Randall Franks
Appalachian Ambassador
of the Fiddle
(Photo: Copyright 2011 Randall Franks Music by Teryl Jackson)
Actor
Randall Franks began his fascination with acting as a small child watching television runs of films by the greats of Hollywood, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Gary Cooper, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.
His desire to perform on television came initially as he watched Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” The Dillards as “The Darlings” on “The Andy Griffith Show,” and Wayne Newton on “The Jack Benny Show.”
He made his first TV appearance at the age of six on the “Tubby and Lester Show” on WXIA in Atlanta, Ga.
He appeared in plays and skits throughout his primary and secondary education while his music career opened several opportunities to appear on television including shows such as “Mountain Music Showdown,” “Country Kids TV Series,” “Huff Cook Gospel Sing,” “Tonight at Ferlinghetti's” and others.
When members of his teenage band The Peachtree Pickers took separate paths at college, Franks decided it was time to pursue his interest in acting.
He began acting classes, appeared as an extra as a wealthy wrestling enthusiast in the Hulk Hogan film “No Holds Barred,” and as a sports reporter in the film “Blindside” starring John Beck and Gail Strickland. Using his musical credits, he landed an uncredited role as a teenage high school choir singer in "Desperate for Love."
He soon received the role of TV’s “Officer Randy Goode” on the hit series “In the Heat of the Night,” where he appeared for five years on NBC and CBS and seen in 150 countries around the world.
Franks has appeared in numerous films including Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Flamingo Rising” co-starring with Academy Award winner William Hurt as “Officer Randy Kraft.” He starred in the sci-fi thriller “Phoenix Falling” with Stella Parton, in the Vietnam War era action adventure “Firebase 9.” He also made a special appearance in Dolly Parton’s “Blue Valley Songbird” for Lifetime.
Franks hosted and directed the PBS documentary “Still Ramblin’” highlighting the life of Georgia singing cowboy and early Grand Ole Opry star Ramblin’ “Doc” Tommy Scott.
Throughout his career he has appeared as himself on numerous national, regional and local television and cable productions sharing his love of the traditional music of his home state of Georgia and his passion for the various charitable efforts that he champions.
Randall continues to pursue roles in family oriented productions that reflect his deep faith in the uplifting power of entertainment to inspire respect and hope.
Acting Representation:
1. Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina
The Houghton Agency
Houghton Talent, Inc.
919 Collier Road NW
Atlanta, Ga. 30318
(404) 603-9454 fax 9456
mystie@houghtontalent.com www.houghtontalent.com
2. Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, Los Angeles and New York
The Avenue Agency
521 8th Avenue S Ste 300
Nashville, TN 37203
615.293.9648
3. Central Florida
Dimensions III
2827 Cullen Lakeshore Dr.
Orlando, Fl. 32812
(407) 851-2575
Appalachian and Bluegrass Music
Randall is one of bluegrass music’s brightest stars. When performing, the champion fiddler also shares his talents on mandolin, guitar and mountain dulcimer. Randall was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
As a child, Randall was initially exposed to the rich heritage of Georgia fiddlin’ at family reunions. Randall’s desire to learn was sparked at the age of eight when he heard the “Orange Blossom Special.” He was inspired to study both classically with Donald Grisier, Ph.D. and at the feet of some of Georgia’s fiddle legends such as the Skillet Licker Gordon Tanner, WSB Barndance host Cotton Carrier, Anita Sorrells Mathis and Dallas Burrell.
While still in school, Randall formed the children’s bluegrass band The Peachtree Pickers. It was through this act that he gained attention from national acts and television becoming a regular on the “Country Kids TV Series” and appearing for the Grand Ole Opry. The group recorded five albums and featured 25 youth as part of the musical program. The group won the State Bluegrass Band Championship for Georgia in 1985 among numerous individual titles.
In the 1980’s, The Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe took a special interest in the young band and especially the young fiddler. Monroe spent hours teaching and sharing with Randall much like Monroe’s Uncle Pen had done for him. With the departure of Kenny Baker, Randall was asked to join the Blue Grass Boys. Still in school, he took off to tour from coast to coast. Though school beckoned him back, Randall continued to make appearances with Monroe up until he stopped touring.
