Marc Ford
Marc Ford (born April 13, 1966 in Los Angeles , California) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the Black Crowes .
Band career
Burning Tree
In the late 1980s, Ford formed the blues-rock power trio Burning Tree with Mark "Muddy" Dutton (bass) and Doni Gray (drums) . After their debut album was released in 1990, the band toured America and was among other things the opening act for the Black Crowes , whose debut $ hake Your Money Maker , also released in 1990, achieved commercial success that Burning Tree failed to achieve .
The Black Crowes
Occasionally Marc Ford came on stage as a guest musician for one or two songs during the concerts of the Black Crowes. When Jeff Cease, the previous lead guitarist of the Black Crowes, left the band, Marc Ford accepted the offer to fill the vacant position.
After Marc Ford had played a decisive role in shaping the band's sound as a permanent member of the band at numerous concerts, three regular studio albums and two sessions later released as The Lost Crowes , he was fired in 1997, allegedly because his drug use endangered the band's performances. Ford's reply that he wasn't the only one in the band with a drug problem didn't change his exclusion.
Various engagements 1997–2003
After getting off at the Black Crowes formed his own band called Marc Ford and the Uninvited , cameos played with Gov't Mule and joined in 1998 the Chris Stills band , which in the same year he left to Luther Russell, the band Federale to establish. A recording contract failed because the interested label Interscope Records was bought by Universal and Federale was no longer supported by this major label .
In 2000 he joined Blue Floyd , a blues- oriented Pink Floyd co-association, made up of Gov't Mule members Allen Woody (bass, guitar) and Matt Abts (drums) and Johnny Neel (keyboard) and Berry Oakley Jr. (bass).
After successful tours with Blue Floyd, Ford decided in late 2001 to return to a solo career. He often performed with his band, to which u. a. continued to belong to Oakley Jr., at the Malibu Inn in Malibu near his hometown of Los Angeles. In January 2002 he welcomed Chris Robinson , the singer of the Black Crowes, who had separated since the end of 2001, on stage to play an acoustic concert with him with various cover pieces. This gig marked the first musical collaboration with Robinson since Ford had to leave the Black Crowes. Two weeks later there was a similar concert at the same place. Ford also co-wrote the song Sunday Sound , which appeared on Robinson's first solo album, New Earth Mud , and later appeared occasionally as a guest musician with Robinson's new band. He went on tour again
under the title Marc Ford and The Sinners , in the meantime recorded titles for a solo album and played in the opening act of the country singer Lucinda Williams , who tried in vain to get Ford's band a record deal. Ford eventually released his first solo album, It's About Time, without the support of a major record company.
Ben Harper
Marc Ford accepted the invitation in 2003 to join Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals as lead guitarist, with whom he toured until the end of 2004. This engagement can be heard on the EP Live at the Hollywood Bowl . Ford also recorded the album There Will Be a Light as a member of the Innocent Criminals with Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama and can be heard on the live DVD / CD Live at the Apollo . Ford left the Innocent Criminals in late 2004 in favor of another band, but played guitar again on Harper's 2006 album Both Sides Of The Gun .
TBC pt. II
In early 2005, rumors grew that the Black Crowes, who had split up for an indefinite period in late 2001 (but not dissolved), would reunite. To the great delight of the fans, Marc Ford was back in the line-up of the band, who reported back in March 2005 with five sold-out shows in New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Until August 2006 the band was on tour almost continuously. On September 5, 2006, two days before the start of their autumn tour, the band received a fax from Ford's lawyer stating that Marc Ford would no longer play with the Black Crowes because he did not want to risk his long-contested sobriety . A few days earlier, keyboardist Eddie Hawrysch had left the Black Crowes due to health problems. Ford and Hawrysch were replaced at short notice by Paul Stacey and Rob Clores.
Solo career and other engagements
After leaving the Black Crowes, Marc Ford devoted himself to a solo career again, producing the recordings of befriended musicians and reforming the band Burning Tree with his old friends Mark "Muddy" Dutton and Doni Gray for three concerts in a club in Hollywood. With the two musicians and his son Elijah as guest guitarist, Ford finally recorded his second solo album Weary and Wired , which was also released in Germany in 2007. As a result, Ford went on tour with his son, Muddy and the drummer Dennis Morehouse and also played outside the USA in Spain, Germany, Holland and Russia.
In 2008 Marc Ford formed a new band with Mike Malone on keyboard, Anthony Arvisu on drums, Bill Barrett on harmonica and bassist John Bazz, with whom he released the album Marc Ford and the Neptune Blues Club in September .
In spring / summer 2009 Marc Ford was part of the live band of the organist Booker T. Jones .
At the end of November 2010, Marc Ford released the album Fuzz Machine , which was recorded in 2007 after the tour with Dutton, Morehouse and Ford's son Eliah, but was initially not released in favor of the Neptune Blues Club.
In addition to his active musical career, Marc Ford began to accompany more and more recordings of various American rock bands as a producer from the mid-2000s. He also played individual guitar parts again and again.
This also includes the production of the 2012 album The Pines by the British country soul band Phantom Limb . This group also acted as the backing band for Ford's next solo album, Holy Ghost . As part of a European tour in spring 2014, Ford also came to Germany for two concerts.
useful information
The American amplifier manufacturer Roccaforte has a Marc Ford Signature model in its range that Ford uses at concerts. The amplifier is a modified custom 80 Watt model with EL34 - tubes is fitted in the final stage and the manufacturer produces the "classic sound" by British amps of the 60's. The implied proximity to the early Marshall models can also be seen optically.
In the meantime, a Marc Ford signature model from the guitar company Bill Asher Guitars has also appeared, which Ford claims to combine the best of a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul Junior. This guitar combines typical Stratocaster properties such as maple neck, body shape, pickup selector switch and tremolo lever with typical Les Paul Junior attributes, such as mahogany as the body wood, P-90 pickups and headstock shape.
Marc Ford is not to be confused with the brother of the guitarist Robben Ford , whose name is Mark; he is not related to the two brothers.
Discography
- The Scarecrows: The Scarecrows Featuring Marc Ford (David Pedroza Music, 1988; released 2005)
- Burning Tree: Burning Tree (Epic Records, 1990)
- The Black Crowes : The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (American Recordings, 1992)
- The Black Crowes: amorica (American Recordings, 1994)
- Thee Hypnotics: The Very Crystal Speed Machine (American Recordings, 1994)
- The Black Crowes: Three Snakes and One Charm (American Recordings, 1996)
- Gov't Mule : Live ... with a Little Help from Our Friends (Sanctuary Records, 1999)
- Gov't Mule: Live ... with a Little Help from Our Friends, Volume 2 (Sanctuary Records, 2002)
- Marc Ford: It's About Time (Anko Records, 2003)
- Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals: Live at the Hollywood Bowl EP (Virgin Records, 2003)
- Scott Thomas: Lovers and Thieves (Halfpipe Records, 2003)
- Various Artists: Songs from the Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison (Koch Records, 2003)
- Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama: There Will Be a Light (Virgin Records, 2004)
- Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama: Live at the Apollo (DVD, CD) (Virgin Records 2004)
- Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals: Both Sides of the Gun (Virgin Records, 2006)
- The Black Crowes: Freak 'n' Roll ... Into the Fog (DVD: Eagle Vision, 2006, CD: Eagle Records, 2006)
- The Black Crowes: The Lost Crowes (Rhino, 2006)
- PawnShop Kings: Locksley (Owen Brothers Publishing, 2007) producer.
- Ryan Bingham : Mescalito (Lost Highway, 2007). As a producer, guitarist and minor instrumental contributions.
- Marc Ford: Weary and Wired (Blues Bureau International, 2007)
- The Steepwater Band: Grace and Melody (Diamond Day Records, 2008). As a producer and guitarist.
- Marc Ford: and the Neptune Blues Club (Blues Bureau International, 2008)
- Ryan Bingham: Roadhouse Sun (Lost Highway, 2009), producer.
- Marc Ford: Fuzz Machine (Little Chair Music, 2010)
- Jake Hamilton: Freedom Calling (2011), producer.
- Jonny Burke: Distane and Fortune (Bandcamp, 2011), producer.
- Phantom Limb: The Pines (Naim Edge, 2012), producer
- Marc Ford: Holy Ghost (Naim Edge Records, 2014)
- Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club: The Vulture (Not On Label, 2016)
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ http://crowesbase.com/tapelisting.cfm?TapeID=1357
- ↑ http://crowesbase.com/tapelisting.cfm?TapeID=1358
- ↑ Marc Ford Quits Crowes ; Report to jambase.com
- ↑ Announcement Marc Ford as tour guitarist for Booker T.
- ↑ Concert report about Booker T. together with MFF
- ↑ Information on the Fuzz Machine album at marcford.bandcamp.com , accessed October 20, 2011.
- ↑ http://marcfordmusic.blogspot.de/
- ↑ Homepage of the band Phantom Limb
- ↑ Marc Ford's biography on naimlabel.com
- ↑ Concert dates on marcfordmusic.com
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.roccaforteamps.com/Levant_Custom_80.htm ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.asherguitars.com/index.php?page=marc-ford-signature-model
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ford, Marc |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rock guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 13, 1966 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles , California |