Born Frankie Robinson in Detroit, the youngest of seven children born to Clarence and Elizabeth Robinson. He was nicknamed "Sugar Chile" by his mother. Although neither parent was a musician, Frankie began playing piano by ear at the age of two. At the age of three, he won a talent show at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit. By six, he was playing guest shots with Lionel Hampton's band and the Frankie Carle Orchestra. In 1946, he made a cameo in the Van Johnson film "No Leave, No Love" performing "Caldonia"