Frank Stamps

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[edit] Stamps, Frank Howard

(1896 - 1965)

Frank Stamps was a native of Upshur County, Texas. He served in World War I, and then attended the Vaughan School of Music. When his brother, V. O. Stamps, formed a music company in 1924, Frank organized the Frank Stamps Quartet as a promotional group to represent the company’s songbooks.

In 1927, the Frank Stamps Quartet became the first to sign with a major record label, Victor Records. They had the first Southern Gospel hit record with "Give the World a Smile." When V. O. Stamps died in 1940, Stamps took over his brother’s duties at Stamps-Baxter for a few years. Ultimately, Stamps decided to leave Stamps-Baxter in the hands of J. R. Baxter and form his own publishing company, the Stamps Quartet Music Company.

With the backing of Stamps both at Stamps-Baxter and Stamps Quartet Music, many groups traveled under the Stamps name and promoted songbook sales. Frank continued to sing with various Stamps groups, including the company’s flagship group, the Frank Stamps All-Stars. This group ultimately became known simply as the Stamps Quartet, and when Stamps retired from singing with the group in 1950 to focus exclusively on songbook publishing, the group continued to record for the next seven years as the Stamps Quartet. They changed the group name to the Plainsmen Quartet in 1957 and severed ties with the publishing company. A few years later, another Stamps Quartet was formed out of the publishing company, but Frank Stamps did not sing with them. He ultimately sold the company and the Stamps Quartet name to James Blackwood and J. D. Sumner.

In 1997, the SGMA Hall Of Fame posthumously inducted Frank Stamps and his brother.