Complete Recordings 1954-1959

Frank Minion was born January 3, 1929 in Baltimore. Upon leaving school at the age of 19, he returned home, where he joined the Lou Bennett Quartet--at the time, one of the finest groups in the East Coast. For Minion, his work with Bennett was an interesting and invaluable training period, which resulted in his first record for Apollo Records, a 78 rpm disk with a bop styled reading of two well-known standards, Sweet Lorraine and How High the Moon. Headstrong and restless, Frank soon formed his own group, and went on to enjoy a great deal of success and recognition along the East Coast. He disbanded his trio to attend dramatic school in New York City. Still, music was his first love, and during his stay in New York, he worked the better night clubs, including Birdland, where he sang with Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Evans, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell, Ed Thigpen and Jimmy Jones. All of them are featured in these recordings, and all agreed on one thing--Frank was a man with all the tools to make it big, be it singing or writing!