An enormously popular performer in the late '70s and early '80s, Franks performed folk/rock songs while in high school, then became a literature student at UCLA and a part-time performer. He taught undergraduate music courses in the early '70s at both UCLA and Berkeley, then provided scores for the films Count Your Bullets and Zandy's Bride . He made his first album in 1973, then enjoyed success with a string of late '70s albums on Warner Brothers. He has worked with the likes of Flora Purim , Kenny Rankin , Ron Carter , the Crusaders , David Sanborn , Toots Thielemans , Eric Gale , and others, and has had songs recorded by The Manhattan Transfer , Patti Labelle , Carmen McRae , and the Carpenters .