Biography
Born December 21, 1951, Dean E. Francis ranks among Columbus, Ohio’s most overlooked yet accomplished musical figures. As the eldest child alongside two sisters and a brother, he grew up with a father, John L. Francis, who became the city’s first African-American City Attorney. During childhood he took up both drums and piano yet leaned first toward percussion; after finishing at Columbus East High in 1969, he led the Tiger Marching Band as head drummer. Early inspirations encompassed Billy Preston, Ramsey Lewis, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Junie Morrison, the inventive and insufficiently celebrated Dayton, Ohio native who performed with the Ohio Players and issued solo recordings.
Under the name Dean Francis & the Soul Rockers he issued his debut single, “Funky Disposition,” on Hillside Records in 1969. Three years later he joined Capsoul Records, supplying drums on studio dates and touring behind the Four Mints while also penning their signature track “Row My Boat.” As a dramatist he created the groundbreaking black rock opera Society Line, staged at the Ohio Theater in 1973. Subsequent band affiliations included Associated Press and Jupiter, the latter issuing “Never, Never” on Owl Records in 1976. His initial solo release, “Faces in the Street,” appeared on Virgin Ear Records in 1978, the same year he wrote, composed, and staged a second musical, Kids, at Capital University.
In November 1979 the Dayton funk outfit Sun recruited Francis on keyboards; he remained with the group for nearly three years, traveling across the United States plus Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Three albums resulted—Sun Over the Universe, Force of Nature, and Let There Be Sun—while he co-authored “Reaction Satisfaction, Jam Y’all” and “Funk It Up.” After the Japan tour he departed to focus on media production, achieving early success with the catchy 1984 Ohio State Lottery jingle “I Had to Play That Number.” The spot marked the Lottery Commission’s first rap commercial to place African Americans in central roles and earned two honors at the International Film & TV Festival that year.
During quieter periods Francis turned to writing, producing the poetry and philosophical collection Word as well as Attitude Adjustment, an examination of self-defeating outlooks. In 1994 he wrote, produced, directed, and scored the music videos Without Guns and Real Deal Rap, both carrying constructive messages for adolescents confronting contemporary risks; the former received NBPC’s Prized Pieces award. Hamburg-based Soulciety Records issued two albums—This Groove’s for You in 1995 and Black as All That in 1998—prompting German tours. The later project, tracked in Germany, blended what Francis terms “Funkamajazz,” merging vintage funk with East Coast jazz.
He operates the media firm Music Media International while serving as Business Development Specialist for the Urban League of Columbus, Ohio. His professional roots lie in social work, including positions with state and county agencies and the Ashburn Youth Center on the city’s Westside, all pursued alongside his musical ambitions. Local audiences may still encounter him performing or jamming at Columbus venues such as The Lobby on South Hamilton Road, where leading Central Ohio musicians regularly gather. Despite the breadth of Dean Francis’s recorded and performed achievements, the story remains unfinished.
Under the name Dean Francis & the Soul Rockers he issued his debut single, “Funky Disposition,” on Hillside Records in 1969. Three years later he joined Capsoul Records, supplying drums on studio dates and touring behind the Four Mints while also penning their signature track “Row My Boat.” As a dramatist he created the groundbreaking black rock opera Society Line, staged at the Ohio Theater in 1973. Subsequent band affiliations included Associated Press and Jupiter, the latter issuing “Never, Never” on Owl Records in 1976. His initial solo release, “Faces in the Street,” appeared on Virgin Ear Records in 1978, the same year he wrote, composed, and staged a second musical, Kids, at Capital University.
In November 1979 the Dayton funk outfit Sun recruited Francis on keyboards; he remained with the group for nearly three years, traveling across the United States plus Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Three albums resulted—Sun Over the Universe, Force of Nature, and Let There Be Sun—while he co-authored “Reaction Satisfaction, Jam Y’all” and “Funk It Up.” After the Japan tour he departed to focus on media production, achieving early success with the catchy 1984 Ohio State Lottery jingle “I Had to Play That Number.” The spot marked the Lottery Commission’s first rap commercial to place African Americans in central roles and earned two honors at the International Film & TV Festival that year.
During quieter periods Francis turned to writing, producing the poetry and philosophical collection Word as well as Attitude Adjustment, an examination of self-defeating outlooks. In 1994 he wrote, produced, directed, and scored the music videos Without Guns and Real Deal Rap, both carrying constructive messages for adolescents confronting contemporary risks; the former received NBPC’s Prized Pieces award. Hamburg-based Soulciety Records issued two albums—This Groove’s for You in 1995 and Black as All That in 1998—prompting German tours. The later project, tracked in Germany, blended what Francis terms “Funkamajazz,” merging vintage funk with East Coast jazz.
He operates the media firm Music Media International while serving as Business Development Specialist for the Urban League of Columbus, Ohio. His professional roots lie in social work, including positions with state and county agencies and the Ashburn Youth Center on the city’s Westside, all pursued alongside his musical ambitions. Local audiences may still encounter him performing or jamming at Columbus venues such as The Lobby on South Hamilton Road, where leading Central Ohio musicians regularly gather. Despite the breadth of Dean Francis’s recorded and performed achievements, the story remains unfinished.