His first recording by another artist was "Now I Know" by the Marksmen Quartet. He began co-writing with Mark Wheeler of the Marksmen creating a variety of songs, including "You Better Get Ready" which Franks featured on his Top 20 selling Christian release "Handshakes and Smiles."

He joined the stable of writers of the Lowery Music Group adding to his accomplishments recordings by TV legend Carroll O'Connor and Academy Award ® nominee Howard Rollins. He also created arrangements recorded by many legendary acts of bluegrass such as Jim and Jesse, Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanley, Doug Dillard, Mac Wiseman, The Lewis Family, Chubby Wise and Country Music Hall of Fame members including Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dickens and Pee Wee King. His compositions and arrangements have been featured in films and on television.

Becoming part of the Nashville writing scene, he was coached under the watchful eye of "Mama" Mae Boren Axton, co-author of "Heartbreak Hotel," and he added to his catalog co-writing with Nashville tunesmiths such as Dottie Moore, Noah Gordon and others. Working with Country and Western legend "Doc" Tommy Scott, he gained The Lewis Family a new standard entitled "You Can't Stop Time." With James "Carson" Roberts, he created his own successful single "Must Be A Reason."

He penned the bluegrass hit "Filling the River with Tears" inspired from a poem by Evelyn Rose Brock for Rebel Recording artist David Davis and the Warrior River Boys.

Randall said he uses much of his talents to create material for his own recording career and continues to write as the Lord leads him. "'The Old Black Fiddle' was one of those inspirations that He gave me quickly one evening," he said. "Much of the basis of the story is based in experiences from my own family history." The song expands on the back-story of the fiddle played in the fabled tale that Charlie Daniels spun into his "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," he said.

Franks is also an actor known for his role "Officer Randy Goode" from TV's "In the Heat of the Night" and for his work in films such as "The Flamingo Rising" with William Hurt and "Phoenix Falling" with Stella Parton and "Blue Valley Songbird" with Dolly Parton. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/randallfranksmusic.

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