Hey everyone… I’m Karl’s agent & it’s awesome to meet you all…
Karl Francis
Karl’s career has already spanned four decades with his roots lying in ‘Funk Soul’ music when he was the keyboardist for Galliano.
During these years his portfolio of work has been incredibly diverse, ranging from mainstream pop through to working with Manchester United & providing theme tunes / incidental music for Friends & Hero’s, Postman Pat & Rupert The Bear.
His mainstream career began at PWL where he earned significant recognition for his songwriting & production work with artists including Tina Cousins, 5ive, Westlife &, most notably, Steps.
Karl’s capabilities include composition & musical scores for full orchestral pieces & his latest endeavours are focussed on TV & film music production. This draws upon his experience working with Disney for Beauty & The Beast, Channel 5 for Rupert the Bear & BBC for Postman Pat.
Karl’s Story
Aged just 5, accompanied by his father, he was blown away by Star Wars when he first saw the film series in the cinema. If you were to ask him what he found so magical about the experience, he’ll always refer to John William’s orchestral scores & how fascinated he was by the way the music moved the listener emotionally.
It was from this moment on that Karl’s love of music began. A love that, it’s fair to say, consumed his focus over the coming years & decades. Again, his father accompanied him when he made his first purchase of a keyboard at the local music shop. This allowed him to dedicate his days to understanding the foundations that lay behind the audible form which had moved him so much, emotionally, years earlier.
Throughout his childhood Karl spent all his spare time teaching himself a breadth of musical capabilities & if anyone ever wondered where he was during school hours, all they had to do was walk over to the music block to find him relentlessly practicing his passion.
He hadn’t even reached his teenage years by the time he was performing in local working mens clubs with his cousin - singing & playing the keyboard. Again, it was his father that supported him along the journey, playing ‘taxi dad’ to the cause & always being a pillar of encouragement along the way.
After leaving school aged 16, Karl secured his first job at a welding company that his father also worked at. Long hours combined with physically enduring work, Karl distinctly recalls the consistent question his father asked every night driving him home: “Do you want to be a welder for the rest of your life son?” To which Karl would, unsurprisingly, respond “No”. His father would just reply “Then you carry on doing what you’re doing with your music”.
It wasn’t long before Karl was propelled on the next leg of his musical journey. By chance, he became party to the knowledge that a local guitarist was looking for a keyboardist in his band. After a successful audition, he was accepted into the team. Little did Karl know that this guitarist, Mark, would eventually become his long term writing partner.
During the 80’s & 90’s it was customary for big name studios to open up their facilities ‘out of hours’ for aspiring musicians to use. So, while the rest of the world slept, Karl & Mark would tirelessly write, sing, compose, repeat. A daily (Or nightly) routine that allowed Karl the freedom of expression & exploration of his one true love, music.
Then one night it all changed… Unbeknownst to Karl & Mark, someone had heard them practicing in the early hours. This man stood there listening while they obliviously carried on doing what they loved. That man was Peter Waterman &, before they knew it, they were signing their first recording contract with PWL. Karl was still in his teenage years at this point.
The next 3 decades brought Karl a plethora of musical successes & achievements. From mainstream pop, working with some of the biggest names in the industry (& securing his very own number one singles), right through to working with Manchester United - Karl had a wealth of unforgettable experiences.
Yet, with all this success, Karl never stepped back from pushing his own boundaries & satisfying his hunger for learning & development. During this time, Karl taught himself how to write & compose full orchestral scores, driven by that love of Star Wars back in the 70’s. He was able to explore such endeavours having been commissioned to complete the musical composition for 56 episodes of Channel 5’s Rupert The Bear & 8 series of BBC’s Postman Pat Special Delivery Service - for which he wrote the title theme tunes too. He was also afforded the special privilege of working with the very Producer of the original Star Wars films, Gary Kurtz, when he was commissioned to compose the theme tune & all the incidentals for 52 episodes of Friends & Heros - again, an experience he will never forget.
Given Karl’s love & passion for musical composition, his hunger for further commission in TV & Film is very much at the forefront of his aspirations. He’ll be the first to tell you that he still does not believe he’s scratched the surface of his musical capabilities &, with this in mind, he’ll pursue that next commission as tirelessly as he has done with every other milestone in his career.
If anyone would like to connect, please do reach out.
