Frankie Ford (born Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr.; August 4, 1939 – September 28, 2015) was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer, best known for his 1959 hit "Sea Cruise".

Biography

He was born in Gretna, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, and was the adopted son of Vincent and Anna Guzzo, who named him Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr. He learned to sing and dance at an early age, and when at high school joined a group, the Syncopators, as singer and pianist. He was spotted by manager Joe Caronna, who took him to Johnny Vincent of Ace Records. Taking the stage name Frankie Ford, he made his first recordings for Ace in 1958.

Ford toured widely around the US, but his later records were less successful, with his versions of "Alimony" He continued to record and perform through the 1990s. On May 16, 2010, at the Louisiana Music Homecoming in Erwinville, Ford was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Ford died in Gretna at the age of 76 on September 28, 2015, following a long illness.

Discography

Singles (selected)

  • "Cheatin' Woman" / "The Last One to Cry" (1958)
  • "Sea Cruise" / "Roberta" (1958) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 14 / US Billboard R&B No. 11
  • "Alimony" / "Can't Tell My Heart (What To Do)" (1959) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 97
  • "Time After Time" / "I Want To Be Your Man" (1960) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 75
  • "Chinatown" / "What's Going On" (1960)
  • "You Talk Too Much" / "If You've Got Troubles" (1960) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 87
  • "My Southern Belle" / "The Groom" (1960)
  • "Seventeen" / "Dog House" (1961) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 72
  • "Saturday Night Fish Fry" / "Love Don't Love Nobody" (1961)
  • "What Happened To You?" / "Let 'Em Talk" (1961)
  • "A Man Only Does (What A Woman Makes Him Do)" / "They Said It Couldn't Be Done" (1962)

Albums

  • Let's Take a Sea Cruise with Frankie Ford (Ace, 1959)
  • Frankie Ford (Briarmeade, 1976)
  • New Orleans Dynamo (Stardust, 1984)
  • