Frank Brinson could sing most any type of music, but gospel was his forte.
Churches would invite him to sing. If he were in the congregation, he might be called upon to share what he considered a God-given talent. At one time, he was part of a gospel quartet that performed throughout metro Atlanta.
"They were like the Temptations, only they sang gospel," said his stepdaughter, Patricia Hardeman of Stockbridge. "I was grown when he married my mother, but whenever I would see him, he always liked to sing. He would sing to my mother and he would sing to my sons when they were little. He taught himself how to play guitar. Music was a way for him to relax."
Frank Brinson, 73, of Atlanta died May 20 from congestive heart failure at Piedmont Hospital. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Wages & Son, Stone Mountain Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Brinson was born in Waynesboro, a tiny town in east Georgia. He was adopted at a young age and lived briefly in Florida before coming to metro Atlanta as a young man. He didn't finish high school, but held various jobs in the area. He worked as a custodian at Boyd Elementary School for 15 years.
"He was a smart man and a good man," said Mildred Brinson, his wife of 35 years. They met in Atlanta in 1974 and married two years later. Mrs. Hardeman knew her future stepfather had to be a decent man; her mother was particular about her company.
"She's the type who doesn't receive people easily," Mrs. Hardeman said. "For her to allow him to get close to her — there had to be something about him. He had never been married and had never had any children. He loved God and he loved my mother. Just a nice person."
And a good listener.
"He knew how to hold his tongue, how to hold his peace," his stepdaughter said. "Before he passed, I told him he taught me how to listen, and I thanked him for the way he treated my mother. He was more of a father to me than my biological father."
Some of Mr. Brinson's favorite songs to sing were "Amazing Grace" and "Lily in the Valley." A big Sam Cooke fan, he thought "A Change Is Gonna Come" was one of the late singer's best songs, his wife said.
"People would always say, 'He can sing, why can't you?' " she said. "I wish I could."
In addition to his wife and stepdaughter, survivors include three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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