Stewart Francke will receive 20th Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Arts Award from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan on May 7th

April 09, 2009 (PRLEAP.COM) Entertainment News
Thomas Wolfe was wrong, at least in this case. You can go home again, especially under these circumstances.

Long considered one of Michigan's favorite sons, Stewart Francke will receive a 20th Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Arts Award from his hometown of Saginaw on May 7, 2009.

Francke will be honored by the Saginaw Arts & Enrichment Commission for his "passion for music and the joy his songs bring to so many in his home state and beyond." The All Area Arts Award ceremony will be held at the Dow Event Center on May 7, 2009 at 6:30. Stewart will perform a brief acoustic set. The event is open to the public; call 989 759-1496 for ticket information.

Quoted in an article in The Saginaw News, Francke said, "I'm flattered and humbled that they'd think of me for this kind of recognition, and I'm also excited to go back and play some music in Saginaw. It's quite and honor and one of the high points in my work life."

A leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor, Francke's most recent release is this year's Alive and Unplugged At The Ark, an acoustic live show recorded at the famed Ann Arbor music showroom. Long a songwriter's songwriter, with fans as renowned as Bruce Springsteen, Francke has written several songs with Saginaw and its characters as both theme and backdrop. His first cd, 1995's Where The River Meets The Bay, is a poetic description of his hometown and its surroundings.

In related news from www.stewartfrancke.com:

Stewart Francke nominated as Best Songwriter in 2009 Detroit Music Awards. The DMA will be at the FIllmore Detroit on April 17.

Stewart Francke and his band will perform at the famed Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, as part of the 2nd Bruce Springsteen Symposium, September 24-27. Stewart will join east coast greats and Springsteen favorites Joe Grushecky, Jesse Malin and Gaslight Anthem. Other dates in NYC and Philly will follow for a brief East Coast fall tour.

Stewart recorded his own version of The Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" for a Garage Band compilation on Collectibles Records called Garage Band Beatles. The cd will be released in Summer '09. Several new tracks were also recently recorded with Detroit session greats Darryl Pierce and Chuck Bartels (of Bettye LaVette's band), to be compiled for a new cd scheduled for a fall 2009 release.

Stewart and his band will perform live at The Ark in Ann Arbor on June 18. Tickets at Ticketmaster or call (734) 761-1800.

Visit http://stewartfrancke.com for more information.