Promotional Portrait of Frank Roberts 4 Soul Brothers

This photograph of the Frank Roberts Four comes from the same photoshoot as the image used on the band’s only full-length album, Frank Roberts Four in Canada, released in 1973. The band is comprised of Frank Roberts (b. unknown – 2009) on saxophone, Lester Exhano Jr. (b. unknown) on drums, Louis Mark (b. unknown) on lead vocals, and Aldridge Matthews (b. unknown) on organ.

Roberts was born in New Orleans, Louisiana but moved with his family to Seattle, Washington as a child. Although he received some instruction on the clarinet and violin in school, Roberts was originally self-taught on the saxophone. In high school Roberts founded the Frank Roberts Combo, which performed together for a couple of years before Roberts left to join the Air Force. During his time stationed in England, Roberts attended the London Conservatory of Music, in order to become a band leader. He also continued playing saxophone with a large military band. After being discharged, Roberts continued playing saxophone and developed a showman’s persona during performances, which included antics such playing from the bar top or doing the splits, and earned him the moniker “Incredible Wildman on Saxophone.”