Meet Cancion Franklin | Songwriter, guitarist, singer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cancion Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cancion, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have a little bit of trouble with authority, so I knew early on that I would have to work for myself if I was going to be able to do something for the long haul. Little did I know, I would end up having to answer to so many more people than I ever would have if I just got a job somewhere.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a Country and Blues musician. I think it’s a wonderful thing to be because getting older is seen as a respected aspect of the music, whereas in other genres aging can be an albatross or something to overcome. A bluesman is a great thing to be if you are worried about being successful, because when you’re down and out you’re in great company. So many of the great people to ever do it struggled immensely, and I always look to them when I’m afraid. Artists today are told they have to be genius marketers, photographers, videographers, etc or at least have enough money to pay people to set up all these aspects of the career. If there’s one thing I’ve done right its that I’ve largely ignored all that and chosen to take the long way around. To me its all about the songwriting. I came up playing in bars in New York city, where no one will pay attention to you, even if you are good. I had to work for the better part of ten years just to have a small audience, and it really taught me how to grab attention with my lyrics and my playing.

I really want people to know how much this work means to me. Country and Blues music is something I’ve studied for most of my life. I think I’m doing a good job of finding the space that is left to be original in a game that has been played by the people I revere the most. I don’t walk up to the altar of country music lightly, it’s something sacred to me and to get to do it at all is amazing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
St Mary’s Mexican Food is hands down the best Mexican food I’ve ever had and it haunts my dreams when I stay away for too long. I also love Arizona because there is so much state land here to explore. It belongs to the tax payer, so we all technically own it. Theres nothing better than taking the frontage road in my truck and just exploring a patch of desert that I’ve never seen. This state is also home to some of the greatest Dive Bars in the world. The Buffet, Cowpony, Boondocks, Roosters, the Dirty Drummer, the list goes on. Drive around the state and you will find the coolest little small towns with beautiful access to nature. I’m born and raised here, and I always say, we have everything but the beach. The mountains and forests are amazing during the summer to cool off.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely owe a lot to my father, Francisco Franklin. He’s a painter, and growing up I saw him go through so many ups and downs, I was able to first hand see the results of devotion. We were broke so many times but it was all worth it because of the way that we were able to live. I think most people wait for the right moment to try and do something that they want to do, my dad taught me that that moment is never coming, so now is the time to begin.

I also owe a lot to all of the people I’ve met in the bar business. More than anything that ever had to do with music, the community of people that I met in the years that I was a bartender to this day are the people I can lean on when times get tough. The first people to start going to my shows were the bar backs, chefs, waiters, hosts, etc that make up the backbone of the hospitality industry.

Website: www.cancionfranklin.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cancionfranklin

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cancionfranklin

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/22a4v1lXZeZk8wuXDLjXhH?si=9uqeWLnxTZiYl3f4hmwsLA

Image Credits
George Mccann photography is responsible for the main image!