About Frankie

Frank’s Story

Denver’s Singing Detective

Frank Rino was born in Trinidad, Colorado, in August 1944. His parents later moved to Denver, where he was raised. Frankie and his classmates performed on 16th Street in downtown Denver during high school. He was heavily influenced by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Mel Torme, Perry Como, and many jazz and R&B artists who came to play at the Rossonian Lounge in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.

Frankie made his first public appearances in Denver’s annual Summer Rocky Mountain News Show Wagon tour, as well as the radio station KTLN’s Show Wagon, annual summer Denver happenings in which the wagons would travel around the various Denver neighborhood parks, providing a diverse array of amateur entertainment. The concerts were free to the public and drew large audiences during the warm summer evenings. Frankie performed solo, playing guitar.

He graduated from Saint Joseph’s High School in 1962. He joined the band “The Checkmates” and performed in KIMN’s “Teen Music and Dance Festival” with other local bands. Here he met famed singers Johnny Rivers and Frank Sinatra junior. Frankie was drafted into the Marine Corps during the Vietnam conflict. After his discharge from the Marine Corps, Frankie and his band moved to Wichita, Kansas, where they performed in local nightclubs. Frankie returned to Denver, where he drove a delivery truck during the day and continued performing with his band at night.

In 1972, Frankie and his band, The Colorado Express, signed a contract to perform at the Stardust hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He recorded commercials for the Denver market for Frontier Airlines, Elitch Gardens Amusement Park, and a north Denver mobile home park. While in Las Vegas, Frankie met entertainers Phyllis McGuire, Kenny Rogers, Lee Greenwood, and actors Red West, Robert Conrad, and Connie Stephens. Frankie also appeared on the Merv Griffin Show on November 1, 1972. In 1973, Frankie was introduced to producer Don Costa. He traveled to Los Angeles, where he signed a recording contract with MGM Records and recorded his single “What Becomes of My World” and B-side, “Papa Was a Music Man.” His record found airtime on the west coast of California and Chicago radio stations.

Frankie returned to Denver in 1974 and joined the Denver Police Department. Although he patrolled the streets of southwest Denver on the overnight shift, he continued to moonlight with the Les James Trio in Denver. Frankie performed at local high schools in uniform during police-community relations functions. Frankie was later promoted to detective and remained with the Denver Police Department until his retirement in 2008. Frankie still lives in Denver with his wife, Sara. He has three adult children and three grandchildren. Frankie occasionally records music at FTM Studios in Lakewood, Colorado.

Listen To

Frankie Rino’s Music

Two of Frankie’s albums, Songs I’ve Sung Before and Frankie with The Innovations, are available online wherever you listen to music, but Frankie also has over 40 albums.

See Music

Frank & Eloise with Little Frankie. At a very young age, Frankie made his first public appearances at Denver’s annual Summer Rocky Mountain News Show Wagon as well as the radio station KTLN’s Show Wagon, annual summer Denver happenings in which the wagons would travel around the various Denver neighborhood parks, providing a diverse array of amateur entertainment, all free to the public, drawing very large audiences during the warm summer evenings. Frankie performed solo, playing guitar.

Frankie & Frank/First Guitar with Mom

BEGINNINGS – THE CHECKMATES

After graduating in 1962 from St. Joseph High School in Denver, Frankie joined “The Checkmates” a ‘garage band’ that included Ray Sekera, Curt Fisher (drums) and Dave Adams (guitar). The Checkmates started off in the early 1960’s as “Johnny & The Checkmates prior to replacing Johnny (who was John Paul Jones) with Frankie.

KIM Hit Parade

Frankie would make an appearance in KIMN’s “Teen Music and Dance Festival” along with 15 local Colorado bands as well as national recording star Johnny Rivers. The two KIMN weekly survey sheets shown below are from November 15th and November 22nd, 1965.

At a very early age, Frankie and his band, the Checkmates performed in small local venues and then were booked into a 3.2 nightclub around 1960, located on West Alameda in west Denver which would evolve into the “Galaxy” a bit later in the 1960’s. Frankie recalls that early on the spot had another name, which is lost to time. The Galaxy building still stands today, serving as a veteran’s club. At some point The Checkmates entered the Tom Harvey Sound Recording studio located at 1699 Lincoln Street in Denver in the early 1960’s laying down two tracks “China Doll” and “Surprise” which survive in Frankie’s collection today on a 12-inch 78 RPM acetate!

