Neal Francis

Neal Francis is a Chicago singer, songwriter and pianist. He began playing piano at four, and as a teenager he was already working as a sideman, touring with blues players and with the instrumental band The Heard. His debut album Changes came out in 2019, followed by In Plain Sight in 2021, the EP Sentimental Garbage in 2022 and Francis Comes Alive in 2023, a double live album with a concert film.

His third studio album, Return To Zero, grew out of a run of nearly 400 shows between 2021 and 2024. Francis has said it began with the question of what a Thin Lizzy disco record would sound like. Like his earlier studio work, he co-produced it with Sergio Rios and recorded it live with his touring band, with no digital programming. He has opened for Wilco, Black Pumas and My Morning Jacket, and has played Carnegie Hall.