While in college, Franks became part of the cast of the WRFG radio show “The Bluegrass Festival,” hosted by T.P. and Sandra Hollomon. As part of the highest-rated bluegrass show in the Atlanta market, Franks participated on the weekly broadcast and occasionally filled in for the hosts. He also from time to time, hosted his own shows on WRFG. In the early 1990s, he hosted “Sacred Sounds” featuring bluegrass gospel on WGFS in Covington, Ga.
With more than 200 recordings to his credit, his music has brought him on stage or in the studio to perform with entertainers in a variety of music fields including these from the field of bluegrass: Bill Monroe; Jim and Jesse; Ralph Stanley; Raymond Fairchild; Jimmy Martin; Mac Wiseman; Chubby Wise; Josh Graves; Doug Dillard; Jerry Douglas; Sam Bush; The Whites; Ricky Skaggs; The Lewis Family; The Isaacs; Byron Berline; Brushfire; The Morningsiders; The Warrior River Boys; The Sand Mountain Boys; The Gary Waldrep Band; The Cox Family; The Primitives; Charlie Cline; The Sidemen; The Watkins Family; Elaine and Shorty; “Doc” Tommy Scott’s Last Real Old Time Medicine Show and The Blue Grass Boys.
Randall was also tapped by two other nationally known performers: Folk Music’s Doodle and the Golden River Grass, with whom Randall carried on the Georgia Fiddle Band tradition; and multi award winning bluegrass gospel group, The Marksmen Quartet.
With comedian and single-note harmonica stylist John “Doodle” Thrower leading the way Randall joined clawhammer banjo stylist James Watson, Wesley and C.J. Clackum and Gene Daniell sharing Georgia’s music from the National Folk Festival to National Public Radio and Television. He recorded six albums with the group from 1985 until Doodle’s death in 1994.
He recorded five albums with The Marksmen Quartet and took the group to perform for The Grand Ole Opry.
Randall joined The Marksmen— Earle Wheeler, Mark Wheeler, Keith Chambers, Darrin Chambers and Rob Gillentine to record the Marksmen second Morning Star album “Cookin’ Now” from 1986 at the Oak Ridge Boys studio in Nashville, Tenn. Producer Eddie Crook played piano, Mike Johnson played steel and Dobro and Gene Crisman played drums.
From that project single releases included “What Would You Think of Him” (chart #51), “Angels Walking Around” (chart #61) and “Train Song #1.”
While the Marksmen on a touring level stepped away from the Southern Gospel arena to become the first all male gospel quartet in Bluegrass and included among the top groups of Country Gospel.
The group moved to MBM Records in Atlanta, Ga. for his next project in 1988 where Randall served as A & R Director, “Back to Basics.” Recorded at Perfection Sound Studios in Smyrna, Ga. Kingsmen owner Eldridge Fox produced and made a special appearance on the project. Many time Singing News Musician of the Year Steve “Rabbit” Easter served as engineer and played several instruments.
From this record Earle and his group finally broke the Top 80 on the Singing News charts with Mark’s original song “Meet Me in Heaven,” which reached the top 40 on the U.S. Gospel Music News charts.
Randall arranged for The Marksmen an invitation to appear for the Grand Ole Opry in 1987 for the Early Bird Bluegrass Show during it annual 62nd birthday celebration. Randall began appearing for the Opry with his own group The Peachtree Pickers in the early ‘80s, when group members left to go to college in 1987, he saw it as a perfect opportunity to showcase The Marksmen. That fall the group also received its first cover feature on the Singing News magazine, The Printed Voice of Gospel Music.
The Marksmen were featured on the Legends of Bluegrass Show by the International Bluegrass Music Association at its Fan Fest event in 1988 along side Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and other notable trendsetters. The group also saw its first inclusion on the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, considered the industry standard.
Franks also appeared adding musical and vocal features to the show and on recordings intermittently after the fall of 1988 as he added to his resume his role as internationally known actor joining the cast of TV’s “In the Heat of the Night” as “Officer Randy Goode” and returning to his own solo career.
Old Homestead of Brighton, Michigan released the group’s next project “Nothin’ Fancy” recorded at Treetop Studios at Bremen, Ga. It was followed by “Southern Gentlemen” recorded in part Treetop Studios at Bremen, Ga. and Wayde Powell’s studio at Young Harris, Ga. Randall appeared on both.
