Robben Ford
(born December 16 1951, Woodlake, California) is an American blues, jazz and rock guitarist.
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ROBBEN FORD TICKETS
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Career
Ford was born in Woodlake but raised in
Ukiah, California, and began playing the
saxophone at age 10, picking up the
guitar at age 13. Robben and his
brothers Mark (
mouthharp) and Patrick Ford (
drums) had a band they named the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their
father.
Ford began playing professionally at age 18 when the Charles Ford Blues Band got a
gig backing
Charlie Musselwhite. The band also recorded two albums
The Charles Ford Band
and
Discovering the Blues
. Next Ford put together a band with
Bay Area musicians that became
Jimmy Witherspoon's backup band. Ford recorded two albums with Witherspoon,
Live
and
Spoonful
. The Ford Blues Band reunites periodically, and released live albums in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 1970s, Ford began to branch out into
Jazz fusion, and joined
L.A. Express led by saxophonist
Tom Scott in 1974. That same year they backed
George Harrison on his
American tour. In addition to recording fusion albums, they served as
Joni Mitchell's backup band on
Hissing of Summer Lawns
and her
live album,
Miles of Aisles
.
After leaving L.A. Express in 1976, Ford recorded his
solo album,
The Inside Story
with a band that was to become the
Yellowjackets. He went on to play a starring role on the first two Yellowjackets albums, although he was listed as a guest artist due to
recording contract arrangements.
Ford worked briefly with
Miles Davis in 1986; he can be heard on Davis' Montreux
box set. Ford released his next album, called
Talk to Your Daughter
in 1988, a return to his blues roots. In 1989 he joined
Philippe Saisse,
Marcus Miller and J.T. Lewis in the cast of The Sunday Night Band for the second and final season of the acclaimed late-night
NBC television musical performance program,
Sunday Night
.
[1] His best work in the 1990s include
Robben Ford and the Blue Line
, and
Tiger Walk
. In addition to recording and touring with his own blues band, Ford continued to tour and play with other bands/artists such as Jing Chi (his fusion band),
Gregg Allman and
Phil Lesh. He has received nominations for four
Grammy Awards.
Several Ford tribute bands exist. Ford was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by
Musician
magazine.
[2]
Ford uses
Dumble Amplifiers. When travelling abroad he tends to use rented Fender
amplifiers along with a Zendrive overdrive pedal by Hermida Audio. Guitar manufacturer
Fender used to make a Robben Ford signature guitar, although lately Ford tends to favour
Gibson Les Pauls and a custom-made model by Sakashta Guitars.
Ford is
married to the
cabaret singer,
Anne Kerry Ford, and collaborated with her on various projects. His nephew,
Gabe Ford, is also a musician.
Discography
- Discovering the Blues
(1972)
- The Charles Ford Band
(1972)
- Miles of Aisles
(1974)
- Tom Cat
(1974)
- Schizophonic
(1976)
- Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford Live
(1976)
- The Inside Story
(1979)
- Love's A Heartache
(1983)
- Reunion Live
(1984)
- Talk to Your Daughter
(1988)
- Robben Ford and the Blue Line
(1992)
- Mystic Mile
(1993)
- Handful of Blues
(1995)
- Blues Connotation
(1996)
- Tiger Walk
(1997)
- Blues Collection
(1997)
- The Authorized Bootleg
(1998)
- Supernatural
(1999)
- Sunrise
(1999)
- A Tribute to Paul Butterfield
(2001)
- Anthology: The Early Years
(2001)
- Blue Moon
(2002)
- Keep on Running
(2003)
- City Life
(2006)
- Truth
(2007)
- Soul on Ten
(2009)
See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of jazz guitarists
- List of guitarists
- List of jazz fusion musicians
- List of guitarists by genre
References
- ''Sunday Night'' - episode #121 (1989), Broadway Video, Inc.
- Vervemusicgroup.com information