He was the brother of violinist, conductor and concert promoter Nahan Franko.

A native of New Orleans, Franko studied the violin in Europe, working with Joseph Joachim and Henri Vieuxtemps among others.

Upon his return to the United States he joined the Mendelssohn Quartet, later working with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

[1] His autobiography, Chords and Discords, was published in 1938, and he died in New York City in 1937.

The set of cadenzas he wrote for Mozart's Violin Concerto in G-major K. 216 has become a standard part of the concert repertoire, more so than all of the numerous other cadenzas that have been written for this piece.