| John Ford | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Ford |
| Born | 1 July 1948 |
| Origin | Fulham, London, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, punk rock, pop rock, psychedelic, acoustic rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar keyboards |
| Years active | 1960s - present |
| Labels | A&M, EMI, present: Whole Shot Records |
| Associated acts | Strawbs, Hudson Ford, The Monks, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, High Society |
| Website | Johnfordmusic.net |
John Ford (born 1 July 1948, Fulham, London, England) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He relocated to the United States in mid 1980s and now resides on the North Shore of Long Island, New York.
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The dynamics and versatility of his musical talent, run the gamut from the London folk clubs to large scale international rock venues. Spanning the British Invasion, up to the 21st century Ford has toured and played with musicians such as Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, The Eagles, Frank Zappa, Marc Bolan/T. Rex, Blue Öyster Cult, ZZ Top, RUSH, REO Speedwagon, Steppenwolf, King Crimson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Preston, Cat Stevens, Roy Harper and Dave Mason.
Early music projects as a teenager in the 1960s included The Five Proud Walkers, where Ford got his start. Jaymes Fender & the Vulcans landed Ford his first major record label signing with EMI, with the minor pop hit, "Mistletoe Love", and thence onto Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera signing to Repertoire.
After playing in various bands, Ford's unusual percussive style of bass playing caught the eye of Strawbs' leader Dave Cousins during a performance at Cousins' folk club in Hounslow. He joined Strawbs in May 1970, and Ford's influence on the band, primarily known as a folk rock group, shifted them into a new direction in the progressive / art rock scene. Ford penned songs such as, "Heavy Disguise" and "Part of the Union", Strawbs biggest chart hit, whilst working with David Bowie/T. Rex producer, Tony Visconti on A&M.
Ford received three gold discs and a platinum disc. A few years later, Ford and Richard Hudson, formed Hudson Ford, picking up the UK Singles Chart hits, "Pick Up The Pieces", "Burn Baby Burn" and "Floating In The Wind".
In 1979, Ford hit the charts again with The Monks, a punk project of sorts also picked up by EMI, with the surprise novelty double platinum hit, "Nice Legs Shame About the Face" from Bad Habits and "Suspended Animation". Ford also developed an alter ego in High Society with classic 1930s style melodies, releasing a self-titled album in 1984. In 1986, Ford relocated to the U.S., and started working on his solo project and shows.
Ford teamed up again with Strawbs for the 30 Year Reunion Tour in 1998, performing as bass guitarist and vocalist, after a hiatus since the late 1980s, and again for the 2001 Strawbs' UK Spring Tour. In between, in 1999, Ford played on Ritchie Blackmore's band Blackmore's Night release Under a Violet Moon, their second international release, which featured Ford on "Wind in the Willows". He also played some shows with the band.
In January 2004, Ford opened for Dave Mason at a Long Island concert venue.
July 2004's Strawbs Summer UK Electric Tour, featured Ford on bass and vocals with the original UK electric line up from the 1970s. Some of his live performances can be viewed on DVD with "Strawbs Live In Tokyo" and "The Complete Strawbs - Live at Chiswick House".
March 2006, Ford returned to UK for another Strawbs Electric Tour filmed and recorded for Lay Down with The Strawbs DVD/CD, featuring Ford leading, Part of the Union.
September 12th and 13th 2009, John Ford will join the Strawbs for the Strawbs 40th Anniversary Weekend at Twickenham Rugby Stadium, London as a featured performer. Amongst the past and presents Strawbs band members and alumni will include keyboardist and synth wizard, Rick Wakeman, who later joined YES. The entire program and performances will be reorded and filmed for CD/DVD release in the near future.
In addition to his numerous album credits with band projects, and as session player throughout the years, Ford has released several solo albums: Love Is A Highway (1998), Heading For A High (2000), Natural High (2002), Backtracking (2005), What Ever Happened to Christmas (2005), New World Maxi-Single EP (2006), A Christmas Trilogy 2006, Big Hit In India (2008),
Holiday Releases What Ever Happened to Christmas – a collection of holiday songs; plus appeared on Rock 4 Xmas All Stars compilation - which includes his cover version of "White Christmas". Post-production releases include Resurrected and a live, as yet untitled CD.
2008 Single and CD release, Big Hit In India new original material written and recorded by John Ford inspired by the Summer of Love and Woodstock Festival.
Ford appears on Lay Down With The Strawbs the 2006 Strawbs UK Electric Tour features John Ford on "Kissed By The Sun," "Heavy Disguise" and "Part of the Union" recorded and released by Secret Records and Films Ltd. UK.
All Ford solo songs and CDs are copyrighted and released on Whole Shot Records.
  | John Ford's MySpace page - John Ford of the Strawbs on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads |
| | John Ford official website - John Ford of the Strawbs Website |
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