"Frantic" Fay Thomas

January 2025 "Frantic" Fay Thomas Fannie Crawford 1978 7 6 1922 9 14 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Jazz Musician Piano Exclusive Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Frantic18.jpg solo_singer Fannie "Frantic Fay" Crawford Thomas (September 14, 1922 – July 6, 1978) She was an American pianist and vocalist. She recorded for Exclusive Records in 1949. Life and career Thomas was born Fannie Crawford in Memphis, Tennessee. As a teenager, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Her father Elijah Crawford and her brother Bayless Crawford were cooks. On March 12, 1940, she married George Thomas in Cleveland, Ohio.Goldberg Marv Frantic Fay Thomas http://www.uncamarvy.com/FranticFayThomas/franticfaythomas.html 2020-11-10 www.uncamarvy.com Thomas began performing at Detroit's Four Horsemen Club in 1940. She was discovered by Earl Carroll, who gave her the stage name "Frantic Fay." Thomas was featured with Earl Carroll's Vanities in the spring of 1944 and played eight months at Harry's Show Bar in Detroit. She was managed by Delbridge & Gorrell.Fay Thomas https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1944/BB-1944-YB.pdf The Billboard 1944 Music Year Book 1944 321 Thomas played piano by ear.1944 Fay Thomas, The Girl Plays by Ear - Currently at Harry's Bar, Detroit (Advertisement) https://books.google.com/books?id=cBoEAAAAMBAJ&q=Fay+Thomas&pg=PA296 Billboard Music Year Book 1944 296 Billboard magazine described her style as "individual, with a jive touch," adding that "she is at her very best in an interpretation of the deep blues." Through the 1940s, she had appearances at hotels and bars around Detroit and the West Coast.January 30, 1948 Rhythm Plus: Faye Thomas Gives Cafe Patrons a Thrill https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-desert-sun-frantic-faye-thomas-at-m/138147776/ 2024-01-06 The Desert Sun 6 In 1949, Thomas recorded four songs for Leon René's Exclusive Records in Los Angeles: "I'm In Town," "Waga-Waga," "I Don't Want Your Money, Honey," and "Lover Man." Her first single "Waga-Waga" / "I Don't Want Your Money, Honey," was released in June 1949. Reviewing the single, Billboard wrote: "New thrush-88er packs a dynamite live style with something of Rose Murphy and Nellie Lutcher and plenty of her own. Her piano work is of pro caliber, too."July 2, 1949 Record Reviews https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1949/Billboard%201949-07-02.pdf Billboard 118 The record "I Don't Want Your Money, Honey" was Cash Box magazine's Race Disk O' The Week. They noted that track was a "surefire clickeroo if ever there was one. Jut listen to this gal skim thru the 88's and gurgle, chuckle, giggle and sing, and make more sounds than you've heard in a month of Sundays."July 2, 1949 Race Disk O' The Week https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/40s/49/CB-1949-07-02.pdf Cash Box 13 The single did well in local markets, but it did not chart nationally. Her second single, "I'm In Town" / "Lover Man," was released in September 1949.September 24, 1949 Jazz 'n Blues Reviews https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/40s/49/CB-1949-09-24.pdf Cash Box 16 Later that year, Thomas had another session with Exclusive and recorded four more songs. The single "Thinking Of You" / "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City" was released in December. That month, Exclusive declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in January 1950. Thomas never released another record. In the 1950s, Thomas performed gigs at various venues around the United States.September 11, 1952 Entertainment Nightly - O'Brien's Corner Featuring Reno's Favorite, Fay Thomas at the Piano (Advertisement) https://www.newspapers.com/article/reno-gazette-journal-fay-thomas-at-brie/138147532/ 2024-01-06 Reno Evening Gazette 2November 10, 1956 Miami Carver Hotel - Appearing Nitely In The Celebrity Lounge - Frantic Fay Thomas (Advertisement) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-times-fay-thomas-at-the-miami/138126450/ 2024-01-06 The Miami Times 15July 13, 1959 Clover Club Presents California's Fines - Fay Thomas (Advertisement) https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-frantic-fay-thomas/138125904/ 2024-01-06 Detroit Free Press 16 She married Lonnie I. Riggs in 1954. By the 1960s, Thomas had relocated back to Detroit; and she continued to perform around the Midwest. She died in Detroit on July 6, 1978. Years after her death, Thomas' songs were featured in the soundtracks of a few movies. "I'm In Town" was used in the films Men Of Honor (2000), Lonely Hearts (2006), and Trumbo (2015). One of her unreleased Exclusive tracks, "I Only Want You" was used in the films Lovelife (1997) and Second Skin (2000). Discography 1949: "Waga-Waga" / "I Don't Want Your Money, Honey" (Exclusive 109x) 1949: "I'm In Town" / "Lover Man" (Exclusive 126x) 1949: "Thinking Of You" / "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City" (Exclusive 145x) References External links 1151355 Frantic Faye Thomas Category:1922 births Category:1978 deaths Category:Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Musicians from Detroit Category:20th-century American pianists Category:African-American jazz pianists Category:American jazz pianists Category:American women jazz singers Category:American jazz singers Category:Exclusive Records artists Category:20th-century African-American women singers Category:20th-century American women singers Category:20th-century American women pianists Category:Articles with quotation marks in the title Category:African-American women pianists