Randall Franks

American actor, musician and author

Randall Franks is an American film and television actor, author, and bluegrass singer and musician who plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and mountain dulcimer. The singer was nominated for 2023 Inspirational Vocalist and Musician of the Year at the 9th Annual Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House. He was inducted into the Tri State Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama) in 2022; and America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019; Independent Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013; recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Museum & Hall of Fame in 2010 as a Bluegrass Legend; the Carolinas Country, Bluegrass and Gospel Hall of Fame presented him it’s Legend Award and designated him as the “Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle” in 2010; inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; and was designated by Catoosa County, Ga. as "Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle" in 2004; and was inducted into the Chamber Business Person Hall of Fame and honored as Patriotic Citizen of the Year in 2020. He was chosen as the first 2020 AirPlay Direct Evolution Grant Artist (www. AirPlayDirect. com).

The Appalachian is a cousin of American founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; and also a kinsmen to John Adams, James Madison and James Monroe – founders who all served as president of the United States. Fifty six men signed the United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and the rule of King George III. Of those 56 men who approved the document on July 4, 1776, 48 were Randall’s family members. He also descends from several European royal houses including the English House of Tudor and Plantagenet dynasties, French Capetian Dynasty, Russian Rurik Dynasty and the Scottish House of Bruce and House of Stuart. Among his grandfathers are King Henry VII of England, King Edward IV of England, King James V and Robert the Bruce of Scotland and King Philip IV of France.

Franks opened Peach Picked Publishing associated with Broadcast Music Inc. in the early 1980s focusing initially on the music created by him and his bandmates. While he has written songs for large publishing companies including Lowery Music Group, Chris White Music, and Chestnut Mound Publishing, he continues writing for Peach Picked including his hit bluegrass recording "Filling the River with Tears", popularized by David Davis and the Warrior River Boys. Eventually, Peach Picked expanded to include work from bluegrass hall of fame members including Chubby Wise and Curly Seckler, Georgia Music Hall of Fame member Cotton Carrier, and recordings by acts including Marty Stuart, Ralph Stanley, The Grateful Dead, and David Davis and the Warrior River Boys. Franks also formed Randall Franks Music to manage the publishing and music catalogs of other artists. In this effort, he has assisted artists in negotiating monies from film, television, and sources around the world, including artists Ramblin' "Doc" Tommy Scott, Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, and Curly Seckler.

Franks was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and the North Georgia Musicians Wall of Fame in 2009. The Carolinas Country, Bluegrass and Gospel Hall of Fame presented him it’s Legend Award and designated him as the “Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle” in 2010. America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019, Catoosa County Chamber Business Person Hall of Fame

As an actor, Randall shares in several awards, primarily, two NAACP Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1992 and 1993 during his time on "In the Heat of the Night", A. S. E. Male Vocalist of the Year, The Cotton Carrier Award, Little Jimmy Dempsey Musician Award, and a Sons of the American Revolution Citizenship Award. The Governor of Kentucky honored him for his contributions to the music of Bill Monroe. Catoosa County designated him "Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle" in 2004. Franks received the Songwriter of the Year Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2009 for his song "The Old Black Fiddle" and also received Bluegrass Band of the Year with the Georgia Bluegrass Mafia Band. The International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky honored Franks as a Bluegrass Legend at its 2010 and 2011 Pioneers of Bluegrass Gatherings alongside fellow Blue Grass Boys and other pioneers. Randall Franks and the Georgia Mafia Bluegrass Band received the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018 Atlanta Society of Entertainers Bluegrass Band of the Year Award. The Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle was honored as a feature performer alongside the Watkins Family by the Appalachian Regional Commission at its annual conference in 2010. Randall Franks was a 2010 Diamond Award nominee for Top Bluegrass Artist included among Bound & Determined, Dailey & Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Isaacs, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Joe Cook Family, Primitive Quartet, Sandi Kay & New Hickory and the Watkins Family. Franks said he was honored when the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Macon featured an exhibit on his career in the Skillet Licker Café beside other Georgia notables Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Trisha Yearwood, which was highlighted from 1996–2007. Franks was honored in 2013 by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal with a special commendation for his community service and philanthropy benefiting the people of Georgia. This was presented in conjunction with the Kiwanis International Distinguished Service Award.

He is president of the Share America Foundation Randall Franks | Share America Foundation that provides encouragement through the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship to youth who are continuing the musical arts of Appalachia. Franks serves as the Chairman for the Catoosa Citizens for Literacy in 2022 2023 and formally in 2002 04 and he took that position again in 2007 09 after serving as co chair for two years. The organization operates the Catoosa County Learning Center helping residents reach their goals by learning to read, getting a GED or acquiring basic computer skills. He serves as treasurer of the Catoosa County Local Emergency Planning Committee. The organization brings together all of the agencies the community relies upon each day when a need arises. He is former Vice President and secretary and serves on the legislative committee for the Georgia Production Partnership, a Georgia Film Industry organization which works to improve industry growth and opportunities. He is a member of the Boynton Lions Club, Catoosa Family Collaborative, Nathan Anderson Cemetery Committee, Catoosa Fuller Center for Housing, Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce and the Catoosa County Historical Society. He is a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Ringgold. He is a Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame board advisor.