Anthony John Franchini (August 2, 1898 – September 17, 1997) was an American guitarist, most known for his Hawaiian guitar partnership with Frank Ferera, making him one of the most-recorded musicians of all time.

After his time with Ferera, his career was remarkably varied, playing with symphony orchestras and country and western bands, often simultaneously, also working in additional genres, before retiring in his 90s.

[1] In Boston he attended Elliott Grade School, and began formal violin lessons under private tutelage the following year.

[2] The highlight of their act was to interchange instruments, in the midst of performing, while playing "Maple Leaf Rag".

[4] Labels that released Ferrera and Franchini duets include Brunswick, Columbia, Emerson, Gennett, Lyric, Okeh, Pathé, Paramount, and Victor.

[2] Fortunately Franchini was a good cook, and liked to make Itialian dishes when practicing at Ferera's living quarters.

[2] Franchini took a break from recording activities in 1924 to conduct the Nat Martin Orchestra which was supporting the Marx Brothers in the revue I'll Say She Is.

[2] Ferera abruptly decided to leave the music business in 1927, and a seven-and-a-half year partnership ended amicably.

Previously wealthy, he lost his fortune in the Wall Street crash of 1929, and as record and publishing sales subsequently dried up in the following Great Depression, so did his formerly lucrative royalty income.

[2] Franchini spent the period of 1932 to 1936 concentrating on his compositions, working with Claude Hopkins and Clarence Williams, among others.

He transcribed Hawaiian music into English, and wrote original songs such as "Just an Old Bouquet of a Bygone Day", "Pretending" and "Talking to My Heart", the last a collaboration with Jimmy Dorsey.

[2] Upon the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franchini drove from his home in Medford to Camp Edwards in order to volunteer again for the armed services.

Then he spent the following two years with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, while simultaneously playing Western music in nightclubs.

[2] It was back to California in 1956, where he teamed with Ace and Duece Spriggins, formerly of the Sons of the Pioneers, and together they played for private occasions around Palm Springs and at the Mirador Hotel there.

[1] He further expanded his musical repertoire when he played rock and roll as part of the Sampson Horton Orchestra on Jay Gee Records.

[3] He moved to Las Vegas in the 1970s, where he became an activist for the Republican Party, campaigning for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and volunteering at election day polls into his 90s.

[3] Franchini worked in many casino orchestras, and in his 80s also supplemented his income as a strolling violinist for local Las Vegas restaurants.

[1] Franchini enjoyed robust health into his late 90s; he regularly drove until he broke a hip aged 97.