Motley, Frank and His Motley Crew

Websites:  https://citizenfreak.com/artists/99985-motley-frank-the-bridge-crossings, https://citizenfreak.com/artists/99990-motley-frank-orchestra, https://citizenfreak.com/artists/99986-motley-frank-the-hitch-hikers
Origin: Cheraw, South Carolina, 🇺🇸 → Toronto, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Frank Motley was a showman, a bandleader, and a musical bridge between the southern United States and Canada’s flourishing R&B scene. Born December 30, 1923, in Cheraw, South Carolina — also home to Dizzy Gillespie — Motley learned trumpet from Gillespie himself and eventually developed the dazzling technique of playing two trumpets at once. Known as “Two-Horn” or “Dual-Trumpet” Motley, he fused deep jazz roots with raw R&B energy, captivating audiences across the postwar North American club circuit.

After performing with the U.S. Navy Band during World War II and studying mechanical engineering, Motley formed the Motley Crew in Washington, D.C. in 1949. Throughout the 1950s he recorded prolifically for DC Records, with material licensed to RCA Victor and Specialty, often backed by key players like Curley Bridges and “TNT” Tribble. But it was his move to Canada — first touring through Ontario and Quebec in the early ’50s, then settling in Toronto — that marked a major second act in his career.

Motley’s first Canadian release came in 1956 on the Quality label: the scorching R&B 78 “Rock and Roll Gotta Beat” b/w “New Hound Dog”, issued as Frank 'Dual Trumpet' Motley and His Crew. A powerful mix of jump-blues and early rock, it marked one of the earliest Canadian R&B recordings and placed Motley at the leading edge of the country’s nascent Black music scene.

Throughout the 1960s, he became a fixture in Toronto nightclubs, backing rising vocalists such as Jackie Shane, a charismatic and trailblazing performer whose gender presentation challenged mainstream norms. Their collaborations would become legendary. In 1966, Motley and Shane recorded the single “Money” b/w “Send Me Some Lovin’” for Star Shot Records, credited to Jackie Shane & Frank Motley and The Motley Crew. A year later, they teamed up again for a Canadian 45 featuring “Don’t Play That Song” b/w “Barefootin’”, a live-sounding single released as Jackie Shayne Live with Frank Motley on the Treo label.

Motley also released his own instrumental side around this time: “St. James Infirmary”, a moody, brassy cut issued on Treo in the late 1960s, further showcasing his arranging chops and dual-trumpet attack.

In 1962, he issued his first full-length LP: Frank Motley and His Motley Crew (ABC B-3), an exuberant mix of rock and soul with contributions from Shane and Curley Bridges. It captured the energy of their live shows and remains a vital document of early Canadian R&B.

By the mid-’60s, Motley had disbanded the original Crew and reformed as Frank Motley & The Hitch-Hikers. This new group brought together Caribbean and North American influences, first with Shane at the mic, and later with Jamaican émigré Earle Heedram, who adopted the stage name The Mighty Pope. Guitarist Wayne McGhie also joined, bringing a funky compositional sensibility.

In 1970, they recorded the LP Frank Motley & The Hitch-Hikers for Paragon Records, a brassy, deep-soul collection that included instrumentals and slow-burning ballads. The album was later reissued around 1975 under the title Let It Be, credited to The Frank Motley Orchestra, with identical tracks and updated artwork.

The following year came what is now considered Motley’s most collectible release: “Mr. Fortune” b/w “I May Have Been a Fool” (Heart Records, 1971), featuring The Mighty Pope on vocals. Written by Wayne McGhie and arranged by Jimmy Carver, the A-side became a crown jewel of Canadian funk — a raw, propulsive recording now valued at over $1,500 among collectors.

Motley’s final full-length LP was Chip Dip (Paragon ALS‑303, 1972), released under the name Frank Motley & The Bridge Crossings. It saw him reuniting with Curley Bridges for a tighter, funk-driven studio album that marked the last great chapter of his discography.

As live work declined in the 1980s and his health began to fail, Motley returned to Durham, North Carolina, in 1985 to be closer to his daughters. Yet even there, he remained active in local dance bands and never put the trumpet down. He passed away on May 31, 1998, at the age of 74.

Though his name is too often absent from music history books, Frank Motley was a foundational figure in the development of Canadian soul, funk, and R&B. From his groundbreaking recordings with Jackie Shane to his visionary band leadership on Yonge Street, Motley’s brass-heavy legacy remains etched into the grooves of every collector’s crate — a vital voice in the cultural exchange between the U.S. and Canada.
-Robert Williston