Randall founded the SouthEastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) in 1984 to preserve, promote and publicize Bluegrass Music. Through the organization which has grown to one of the country’s largest serving seven chapters in six states, he supported the creation of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
Randall saw a bluegrass void in some areas in his home state of Georgia so in the mid 1980s he began promoting bluegrass concerts using regional talent in communities that did not have bluegrass events nearby to increase the visibility of the field outside bluegrass festivals. He carried this endeavor one step farther during his off time from “In the Heat of the Night” when he began the “Share with D.A.R.E.” (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) concert series held in communities in several states featuring acts including Jim and Jesse, The Lewis Family, the Osborne Brothers himself and others. The shows showcased bluegrass stars while raising awareness and funds for a program to help keep children off drugs.
Randall joined in echo with fellow Marksmen Earle Wheeler that the bluegrass industry needed a monthly music chart similar to that in Southern Gospel to allow an opportunity for music and artists to be rated and promoted to radio and retailers. He was among those urging this as a viable growth option for the industry to allow new artists to rise in the ranks. Both he and Wheeler were among those who encouraged Bluegrass Unlimited to pursue this objective.
In 1989, Randall released “Golden River Fiddlin’” to the Folk and Bluegrass markets. SPBGMA, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, said Randall had a “Special Touch on the fiddle” while Bluegrass Unlimited called him “Hard Driving…Straightahead..Solid…Sure” like Tommy Jackson and Paul Warren.
Randall studied commercial music while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Georgia State University. Upon graduation, he entered a position as Sales and Promotions Manager for Atlanta based MBM Records. He quickly discovered that independent bluegrass and gospel music recordings were difficult to market amongst mainstream retailers but he set out to make the music he loved available in as many outlets as he could.
As he rose in popularity on television, he used his celebrity status to break down the barriers that he previously faced as a record executive and many other bluegrass and gospel artists encountered by calling mainstream and Christian retail buyers and store managers directly using his podium from NBC and CBS to assist record companies and distributors in marketing his and other bluegrass and gospel product.
Through the effort his products and many other artists sold by the companies he worked with became available in record chains throughout the country.
At a time when the industry was made of largely of established stars rather than rising new performers, Franks joined fellow rising star Alison Krauss as the most visible fiddlers and personalities of the industry in the late eighties and early nineties.
As TV’s “Officer Randy Goode” on the hit series “In the Heat of the Night,” he appeared for five years on NBC and CBS and seen in 150 countries around the world joining the ranks of his musical heroes Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and the Dillards becoming one of a distinguished class of bluegrass stars sharing musical talents on network television within the context of a dramatic or comedic role.
Franks has appeared in numerous films including Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Flamingo Rising” co-starring with Academy Award winner William Hurt as “Officer Randy Kraft.” He starred in the sci-fi thriller “Phoenix Falling” with Stella Parton, in the Vietnam War era action adventure “Firebase 9,” in which he performed on his fiddle an original tune entitled “Cascade.” He also made a special appearance in Dolly Parton’s “Blue Valley Songbird” for Lifetime performing the classic “Boil Dem Cabbage Down” with co-star Sam Bush. Franks began his movie career with a singing role in the movie “Desperate For Love” with Christian Slater. He performed the Carter Family song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
With Randall’s widespread notoriety he gained by weekly network exposure, he worked to expose bluegrass and Southern Gospel to this new audience appearing on radio and television talk, news and entertainment shows. Randall continues to appear on radio stations in all formats, television stations throughout the country, gives countless print interviews talking about and sharing the music he loves.
He also carried this message to America’s youth as an Honorary D.A.R.E. Officer appointed by the National Dare Officers Association, he has appeared for more than 10,000 students across the country to encourage them to live a successful drug-free life while also sharing his love of bluegrass music to a new generation of listeners. He coordinated a nationwide radio campaign featuring Alan Autry, David Hart and himself to encourage a drug-free life.
Randall began the 1990’s as he crossed over to the Southern Gospel market being the first bluegrass performer to take his solo music project “Handshakes and Smiles” to the Top 20 Sales Charts. Singing News gave it “Four Stars.”
Serving both as an artist and producer, he was able to include many of his music heroes on the “In the Heat of the Night” “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” CD released on MGM/UA and Sonlite. The project was one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
In addition to his own concert and personal appearances in the early 1990s, Randall became part of the Grand Ole Opry’s Jim and Jesse Show in 1990 appearing at concerts and festivals intermittently with the bluegrass Hall of Honor members until 1996.
