Biography
Nearly seven decades into a life steeped in performance, the Buffalo, NY-reared Frankie Brunson remains active in music. The son of a local preacher, he had already earned regional notice as Little Frankie before finishing at Hutchinson High. During his tenure with the Lynn Hope Quintet, whose sides appeared on Aladdin, Chess, and King Records between 1951 and 1960, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded one of Brunson’s compositions, “I Believe in You”; Brunson himself released the critically acclaimed Big Daddy Blues album on Gee Records in the late ’50s, yet he would not enjoy sustained chart success until the 1970s as the frontman of People’s Choice.
His first single, “Charmaine,” surfaced on Groove Records in 1956 and registered modest sales; later RCA sides fared even less well. Relocating to Philadelphia, Brunson joined the Fashions—alongside Roger “Punchy” Andrews, Dave Thompson, and others—and cut several V-Tone singles, the most notable being “I’m Dreaming.” Under the Big Daddy alias, chosen to reflect his gravelly vocal timbre rather than his diminutive height, he issued 1959 singles on Wynne, PMB, and Gee. Switching names again, he recorded two unsuccessful 1960 Gee releases as Frankie Brunson before returning to Big Daddy for the Crackerjack single “The Teacher Parts 1 & 2.” The Fashions briefly reconvened in 1962 to release “Try My Love” b/w “I Just Got a Letter” on Ember, after which Brunson placed a lone Fairmount single and the group resurfaced on Cameo in 1964 with “Baby That’s Me.”
While at Cameo, Brunson forged a lasting connection with Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble. The Fashions eventually became People’s Choice; core members Brunson, Andrews, and Thompson were augmented by Leon Lee and, at times, Guy Fiske and Bobby Eli, establishing a strong local following. Their initial three Palmer sides appeared between 1966 and 1967, including a double issue of “Savin’ All My Love.” A 1969 Phillips release, “Lost and Found” b/w “Keep Holding On,” preceded the group’s breakthrough on Phil-L.A. of Soul in 1971—when Brunson turned forty—with the singles “I Like to Do It” and “Wootie-T-Woo,” although two additional tracks made little impact.
Brunson rejoined Gamble & Huff in 1973 for the TSOP imprint, a Philadelphia International subsidiary, issuing “Love Shot” b/w “The Big Hurt”; although the single remained largely regional, the partnership solidified. Leon Lee departed shortly afterward to record the Crossover solo “He Was the Man” in 1974, initiating a pattern of fluctuating personnel around the stable trio. “Party Is a Groovy Thing” emerged in 1974, prompting regular People’s Choice engagements throughout Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and westward to Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Subsequent releases included the group’s biggest success, “Do It Anyway You Wanna,” followed by the buoyant “Nursery Rhymes,” “Here We Go Again,” and other vigorous, hardcore Philly funk tracks. Gamble moved the act to Philadelphia International proper in 1978 for their concluding sessions; a final Casablanca single, the flamboyantly titled “My Feet Won’t Move, But My Shoes Did the Boogie,” appeared in 1980. The band continued performing in the Philly area until Brunson experienced a minor heart blockage in 1984, after which the lineup disbanded, having amassed ten funk and disco entries on Billboard’s R&B chart. Brunson returned to Buffalo in the late ’80s, reconnected with his children, and sang in the choir at St. John Baptist church until a pacemaker became necessary.
His first single, “Charmaine,” surfaced on Groove Records in 1956 and registered modest sales; later RCA sides fared even less well. Relocating to Philadelphia, Brunson joined the Fashions—alongside Roger “Punchy” Andrews, Dave Thompson, and others—and cut several V-Tone singles, the most notable being “I’m Dreaming.” Under the Big Daddy alias, chosen to reflect his gravelly vocal timbre rather than his diminutive height, he issued 1959 singles on Wynne, PMB, and Gee. Switching names again, he recorded two unsuccessful 1960 Gee releases as Frankie Brunson before returning to Big Daddy for the Crackerjack single “The Teacher Parts 1 & 2.” The Fashions briefly reconvened in 1962 to release “Try My Love” b/w “I Just Got a Letter” on Ember, after which Brunson placed a lone Fairmount single and the group resurfaced on Cameo in 1964 with “Baby That’s Me.”
While at Cameo, Brunson forged a lasting connection with Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble. The Fashions eventually became People’s Choice; core members Brunson, Andrews, and Thompson were augmented by Leon Lee and, at times, Guy Fiske and Bobby Eli, establishing a strong local following. Their initial three Palmer sides appeared between 1966 and 1967, including a double issue of “Savin’ All My Love.” A 1969 Phillips release, “Lost and Found” b/w “Keep Holding On,” preceded the group’s breakthrough on Phil-L.A. of Soul in 1971—when Brunson turned forty—with the singles “I Like to Do It” and “Wootie-T-Woo,” although two additional tracks made little impact.
Brunson rejoined Gamble & Huff in 1973 for the TSOP imprint, a Philadelphia International subsidiary, issuing “Love Shot” b/w “The Big Hurt”; although the single remained largely regional, the partnership solidified. Leon Lee departed shortly afterward to record the Crossover solo “He Was the Man” in 1974, initiating a pattern of fluctuating personnel around the stable trio. “Party Is a Groovy Thing” emerged in 1974, prompting regular People’s Choice engagements throughout Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and westward to Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Subsequent releases included the group’s biggest success, “Do It Anyway You Wanna,” followed by the buoyant “Nursery Rhymes,” “Here We Go Again,” and other vigorous, hardcore Philly funk tracks. Gamble moved the act to Philadelphia International proper in 1978 for their concluding sessions; a final Casablanca single, the flamboyantly titled “My Feet Won’t Move, But My Shoes Did the Boogie,” appeared in 1980. The band continued performing in the Philly area until Brunson experienced a minor heart blockage in 1984, after which the lineup disbanded, having amassed ten funk and disco entries on Billboard’s R&B chart. Brunson returned to Buffalo in the late ’80s, reconnected with his children, and sang in the choir at St. John Baptist church until a pacemaker became necessary.