FRANKIE RINO & THE SQUIRES

The Squires were: Frankie Rino – vocals, Jack Skinner – bass, Eddie Everett – lead guitar, James Woods – drums, Gary Stephens – keyboards

In November of 1965 Frankie and his next group, “The Squires”, headed south to the famed Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, New Mexico – home base for Buddy Holly and the Crickets as well as many others including Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs. They cut two tracks, “Maybe The Last Time” and “We Belong Together” both of which were not released at the time but have since been made available digitally by “Nor-Va-Jak Music Inc.” a company that acquired the rights to the Norman Petty Studio recordings and masters (see the Frankie Rino Discograpy)

Since then “Nor-Va-Jak Music”, the James Brown number “Maybe the Last Time”has been included a CD collection titled “Norman Petty Recording Studios – Vault Series 1965-1969 Volume 3”. That same CD also includes classic cuts by three other Colorado based bands, the Teardrops, the Trolls and the Chandells all from Pueblo, Colorado.

FRANKIE RINO & THE INNOVATIONS

Frankie’s next group, “The Innovations” accompanied him on a long play recorded in Denver independently and released in 1969. Members of the Innovations were:

Frankie Rino
Les James (piano)
Denny Dale (drums)
Tony Streno (bass and trumpet)

Les James would later form his own trio in the 1980’s and would often be joined by Frankie appearing in local Denver venues. The group released one long play album titled simply “Frankie Rino with the Innovations” recorded and produced by noted Denver area music executive Fred Arthur in 1969.

THE COLORADO EXPRESS WITH THE RENDON BROTHERS – VEGAS BOUND

Moving into the 1970’s Frankie was backed by “The Colorado Express” which included Flo and Kenny Rendon – “Express” founders along with George Newman, and Jim Anderson. Frankie recorded commercials for the Denver market including Frontier Airlines, Elitches Amusement Park, and “King of the Row” – a commercial which Frankie sites as gaining the attention which led to his time in Las Vegas.

The band also performed at “The Rocky Mountain Express”.

THE STARDUST/MERV GRIFFIN/THE SAHARA

Then in 1972 Frankie landed a five-week engagement at the famous “Stardust” in Las Vegas. That followed with a booking at Lake Tahoe’s “Sahara” , Nevada – and then an appearance on the Merv Griffin Show on November 1st of 1972, aired on ABC TV nationally and shown on Denver’s KBTV Channel 9 introduced by celebrity Danny Thomas who saw Frankie while appearing at the Stardust.

Frankie and the Rendons remained in the desert glitz Capitol for 3 years. During that time he would meet and befriend many performing celebrities including Frank Sinatra and Frank Sinatra, Jr., Don Costa, Tony Bennett and many more. And during his stint in Nevada he became close friends with Phyllis McGuire of the famous McGuire Sisters, often invited to visit at he Las Vegas residence. He journeyed to Los Angeles during this time and made an appearance in conjunction with Johnny Rivers at the happening “Whiskey A-Go-Go”. ????

MGM RECORDING SESSION

While performing at the Stardust members of the audience included MGM Records executives – a label which would record Frankie in and release a single in the summer of 1973.

OFFICER RINO

With Frankie returning to Denver where he became first an officer on the Denver Police force and then a detective, where he remained for 34 years. As a Denver Police officer Frankie continued is career as a singer and entertainer and often made public relations appearances around the Denver metropolitan area to local high schools on behalf of the Police.

DENVER VENUES

Frankie found himself on a fast track in the Denver adult nightclub scene appearing at many venues – and and along with the Rendon Brothers becoming regulars at La Place Pigalle. Following are many of the lounges and venues where Frankie appeared both prior – during and after his stints in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

– THE CONTINENTAL BROKER
– THE DENVER COLISEUM
– EMERSON STREET EAST
– THE FOUR WINDS SNUG HARBOR LOUNGE
– AND MANY OTHERS