Cleve Francis

American singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Cleve Francis

Birth name| Cleveland Francis, Jr.[1]
Born|  (1945-04-22) April 22, 1945 (age 80)[2]
Origin| Jennings, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres|

* Country
* Folk

Occupation(s)| Singer-songwriter, cardiologist
Instrument(s)| Vocals, guitar
Years active| 1970–present
Labels| Playback,
Liberty, Forager
Website| http://www.clevefrancis.com

Musical artist

Cleveland Francis (born April 22, 1945) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and cardiologist. Active since the late 1960s, Francis has recorded a total of nine albums, including three for Liberty Records. He has charted four times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, most successfully with "You Do My Heart Good" in 1992.

## Biography

[edit]

Francis began his music career as a folk and blues singer and songwriter in the late 1960s while still a graduate student at the College of William & Mary, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1969.[3] He attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine), eventually becoming a cardiologist. However, in the late 1980s, he switched his focus to country music, signing first to Playback Records. His debut country album Last Call for Love was released that year. The album included a single titled "Love Light", which was also made into a music video.[4]

After seeing the video for "Love Light" on CMT, record producer Jimmy Bowen signed Francis to Liberty Records in 1992.[4] Between 1992 and 1994, Francis released three studio albums on Liberty, in addition to charting four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. In 1994, Francis returned to his medical practice in Northern Virginia. He is president of Mount Vernon Cardiology Associates.[5] Francis has performed at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, and has a live album recorded there in 2006 called Storytime.[6] In 2022, Francis released "Beyond the Willow Tree" on Forager Records, a remastered reissue of his 1970 self-released folk album, "Follow Me," which includes several other folk songs Francis had recorded as demos in 1968 and 1970.[7]

## Discography

[edit]

### Albums

[edit]

Title  | Album details  | Peak chart
positions

|
|

US Country | US Heat
Follow Me |

* Release date: 1970
* Label: Self-released

| —  | —
Last Call for Love |

* Release date: 1990
* Label: Playback

| —  | —
Tourist in Paradise |

* Release date: March 16, 1992
* Label: Liberty

| 58  | 34
Walkin' |

* Release date: May 10, 1993
* Label: Liberty

| —  | —
You've Got Me Now |

* Release date: August 23, 1994
* Label: Liberty

| —  | —
Meet Cleve Francis |

* Release date: 2000
* Label: K-Tel

| —  | —
Storytime |

* Release date: 2006
* Label: Self-released

| —  | —
Lovelight |

* Release date: 2021
* Label: K-Tel

| —  | —
Beyond the Willow Tree |

* Release date: 2022
* Label: Forager Records

| —  | —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

### Singles

[edit]

Year  | Single  | Peak chart
positions  | Album

|
|
|

US Country
[1] | CAN Country
1990  | "Love Light"  | —  | —  | Last Call for Love
1992  | "Love Light" (re-release) | 52  | —  | Tourist in Paradise
"You Do My Heart Good"  | 47  | 76
"How Can I Hold You"  | 74  | —
1993  | "Walkin'"  | 63  | —  | Walkin'
"I Won't Let You Walk Away"  | —  | —
1994  | "Love or the Lack Thereof"  | —  | —  | You've Got Me Now
"We Fell in Love Anyway" (with Patti Austin) | —  | —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

### Music videos

[edit]

Year  | Video  | Director

|
|

1990  | "Love Light"  | D.J. Schweitzer[8]
1992  | "You Do My Heart Good"  | Bill Young
1993  | "Walkin'"  | Sara Nichols
"I Won't Let You Walk Away"  | Joanne Gardner
1994  | "Love or the Lack Thereof"[9] | L. J. Kreussling
"We Fell in Love Anyway" (with Patti Austin)[10] | Dominic Orlando

## External links

[edit]

* Cleve Francis at IMDb

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 150\. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
2. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Cleve Francis biography". Allmusic. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
3. ^ Eshleman, Tina (January 2023). "Heart & Soul" (PDF). William & Mary Alumni Magazine. Williamsburg, Virginia: College of William & Mary. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
4. ^ a b "Cleve Francis is a country (music) doctor". The Des Moines Register. April 17, 1992. pp. 16T. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
5. ^ "Thumbnail Biography of Cleve Francis". Retrieved December 19, 2019.
6. ^ "Storytime". iTunes Store. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
7. ^ "Beyond The Willow Tree, by Cleveland Francis". Cleveland Francis. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
8. ^ "Music Row prints local video honors". The Tennessean. December 11, 1990. pp. 1D. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
9. ^ "CMT : Videos : Cleve Francis : Love Or The Lack Thereof". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.[dead link]
10. ^ "CMT : Videos : Patti Austin : We Fell In Love Anyway". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.[dead link]

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* SNAC