Franks formed his Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in the early 1990s, bringing his unique style of bluegrass into fairs, festivals and communities not normally including bluegrass in their annual celebrations. His show packages included a variety of stars, one of those casts were Donna Douglas, “Elly Mae Clampett” of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Sonny Shroyer “Enos” from “The Dukes of Hazzard” and himself. Another television commercials package featured Dan Biggers “Doc Robb” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night.” Other musical acts that appeared with his show include David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Gary Waldrep, Ryan Robertson, Barney Miller, James Watson, Danny Bell, Bill Everett, Gilbert Hancock, Sue and Kim Koskela, Roger Hammett, The Sand Mountain Boys, The Dowden Sisters and others. At one South Carolina event alone over, 30,000 people came out to see the show and his show was the only featured attraction.
Both his “Sacred Sounds of Appalachia” (1992) and his “Tunes and Tales from Tunnel Hill” (1995) were among the top thirty bluegrass recordings of the year. His “Let’s Live Everyday Like It Was Christmas” single with Grand Ole Opry stars The Whites was given a nod as one of the top Country Vocal Collaborations.
Randall was tapped to host the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. at the Roy Acuff Theater in 1995. He presented Del McCoury his Male Vocalist of the Year Award at the IBMA Awards in Owensboro, Ky. in 1992.
In addition to his schedule, Randall began working with Ramblin’ “Doc” Tommy Scott in 1995. While he worked on the sets of “Grace Under Fire” and “Foxworthy” in Studio City, Calif., he arranged for “Doc” Tommy Scott’s Last Real Old Time Medicine Show with its unique bluegrass flavor to perform at celebrations during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. A veteran 1940s Grand Ole Opry comedian, Scott joined Franks on his 1999 “Comedy Down Home” on Crimson Records. The duo co-wrote the 1999 Lewis Family hit “You Can’t Stop Time.” Scott founded the original Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in 1945. Each has appeared on the others’ stage shows.
Franks hosted and directed the PBS documentary “Still Ramblin’” highlighting the life of Georgia singing cowboy and early Grand Ole Opry star Ramblin’ “Doc” Tommy Scott. He also co-authored “Snake Oil, Superstars and Me” with the legendary country music and western film star “Doc” Tommy Scott and Shirley Noe Swiesz released in June 2007. The 700-page autobiography provides a unique look at 90 years of entertainment from the back roads of Georgia to the Grand Ole Opry and Hollywood where Scott was a television pioneer.
His Crimson CD “God’s Children” (2001) paid homage to the brother duets of the 1930’s. The project includes appearances by David Davis, Sonny Shroyer, “Enos” from “The Dukes of Hazzard,” the late Cotton and Jane Carrier, and Marty Hays. The single “Children In Need,” co-written by Franks and Tommy Scott, featured a performance with Sonny Shroyer reminding listeners of the importance of helping the children in one’s community through a whimsical tale told by “Ollie the Old Church Owl” portrayed by Shroyer.
Randall has been honored with countless awards including The Fiddlin’ John Carson Award, A.S.E. Male Vocalist of the Year, The Cotton Carrier Award, S.A.R. 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. He has performed at thousands of events and television shows including most of the leading Bluegrass Festivals, fairs such as The National Folk Festival, National Black Arts Festival, Georgia Mountain Fair, ACM Fan Fest, CMA Fan Fair, Grand Ole Opry, Fiddlin’ Fish Music and Arts Festival, The Grand Masters, Command Presidential Performance, Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, Miller & Company, Reno’s Old Time Music Festival and HGTV’s Extreme Homes.
Music Representation:
Representing Randall in musical appearances in concerts halls, festivals and fairs:
Brent Taylor
Joe Taylor Artist Agency
2802 Columbine Place
Nashville, Tenn. 37204
(615) 385-5666
joetayloragency@peoplepc.comCountry Music
Randall stepped onto the country music scene after several years of performing in the field of bluegrass and gospel music from Atlanta. Through the support of Jim and Jesse McReynolds and their fan club president Jean Osborn, he began appearing at International Country Music Association Fan Fair having the opportunity to promote his talents. In 1983, he arranged for his youth group The Peachtree Pickers to become the bluegrass act on “The Country Kids TV Series,” a children's “Hee Haw” filmed and syndicated from Dallas, Texas.
