Michael Franks (born 18 September 1944 in La Jolla, California) is a smooth jazz singer and songwriter from the United States. He has recorded with a Who`s Who of artists, such as Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Art Garfunkel, and David Sanborn. His songs have been recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, and The Carpenters.

In high school, he began singing folk-rock, accompanying himself on guitar. He never studied music in college or later[1], earned an M.A. from UCLA in Comparative Literature, and a PhD from the University of Oregon.

He was on records with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and recorded an eponymous album (later reissued as Previously Unavailable) before landing a contract with Warner Brothers Music in 1973. Since then, Franks has recorded more than 15 albums.

His best known works include "Popsicle Toes", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "The Lady Wants to Know", "When the Cookie Jar is Empty", "Tiger in the Rain", "Rainy Night in Tokyo", and "Tell Me All About It". His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don`t Touch That Phone)", from the album Passionfruit. Radio hits include "Your Secret`s Safe With Me" from the 1985 album Skin Dive, and "Island Life" from 1987`s The Camera Never Lies.

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