Jazz Singer Michael Franks Announces Detroit Show at Age 80

At 80 years old, Michael Franks will take the stage at Detroit's Music Hall Center this August 16. The jazz artist has filled local venues since the 1970s. Show time starts at 8 p.m., with seats priced from $79.60.

Up in New York's Catskills, he's crafting fresh music. Four tracks are near completion for his next release, set for 2026. His last work dropped seven years back with "The Music in My Head."

"The pandemic was strange for everyone, but for me, I felt very creative. But I never finished anything – I never wrote any lyrics, just collected a lot of musical ideas," said Franks, according to the Detroit Free Press.

His Detroit roots stretch deep into his early career. "When I first started touring, I was playing clubs as an opening act. 'The Art of Tea' (1976) was out, and I was getting airplay. We used to be an opening act at clubs, and all of a sudden, we get to Detroit and go to this beautiful venue, and there were people waiting to get in – like, it was jammed."

Though his shows are now rare, Detroit stays fixed on his tour map. Past stops include the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre and Meadow Brook.

Off-stage, new projects fill his time. A podcast called "The End of One" starts this fall, made with singer Veronica Nunn. He's also writing his memoirs.

Local talent shapes his upcoming tracks. "There are so many great players that live in a little town called Catskill, New York, which is only about 15 miles from where I live . . . It's been great for me to work with locals, rather than just schlep people up from the city, and be totally relaxed."

Rain couldn't stop his last Detroit show. "I've got a fan who sent me some footage taken on their phone from the last time we played Aretha Franklin, and I could not believe it – there was a pouring thunderstorm. I could not believe how everyone stayed."