Later that year while performing with Dobro pioneer Josh Graves, Bill Monroe took an interest in the young fiddler and began mentoring him. Franks made appearances with Monroe in Nashville in 1984 and when Bill Monroe invited him to bring his youth group The Peachtree Pickers to perform for the Grand Ole Opry birthday celebration in 1984, Franks stepped onto the national country music scene full force being featured in the Music City News alongside the biggest stars of the year.
Within a few weeks, he was traveling with Monroe as a member of his Blue Grass Boys becoming the first fiddler to fill the shoes of the legendary fiddler Kenny Baker.
Franks returned to school and his own Peachtree Pickers after appearing with Monroe from coast to coast widening his audience in bluegrass.
Franks continued building his country music career through exposing his band through television, appearances for the Grand Ole Opry and appearing at the CMA Country Music Fan Fair for 20 events.
With more than 200 recordings to his credit, his music has brought him on stage or in the studio to perform with entertainers in a variety of music fields from Peabo Bryson to Carl Perkins including these members of the country music family: Bill Monroe; Jim and Jesse; Kitty Wells; Pee Wee King; Jimmy Dickens; Carol Lee Singers; Porter Wagoner; Charlie Daniels; The Whites; Ricky Skaggs; Dottie Rambo, Carl Jackson; Buck Trent; Rex Allen Jr.; Noah Gordon; Mario Martin; The Lewis Family; The Isaacs; Ralph Stanley; Raymond Fairchild; Jimmy Martin; Mac Wiseman; Chubby Wise; Josh Graves; Doug Dillard; Jerry Douglas; Sam Bush; Byron Berline; and “Doc” Tommy Scott.
He has shared stages across the country co-starring at events with numerous artists some including Doug Stone; Tracy Byrd; Michael Martin Murphey; Dan Seals; Blackhawk; Diamond Rio; The Hagar Twins; The Kentucky Headhunters; Ronna Reeves; Rhett Akins; Justin Tubb; Alison Krauss; Vince Gill; Reba McEntire; Trace Adkins; Garth Brooks; Billy Ray Cyrus; Mark Wills; Bryan White; Grandpa Jones; Ramona Jones; Jack Greene; Jimmy C. Newman; Stonewall Jackson; Jeanne Pruett; Jeannie C. Riley; Jean Shepard; Jan Howard; John Conlee; Gene Watson; Johnny Lee; Leona Williams; Ferlin Husky; Boxcar Willie; Roy Acuff; Wilma Lee Cooper; Gov. Jimmie Davis; Tom T. Hall; Mike Snider; Tom Wopat; Bill Anderson; Loretta Lynn; and Emmylou Harris.
Franks began his movie career in 1988 with a singing role in the movie “Desperate For Love” with Christian Slater. He performed the Carter Family song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Later that year, as TV’s “Officer Randy Goode” on the hit series “In the Heat of the Night,” he began a five-year run on NBC and CBS and seen in 150 countries around the world.
With widened television exposure, Randall received greater opportunities to appear at major country music events, festivals, award shows and fairs around the country starring alongside the biggest stars in the industry both on stage and on industry television shows.
Support of gospel, bluegrass and country fans and media helped Randall as he crossed over to the Southern Gospel market began the 1990’s being the first bluegrass performer to take his solo music project “Handshakes and Smiles” to the Top 20 Sales Charts. Singing News gave it “Four Stars.”
Randall received career support from many of Nashville's elite alumni both on stage and behind the scenes encouraging his performing, songwriting, and acting careers, placing him in the right places to keep his career growing.
He was welcomed by David McCormick as a repeat guest performer at the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville airing over WSM.
The 1990s included several releases and singles covered in country music media including the “In the Heat of the Night” “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” CD (1991) “Sacred Sounds of Appalachia” (1992) and his “Tunes and Tales from Tunnel Hill” (1995) were among the top thirty bluegrass recordings of the year.
His “Let’s Live Everyday Like It Was Christmas” single with Grand Ole Opry stars The Whites was given a nod as one of the top Country Vocal Collaborations.
