Frank Milton McCoy was born in El Centro, California, and received a bachelor's and master's degree in Education and Music from San Francisco State University, and a doctorate from the University of California in Higher Education. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, McCoy studied and toured as a concert pianist in numerous countries and was the first American to present a solo concert on the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon. McCoy later worked as a public school music and English teacher in various Los Angeles Unified schools, and he joined the board of the Education Guild of the Los Angeles Music Center. In 1976, McCoy wrote his published book, Black Tomorrow, examining the evolution and influence of African-American music and culture.

In the 1980s, McCoy served as music and drama critic for the Los Angeles Sentinel, and he became the first African-American member of the National Association of Music Critics. He also served on the board of the Southeast Symphony Association and was involved with the Church of Religious Science and the National Negro Musicians Association. McCoy died in Los Angeles in 1998.