Frankie Lee - Here I Go Again

Some time ago, King Cake and I were recalling the great blues/R&B scene at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland at the time that it was run by Troyce Key.   One of the most dynamic regular performers at Eli's in the 1970s-1980s was vocalist Frankie Lee.   I can still recall vividly his soul-stirring intros when he would scream out a cappella the first words of the Ted Taylor song "Can't take no more, so it's baby, bye, bye."   As far as I am concerned, Frankie Lee owned that song.  He always kept the level of excitement on high during his whole set at Eli's, usually helped in no small measure by the very tasteful blues guitar of Bobby Murray, a Japanese immigrant who deliberately chose a very American-sounding name.

The magic of Frankie Lee's live shows with Bobby Murray was not always captured well in recordings.  But I think that Blues Express did the best job of this a bit after the fact in 1999.  They reunited Frankie Lee with Bobby Murray, who at that time was working with Etta James.  This album may be a bit uneven in quality, but the high points give an indication of what Frankie Lee can do.   In particular, this version of "Cry Me a River" is my absolute favorite, and a perfect illustration of the kind of emotional depth that Frankie Lee could bring to the table.

Frankie Lee was born and raised in Texas, and made his first recordings there for Don Robey in the 1960s as Little Frankie Lee.  He moved to California in the latter 60s, working for a while in Albert Collins' band.  In the 1970s, he moved to the SF Bay Area.  Sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, he moved back east, to Philadelphia if I am not mistaken.  Other than this album, I really don't have any information about his career or activities since that time.  Any help would be appreciated.