 | 10-in. | 3/12/1937 | You're just a little diff'rent | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 62040 | 10-in. | 3/12/1937 | Bundle of love | Bob Howard Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Froba, Frankie," accessed January 5, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106921.
Froba, Frankie. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106921.
"Froba, Frankie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 5 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Frank Froeba
Discogs: Frankie Froba
Allmusic: Frankie Froba
Grove: Frankie Froba
IMDb: Frankie Froba
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Froba, Frankie - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93069775
Wikidata: Frank Froeba - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1443275
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/59272004
MusicBrainz: Frank Froeba - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4ccbd35e-e9ce-4f51-a58e-4c03bca87951
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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