Fran Smith Jr.    

Fran Smith Jr. has enjoyed a successful career in the music industry for over twenty-five years. He is the recipient of numerous platinum and gold records for his accomplishments. Fran’s main job has been touring with The Hooters playing the bass and rounding out the vocals. This band, originally from Philadelphia, has become one of the hottest bands in Europe. The Hooters produced a number of Billboard Top 40 hits including "Day By Day," "And We Danced" and "Where Do The Children Go." Over the years they have established a devoted group of fans all over the world. They have done extensive stadium tours and appeared on numerous television programs. In 1990, The Hooters rocked at the infamous Wall concert in Berlin with Roger Waters and various artists. Their latest CD, Largo, started as the recording session for a new Hooters album, but evolved into a collaboration between The Hooters and guest artists like Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Joan Osborne, The Chieftains, Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, David Forman, and Willie Nile. The Hooters are currently preparing for a summer European tour. A new Hooter CD is expected in the fall of 2005.

Never one to rest between gigs, Fran enjoys an eclectic array of activities. When time permits he joins the original Broadway cast members as Paul McCartney in Beatlemania. For the past six years, Fran has been playing the part of Carlo Cannoli in Tony and Tina’s Wedding, the longest running off-Broadway theatre comedy. From his own recording studio he has produced many successful projects. His clients run the gamut from friends like Joe Piscapo and Flo and Eddy of The Turtles to local artists and bands.

In 1995, Fran, AKA Rory Kunkle, released a solo CD, For No Apparent Reason, on Moskeeto Records. Several well-known artists helped to make the CD a success, including Jack Sherman, formerly of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Keith Mack, formerly of Scandal, and Grammy-nominated engineer Steve Churchyard who produced the CD.

When Fran is not playing concerts in Europe, he keeps his creative juices flowing. He is always at work writing original songs. Currently Fran is promoting his most recent CD, Man Meets Machine. The CD, which was released in December 2004, includes guest performances by Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman of The Hooters, Glen Burtnik, formally of Styx, and Keith Mack.

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