Franks was seen regularly on shows on TNN such as “Nashville Now,” “Miller and Company,” “Video Morning,” “Opry Notes,” and special coverage on CMT, and Americana Television as well as mainstream talk shows on NBC, CBS and ABC.
In addition to his own concert and personal appearances in the early 1990s, Randall became part of the Grand Ole Opry’s Jim and Jesse Show in 1990 appearing at concerts and festivals intermittently with the bluegrass Hall of Honor members until 1996.
Franks formed his Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in the early 1990s, bringing his unique style of bluegrass into fairs, festivals and communities not normally including bluegrass in their annual celebrations. His show packages included a variety of stars, one of those casts were Donna Douglas, “Elly Mae Clampett” of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Sonny Shroyer “Enos” from “The Dukes of Hazzard” and himself. Another television commercials package featured Dan Biggers “Doc Robb” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night.” Other musical acts that appeared with his show include David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Gary Waldrep, Ryan Robertson, Barney Miller, James Watson, Danny Bell, Bill Everett, Gilbert Hancock, Sue and Kim Koskela, Roger Hammett, The Sand Mountain Boys, The Dowden Sisters and others. At one South Carolina event alone over, 30,000 people came out to see the show and his show was the only featured attraction.
He often appeared as a special guest performer for the Grand Ole Opry at Opryland at The Grand Master Fiddler Championship. Georgia honored Randall for his work to preserve the heritage of Georgia’s fiddling by naming a state sponsored fiddle contest in his honor.
He joined other high profile country stars walking the red carpet at the CMA Awards and industry events such as the openings of locations of the Country Star Restaurant chain.
He served as Parade Grand Marshal and guest performer at Plains Day Celebration in 1994 appearing with President Jimmy Carter and performing for a private Carter family gathering.
Randall was tapped to host the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. at the Roy Acuff Theater in 1995.
As the Georgia Music Hall of Fame opened in Macon, Ga. his exhibit was on display in the Skillet Licker Café beside other Georgia notables Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood eventually becoming a part of its touring exhibit.
One of his greatest thrills was realized in 1997 when he hosted a special concert at the Ryman Auditorium, the mother church of country music, featuring fellow country stars The Kentucky Headhunters, Ronna Reeves, and Rhett Akins. Uniquely, the night is recorded on the calendar of special dates in Rock and Roll history. That night his performance of the Charlie Moore song “Rebel Soldier” received a standing ovation which lasted for several minutes.
A veteran 1940s Grand Ole Opry comedian, “Doc” Tommy Scott joined Franks on his 1999 “Comedy Down Home” on Crimson Records. The duo co-wrote the 1999 Lewis Family hit “You Can’t Stop Time.” Scott founded the original Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in 1945. Each has appeared on the others’ stage shows.
Franks has appeared in numerous films including Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Flamingo Rising” co-starring with Academy Award winner William Hurt as “Officer Randy Kraft.” He starred in the sci-fi thriller “Phoenix Falling” with Stella Parton, in the Vietnam War era action adventure “Firebase 9,” in which he performed on his fiddle an original tune entitled “Cascade.” He also made a special appearance in Dolly Parton’s “Blue Valley Songbird” for Lifetime performing the classic “Boil Dem Cabbage Down” with co-star Sam Bush.
As he career turned away from the road for a few years, Franks kept his presence in the industry by regularly featuring his long time friends and supporters from the industry in his syndicated newspaper column “Southern Style” opening a window on the Nashville and the people he grew up learning from and loving.
He called on many of his acting and country music friends from Ray Charles to Alan Jackson in a new facet of his career when he co-authored the award winning “Stirring Up Success with a Southern Flavor” with Shirley Smith, executive director for the Catoosa County Learning Center. Franks gathered over 70 celebrities for the cookbook that served as a fundraising project for the center. The book once again brought Franks to the attention of millions of country music fans as Country Music Weekly among other magazines highlighted him, his book and the literacy program. In just one year of sales, that book yielded the program over $25,000.
Randall was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame and Catoosa County designated him “Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle” in 2004.
He returned to the music scene in 2008 with his Share America Foundation, Inc. fund raising CD “An Appalachian Musical Revival.”
He celebrated Valentine's Day 2009 with the love of his life - music by co-starring with Kathy Mattea on the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree on WSM following the Grand Ole Opry.
