Bagutta Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 56 (1992) Winner
Anthony John Franchini
アンソニー・ジョン・フランキーニ
Anthony John Franchini
Aliases:
Antonio Giuseppe Franchini / Tony Zachary / Mel Ball
Pen Names:
Mel Ball（Pseudonym used for compositions, mainly in the Hawaiian music genre.）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1898-08-02 （Naples, Italy）
- Died
- 1997-09-17 （Las Vegas, Nevada, United States） age 99
- Nationality
- Italy, United States
- Languages
- English, Italian, German, Spanish
- Religion
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Baptized in 1966
- Residence History
- Boston (childhood–) → New York (professional/recording period) → Houston (symphony work) → New Orleans (1946) → Shreveport (touring period) → Las Vegas (from 1970s, later life)
Career
- Occupations
- guitarist, violinist, composer, arranger, music teacher, session musician
- Active Years
- 1914-1995
- Influenced By
- Frank Ferera, Tony Colucci
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliott Grade School (left before completion) | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of Houston (studies) | — | Italian and Social Studies (courses taken) | — | — | United States |
| Unknown institution (degree in biochemistry) | — | Biochemistry | 学士（生化学） | — | United States |
Elliott Grade School (left before completion)
Country:
United States
Left school in eighth grade. Took private violin lessons in childhood.
University of Houston (studies)
Italian and Social Studies (courses taken)
Country:
United States
Attended while with the Houston Symphony; records of a degree are not specified.
Unknown institution (degree in biochemistry)
Biochemistry
Degree:
学士（生化学）
Year of Graduation:
1957
Country:
United States
Recorded as having earned a degree in biochemistry in 1957; the granting institution is not specified.
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Just an Old Bouquet of a Bygone Day
Hawaiian / PopularOne of Franchini's credited songs, featuring Hawaiian-influenced melodies.
nostalgiaHawaiian music
Pretending
PopularA song Franchini composed/arranged during his songwriting period.
lovepopular song
Talking to My Heart
Popular / CollaborationA song co-written with Jimmy Dorsey, illustrating Franchini's songwriting activity.
collaborationpopular music
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- technical, performance-based improvisational arrangementsflexible style crossing multiple genres
- Recurring Motifs
- immigrant rootsfusion of Hawaiian and American roots musicprofessional versatility (symphony, nightclubs, country)
Health
-
hip fracture (in old age)1995頃（97歳時に報告）Limited driving and some activities, but remained comparatively healthy and active into advanced age.
Legacy
Known as a master Hawaiian guitarist with an enormous recorded output in the 1920s, Franchini later performed across symphony orchestras, country, and nightclub settings. He remained active into old age; his scrapbooks and memorabilia were donated to UNLV.
Museums
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Archives Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Archives
- Donation of scrapbooks and memorabilia to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
In Popular Culture
- Mentioned in works on the history of the Hawaiian steel guitar (e.g., Kika Kila)
Quotes
-
"Forget 98, Franchini's looking forward to 100"
Source: Las Vegas Sun (interview/article) (1996)
Trivia
- Franchini and Frank Ferera are credited with more than 3,500 recorded sides together.
- Used the pen name Mel Ball for many compositions.
- Married three times; all marriages ended in divorce.
- Volunteered at polling places and was active politically into his 90s.