This article is about the contemporary musician. For the 19th century governor of New York, see Frank S. Black.
Frank Black, also known by the stage name Black Francis (real name Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, born April 6, 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts), is an American musician. He was one of the founding members of the alternative rock band the Pixies, along with guitarist Joey Santiago.
Thompson was raised in Harbor City, California. He studied in the University of Massachusetts, before taking off to Puerto Rico as part of an exchange program. It was here where he reportedly spent six months in an apartment with a "weird, psycho, roommate," who inspired the song "Crackity Jones." Many of the Pixies' early songs refer to Thompson's experiences in Puerto Rico, most notably "Isla De Encanta," incorrectly named after the island's motto, "Isla Del Encanto" (Island of Charm). Thompson finally left his studies after debating whether he would go to New Zealand to view Halley's Comet or to start a rock band with his former roomate from Massachusetts, Joey Santiago.
The Pixies were active from 1986 to 1992. They found modest success (primarily on college radio) in America and became very popular in Britain and throughout Europe. They've retained a following, and have since been seen as one of the best and most influential rock groups of their era.
After the band split (due primarily to internal tensions between Thompson and bassist/singer Kim Deal), he went on to record solo material with Eric Drew Feldman. After adopting the stage name "Frank Black" (a reversal of his "Black Francis" persona), his first solo release was the self-titled Frank Black ( 1993), which included the song "Los Angeles" (about different places named Los Angeles—"not the one in south California / they got one in south Patagonia"), and this was followed in the next year by Teenager of the Year, which included the song "Headache." These two albums were critically well-received and remain fan favorites, although they enjoyed little commercial success.