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Photo by Greg Johnson

10/21/2019

Frankie Redding, Jr. 1946-2019: A remembrance

By MICHAEL "SHOEHORN" CONLEY // Frankie Redding will be missed, not only for his music, but his cheerful demeanor and quiet good humor, which brought a peaceful energy to the room. The Portland music community said goodbye to funky keyboard master Frankie Redding,Jr. in a celebration of life on Sunday afternoon at the Spare Room Lounge.

The Portland music community said goodbye to funky keyboard master Frankie Redding,Jr. in a celebration of life on Sunday afternoon at the Spare Room Lounge in Northeast Portland. When I arrived, the large club was packed with people, with a full dance floor. Hosted by the “Boogie Cat” himself, Mr. Norman Sylvester, who often employed Mr. Redding in his ensemble, the event turned into a massive jam session which ran a full hour overtime.

Sylvester's band, including long-time bassist Rob Shoemaker, Mr. Sylvester’s daughter Lenanne Sylvester Miller on vocals, keyboardist Jeff Otto, drummer Michael Braun, and saxophonist Renato Caranto, bring a seasoned versatility and a variety of stylistic devices to this type of event, and smoothly accommodated the constant stream of guest artists who came to the stage to perform.

These guests included guitarists Tevis Hodge,Jr., Chad Rupp, and Gary Stickler; bassists Jeffrey Andrews, Gary Fountaine, and Ben Jones; drummers Ashbolt Stewart and Drawback Slim; organist Louis Pain; vocalists Lady Kat and Richard Arnold; and many other musicians, including this writer on alto saxophone. Closing the event was Shirley Nanette, Portland vocalist extraordinaire, taking her time, singing the blues for Frankie Redding and his friends.

Others in attendance included drummer Mel Brown and his wife Shirley, saxman Patrick Lamb, and many, many fans of the Blues and Soul music scene in Portland. Many were former patrons of the old Candlelight Room on Southwest Lincoln Street, which once was the city's premiere Blues venue seven nights a week, and where many of us first made Mr. Redding's acquaintance back in the day. I saw a number of people I hadn't seen since those Candlelight days- and the club served its last drink in 2012.

Mr. Redding was a lifelong resident of the Rose City and was known to many people not only in the blues scene but also the church music scene, many of whose players do not make the nightclub gigs which are the staple of many working musicians.

Frankie was an extremely dapper dresser- often in loud colors, especially red, yet he was a soft-spoken, bespectacled man with a shy smile which often stretched into an all-out grin. He was one of those guys whose shoes would be coordinated with his tie and hat, rivaling band leader Norman Sylvester in his sartorial splendor. His style complimented his musicianship, getting folks up on the dance floor.

Redding had suffered from diabetes for years and had been on his second round of dialysis in the months before he passed. It took everything he had to endure this last year or so, according to his partner of 26 years, Susan Lee.

Frankie Redding will be missed, not only for his music, but his cheerful demeanor and quiet good humor, which brought a peaceful energy to the room. The fact that so many people turned out on a Sunday afternoon is testament to his legacy in the Portland Blues scene.
Some of Mr. Redding's suits, colorful hats, and music equipment were being auctioned off to help defray expenses incurred by his household over his long illness, most of which time he was unable to work.

Born in Portland October 29th, 1946, he passed away September 22nd, 2019. His parents Frankie Redding Sr. and Maidie L. Horn (both deceased) hailed from Aberdeen, Mississippi, on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. Frankie had two older sisters who were born there before the family relocated to Portland in 1946, Corine Scarborough and Lorraine Danlei, both of whom preceded him in death.

Frankie's family was musical-Corine sang in church, Lorraine played piano, and she gave Frankie his first lessons. Frankie played saxophone in school but later gravitated to the mighty B3 organ and various keyboards. The “Funkmaster” as he was known, started performing professionally at age 15 at the Cotton Club in Portland while a student at Jefferson High School, sitting in and playing with older players. In addition to Sylvester's band, Frankie played with the Arnold Brothers, the Staple Brothers, Richard Day Reynolds, and also played some gigs with national acts including Tyrone Davis, Etta James, and Terry Evans.
Norman Sylvester and his family brought us all together to play and sing and dance to remember our friend at the keyboard Frankie Redding, Jr. the Funkmaster.

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