John Ford - Backtracking (2004)

b. 1 July 1948, London, England. Playing bass guitar and singing, Ford first attracted attention during the UK folk music boom of the 60s. In these early years, he played with folk and pop bands such as the Five Proud Walkers, Jaymes Fender And The Vulcans, and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, before moving comfortably into the emerging rock scene. He joined the Strawbs in May 1970, fitting in well with the band’s eclectic blending of folk, pop and rock. He helped the band’s success by writing and collaborating on the composition of some of their numbers, including ‘Heavy Disguise’ and their big UK hit, ‘Part Of The Union’. Ford then teamed up with Strawbs’ drummer-vocalist Richard Hudson. Their band, Hudson-Ford, enjoyed chart successes with ‘Pick Up The Pieces’, ‘Burn Baby Burn’ and ‘Floating In The Wind’. As the 70s ended, Ford and Hudson had hits, as the Monks, with ‘Nice Legs Shame About The Face’ and ‘Suspended Animation’.

Although these groups were in the heart of contemporary pop, floating on the edges of psychedelic rock, Ford was simultaneously working with High Society, a band that drew its repertoire from dance band music of the 30s. In the mid-80s, Ford moved to the USA where he worked mainly as a solo act. He maintained links with the Strawbs through the 80s and 90s, appearing with former members of the band in 1998 on their 30 Year Reunion Tour and again in 2001 and 2004 for tours of the UK. Meanwhile, Ford had also worked as a sideman with musicians such as Ritchie Blackmore. Mainly, though, Ford had a busy schedule of solo engagements and also released his own name albums, usually performing his own compositions.