Thanks,
KaNdL Team
Karl Francis
Karl’s career has already spanned four decades with his roots lying in ‘Funk Soul’ music when he was the keyboardist for Galliano.
During these years his portfolio of work has been incredibly diverse, ranging from mainstream pop through to working with Manchester United & providing theme tunes / incidental music for Friends & Hero’s, Postman Pat & Rupert The Bear.
His mainstream career began at PWL where he earned significant recognition for his songwriting & production work with artists including Tina Cousins, 5ive, Westlife &, most notably, Steps.
Karl’s capabilities include composition & musical scores for full orchestral pieces & his latest endeavours are focussed on TV & film music production. This draws upon his experience working with Disney for Beauty & The Beast, Channel 5 for Rupert the Bear & BBC for Postman Pat.
Karl’s Story
Aged just 5, accompanied by his father, he was blown away by Star Wars when he first saw the film series in the cinema. If you were to ask him what he found so magical about the experience, he’ll always refer to John William’s orchestral scores & how fascinated he was by the way the music moved the listener emotionally.
It was from this moment on that Karl’s love of music began. A love that, it’s fair to say, consumed his focus over the coming years & decades. Again, his father accompanied him when he made his first purchase of a keyboard at the local music shop. This allowed him to dedicate his days to understanding the foundations that lay behind the audible form which had moved him so much, emotionally, years earlier.
Throughout his childhood Karl spent all his spare time teaching himself a breadth of musical capabilities & if anyone ever wondered where he was during school hours, all they had to do was walk over to the music block to find him relentlessly practicing his passion.
He hadn’t even reached his teenage years by the time he was performing in local working mens clubs with his cousin - singing & playing the keyboard. Again, it was his father that supported him along the journey, playing ‘taxi dad’ to the cause & always being a pillar of encouragement along the way.
After leaving school aged 16, Karl secured his first job at a welding company that his father also worked at. Long hours combined with physically enduring work, Karl distinctly recalls the consistent question his father asked every night driving him home: “Do you want to be a welder for the rest of your life son?” To which Karl would, unsurprisingly, respond “No”. His father would just reply “Then you carry on doing what you’re doing with your music”.
It wasn’t long before Karl was propelled on the next leg of his musical journey. By chance, he became party to the knowledge that a local guitarist was looking for a keyboardist in his band. After a successful audition, he was accepted into the team. Little did Karl know that this guitarist, Mark, would eventually become his long term writing partner.
During the 80’s & 90’s it was customary for big name studios to open up their facilities ‘out of hours’ for aspiring musicians to use. So, while the rest of the world slept, Karl & Mark would tirelessly write, sing, compose, repeat. A daily (Or nightly) routine that allowed Karl the freedom of expression & exploration of his one true love, music.
Then one night it all changed… Unbeknownst to Karl & Mark, someone had heard them practicing in the early hours. This man stood there listening while they obliviously carried on doing what they loved. That man was Peter Waterman &, before they knew it, they were signing their first recording contract with PWL. Karl was still in his teenage years at this point.
The next 3 decades brought Karl a plethora of musical successes & achievements. From mainstream pop, working with some of the biggest names in the industry (& securing his very own number one singles), right through to working with Manchester United - Karl had a wealth of unforgettable experiences.
Yet, with all this success, Karl never stepped back from pushing his own boundaries & satisfying his hunger for learning & development. During this time, Karl taught himself how to write & compose full orchestral scores, driven by that love of Star Wars back in the 70’s. He was able to explore such endeavours having been commissioned to complete the musical composition for 56 episodes of Channel 5’s Rupert The Bear & 8 series of BBC’s Postman Pat Special Delivery Service - for which he wrote the title theme tunes too. He was also afforded the special privilege of working with the very Producer of the original Star Wars films, Gary Kurtz, when he was commissioned to compose the theme tune & all the incidentals for 52 episodes of Friends & Heros - again, an experience he will never forget.
Given Karl’s love & passion for musical composition, his hunger for further commission in TV & Film is very much at the forefront of his aspirations. He’ll be the first to tell you that he still does not believe he’s scratched the surface of his musical capabilities &, with this in mind, he’ll pursue that next commission as tirelessly as he has done with every other milestone in his career.
If anyone would like to connect, please do reach out.
Thanks,
KaNdL Team
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