An accomplished pianist and singer-songwriter, Frank McComb (born on July 15, 1970) first made a name for himself by playing the nightclub circuit with seasoned jazz players in his native Cleveland during the late 80s. Shortly after graduating from high school, he joined the male R&B vocal group The Rude Boys as a singer, eventually becoming the group’s musical director. McComb soon relocated to Philadelphia under the advice of Jeff “DJ Jazzy Jeff” Townes, who had invited The Rude Boys to be the opening act for DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and took a job as a studio musician with songwriting duo Gamble & Huff. Following an ill-fated record deal with MoJazz Records, McComb joined Branford Marsalis’ jazz-rap project, Buckshot LeFonque, as one of the lead vocalists. The eclectic outfit released two critically-acclaimed albums: Buckshot LeFonque (1994) and Music Evolution (1997), both of which helped the singer land a record deal with Columbia Records. Love Stories (2000), co-produced by McComb and Marsalis, quickly became a fan favorite but ultimately suffered from the label’s lack of support. He followed up with the independently-released The Truth (2003) and Straight from the Vault (2005), which earned the singer a SoulTracks Readers Choice Award in the category of Best Album. In 2006, he came back with a series of unreleased material from his MoJazz days entitled The Truth, Volume 2 and A Tribute to the Masters, a collection of instrumental pieces dedicated to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and George Duke, among others. Subsequently, McComb kept fans satisfied with the release of A New Beginning (2010), Live in Johannesburg (2013), and Soulmate / Another Love Story (2016).
