Chris Frantz

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Chris Frantz is a founding member of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club with his wife Tina Weymouth. He has produced albums by Happy Mondays, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, and Shirley Manson. Chris also hosts a radio show on Connecticut’s WPKN.

Bio

Charlton Christopher Frantz, known as Chris Frantz, was born on May 8, 1951 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States) is an American musician and producer. He was the drummer for both Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club. He graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and David Byrne met in the early 1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design. They formed a band called the Artistics, which evolved over time into Talking Heads. Frantz also convinced his girlfriend Tina Weymouth to join the band as bass guitarist. They were married in 1977. Members of the Compass Point All Stars family, Frantz and Weymouth formed the Tom Tom Club in 1980, which kept them busy during a fairly long hiatus in Talking Heads activity. Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison reunited as The Heads for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists, including Debbie Harry. He and Weymouth produced The Happy Mondays' 1992 album, Yes Please!. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth recently contributed backing vocals and percussion for the hip hop formation, Gorillaz. He is ranked number 12 in Stylus Magazine`s list of the 50 greatest rock drummers. Frantz has two sons with Weymouth. Their names are Egan and Robin. Chris and Tina Frantz currently reside in Fairfield, Connecticut. Chris Frantz' brother Roddy Frantz is the lead singer for The Urban Verbs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Talks

Chris Frantz (Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads) Talks Cibo Matto’s Hotel Valentine

By Chris Frantz | September 4, 2014

Chris Frantz (Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads) Talks Cibo Matto’s Hotel Valentine

“I wanna move my world/I wanna move my body.” — Cibo Matto, “Déjà Vu”

Chris Frantz (Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads) Talks 7 Days of Funk’s 7 Days of Funk

By Chris Frantz | December 10, 2013

Chris Frantz (Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads) Talks 7 Days of Funk’s 7 Days of Funk

I’ve got to say it’s a thang of beauty, this new 7 Days of Funk LP. Dâm-Funk and Snoopzilla are the new keepers of the funky flame. They have gone...