Artist Information
Cleve Francis a singer, songwriter, and recording artist as well as a medical doctor with a specialty in cardiology. Born into poverty in rural Jennings, Louisiana, he rose through hard work and resolve to become the successful head of a cardiology practice and one of the few Black performers ever to record country music for a major record label as of the early 1990s.
His fascinating story will be told in the forthcoming memoir Do My Heart Good: My Odyssey Through Country Music, Medicine, and History, to be copublished on October 6, 2026, by the Country Music Foundation Press and the University of Illinois Press. The book will detail the journey of a young man who grew to be a respected and successful medical doctor and one of the few Black artists ever to record country music for a major record label at the time. Francis recorded three albums for Liberty Records during the early 1990s, which included his charting singles “Love Light” and “You Do My Heart Good,” among others
The book will trace three key threads throughout the life of Francis: his lifelong love of performing music, his abiding interest in science and medicine, and his determination to break through racial barriers through personal achievement. Francis’s life story provides insights into the experiences of a gifted singer navigating the high stakes world of country music in the 1990s and the struggles of Black Americans in this country. Above all, this is a story of perseverance and ultimate triumph in the face of many obstacles.
As an artist, Francis has been featured in major news media, including USA Today and People and has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and The Today Show. During the mid-1990s, he cofounded the Black Country Music Association and spurred the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to compile and issue the CD box set From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music with Warner Records Nashville.
Throughout his life, Francis has written, performed, and recorded music—a through-line that intertwines with his education and medical career. The founder and CEO of Mount Vernon Cardiology, Francis is now retired from clinical practice and lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Hardeep.
