Frank Wakefield

About

American bluegrass artist and singer. He plays Mandolin, Guitar and Bass. Furthermore he works as a producer and arranger. He was born June 26, 1934 in Emory Gap, Tennessee, and died April 26, 2024. He moved to Dayton in 1950. He and his brother Ralph appeared on WHIO in Dayton as the Wakefield Brothers. In 1952, he met Red Allen and the two of them worked together on and off for twenty years. In 1953, Frank wrote “New Camptown Races” and recorded it on Detroit’s Wayside label. In 1957, he, Red Allen, and Red Spurlock recorded as The Red Heads for Les Bodine’s BMC label in Dayton. Frank went East and worked with the Greenbriar Boys, the Country Classics, and the Good Ol' Boys, in between stints with Red Allen. He performed with David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and, in 1975, formed the Frank Wakefield Band, which continued on into the 2010s.