Frankie Smith

Biography

Franklyn Leon 'Frankie' Smith was an American funk and R&B musician born on January 29, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A nephew of comedian Pigmeat Markham, Smith taught himself to play piano beginning in 1961 at age 8. 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. 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. 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. 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. Smith's innovation has been sampled and remade numerous times, including Missy Elliott's 2003 hit 'Gossip Folks.' Despite this landmark success, Smith struggled to replicate his breakthrough, failing to chart additional pop singles. He later transitioned into acting and other work, remaining active in music through the 2010s before his death on March 8, 2019, in Philadelphia.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Smith appeared in films including 'Beloved' (1998) and 'Hollywood Homicide' (2003), demonstrating a career pivot into acting after his initial music success.

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)
• 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)