When a certain type of studio rhythm section was needed for rhythm and blues, doo wop or early rock and roll, Frank Carroll was one of the bassists that would get the call. His associations are many, but include recordings under the leadership of Otis Blackwell, whose success as a songwriter greatly overshadowed his own recordings of his material. It is hard to imagine rock and roll developing as it did without the presence of Blackwell's material--at least, artists such as Elvis Presley would have had to spend more time looking under rocks for hit records. When Blackwell himself went into the studio under the auspices of producer Joe Davis, both for RCA and Davis's own Jay-Dee label, Carroll was an essential aspect of rhythm sections that included master timekeepers such as drummer Panama Francis and pianist Frank Signorelli. Tracks such as "Papa Rolling Stone" boasted grooves that were ahead of their time, fodder for hitmakers of subsequent generations. Like many bassists, however, Carroll was not associated with just one style of music, either out of his own interest or economic necessity. He worked with jazz vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan, handled gospel sessions with Mahalia Jackson and was on hand for country and western through the years, from old-timer Wilf Carter to quasi-rockabilly dude Billy "Crash" Craddock. As he became further and further established on the studio scene, Carroll also began to function as a contractor for sessions, putting together his own ensembles depending on the nature of the tracks to be cut. He is sometimes confused with the reggae artist Frank Carroll, with whom he has one thing in common: they both play bass. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide