Frankie Smith

Biography

Franklyn Leon 'Frankie' Smith was an American funk and R&B musician born on January 29, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2][4] A nephew of comedian Pigmeat Markham, Smith taught himself to play piano beginning in 1961 at age 8.[5][7] In 1972, he joined Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Records as a staff songwriter, where he honed his craft writing for established acts including the O'Jays and Billy Paul.[1][7] This early experience in one of Philadelphia's most influential soul music operations shaped his understanding of R&B songwriting and production.

Smith achieved his greatest commercial success with the 1980 single 'Double Dutch Bus,' a novelty funk track that blended jump-rope culture with commentary on Philadelphia's public transportation system.[1] The song became a massive R&B hit, spending eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart and peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.[1] Beyond its chart performance, 'Double Dutch Bus' became historically significant as the origin point of 'izzle'-speak, the linguistic style later popularized by Snoop Dogg.[1] Smith's innovation has been sampled and remade numerous times, including Missy Elliott's 2003 hit 'Gossip Folks.'[1] Despite this landmark success, Smith struggled to replicate his breakthrough, failing to chart additional pop singles.[1] He later transitioned into acting and other work, remaining active in music through the 2010s before his death on March 8, 2019, in Philadelphia.[2][4]

Fun Facts

• Smith conceived the idea for 'Double Dutch Bus' after being rejected for a job as a Philadelphia city bus driver; he recorded a profanity-laced tirade about the bus system at 2 AM in the studio, which was later cleaned up and released as a single.[1]
• Smith is credited as the originator of 'izzle'-speak, the linguistic innovation where syllables are replaced with 'izzle' (e.g., 'Jizzle-ohn' for 'John'), a style later made famous by Snoop Dogg in the 1990s.[1]
• Despite achieving a gold single with 'Double Dutch Bus,' Smith later worked as a delivery driver, potentially fulfilling his original dream of obtaining a driving job after his initial rejection as a bus driver.[1]
• Smith appeared in films including 'Beloved' (1998) and 'Hollywood Homicide' (2003), demonstrating a career pivot into acting after his initial music success.[1][6]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Gamble and Huff (Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) - Employed Smith as a staff songwriter at Philadelphia International Records, providing foundational training in R&B songwriting and production (Philadelphia International Records catalog) [1972 onwards]

Key Collaborators

• The O'Jays - Smith wrote material for this established soul group while working at Philadelphia International Records (Various O'Jays recordings) [1970s]
• Billy Paul - Smith contributed songwriting for this Philadelphia soul artist (Various Billy Paul recordings) [1970s]

Artists Influenced

• Missy Elliott - Sampled and remade 'Double Dutch Bus' as 'Gossip Folks,' demonstrating the lasting influence of Smith's original composition (Gossip Folks) [2003]
• Snoop Dogg - Popularized the 'izzle'-speak linguistic style that originated with Smith's 'Double Dutch Bus' (Various recordings using izzle-speak) [1990s onwards]

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)