Cree Summer was born in California, to a mother who was a dancer, and an actor/musician father, Don Francks. It was 1969; the hippie movement was in full effect, and Don didn't want to have a child in Hollywood. Francks fell in love with "Red Pheasant", a Plains Cree reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada. So, he moved his family and, with his bare hands, built them a house of mud. Cree spent her first eight years there, later living in a school bus, a horse stable and a commune called the "Music Church". Her first taste of school didn't come until the fourth grade in Toronto. Restless and relatively independent, thanks to the money she saved from voicing cartoons since the age of 13, Cree dropped out at 16. "I had an isolated childhood", she admits, "but I fell in love with music, the first of it being Pow Wow music - traditional native Cree songs. I had two records growing up on "The Res": "Zoot Allures" by Frank Zappa - my musical messiah - and "Motorcycle Michael" by Lotti Golden. Then, I'd visit my grandmom in the summertime and there was Aretha Franklin and Dinah Washington". Her father encouraged her to express her thoughts by writing in journals, which blossomed into a love for poetry and literature. Today, one entire high-ceilinged wall of her home is filled with books. "Lyrically, I'm inspired by urban fantasy/fiction, Elf Quest comix, Sonia Sanchez, Toni Kade Bambara, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and Dorothy Parker", she says. As an example, she offers, "'Fall' was written about a dying leaf. I was really into Walt Whitman at the time. But I don't like to tell people what the songs are about. I'm always open to finding out how much deeper a song can be". "Making this music has been such a journey of self-discovery," she continues, "and totally organic. I can't say there's a theme to the record. It's as spontaneous as my journeys". The first song on Cree Summer is "Revelation Sunshine," the first song Cree ever wrote (at age 19) to her first love. "It's a fitting way to say hello", Cree says. "I love its purity and the time it represents." "Life Goes On" is a meditative nudge to not waste precious time, while "Angry Boy", is a sweet n' sour examination of an abusive man who is out of touch with his emotions. There's the soulful "Sweet Pain", a love song sparked by a craving for more Al Green and Donny Hathaway music, and "Still Heart," a stark rumination about desperate measures people sometimes take to not be lonely. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, New York and Nassau, where Cree flew to work with longtime friend, Lenny Kravitz. "Lenny taught me song structure", she says of their working association. "He's very persnickety and has an exquisite ear. Lenny made me sing better, and that's a great gift". The unique bond they share is reflected in "Miss Moon", the mystical song they co-wrote for longtime friend, Lisa Bonet. Most profound of all is "Naheo", a confirmation of Cree's roots that throbs to a tom tom pulse under ringing mandolins. "That was inspired by my family. When I left my mama's house to come to LA, I wanted to be a big star. And my father, having left potential big stardom, said, 'Don't ever lose your Indian. Never forget where you came from. Art is a gift and if nobody hears it, that doesn't make it any less of a gift'. Those words never really meant much to me until my first band, Subject to Change, broke up. I didn't listen to music for a year! Then, I started writing again and the first song was 'Smooth My Heart.' Every now and then, life gives you a glimpse of how good it is..." Talk such as this and the warm vibrations one gets from spending any time around her have painted Cree as a spiritualist. "I don't believe spirit is separate from life," she states simply. "We are spirit. I believe that music is good medicine and I believe in truth." In these days when airwaves and charts are clogged with inspiration-challenged strains, a presence like Cree's is a goddess-send. And Ms. Summer is just joyous to have had the opportunity to create one from the heart. "While in Nassau, I thought, 'Here I am in the most beautiful place in the world making music.' I woke up every morning saying thank you. If I was going to title my album anything, it's about gratitude. I am so grateful for this life".
Daughter of actor Don Francks. Brother, Rainbow Francks, is currently a VJ for "Much Music" (2001). Was in a long-term relationship with actor Kadeem Hardison during the run of A Different World. She was never bothered by his character's onscreen romance with Jasmine Guy, stating that she and Guy were "like sisters" in real life, the direct opposites of their characters! Sister of actor Rainbow Francks. Started off in acting, then did some singing, now does mostly voice-over work for TV cartoons such as Rugrats. For those who remember, she was the voice of Penny in the 1980s cartoon Inspector Gadget. She played Princess 'Kida' Kidagakash in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Her brother Rainbow Francks plays Lt. Aiden Ford in Stargate: Atlantis.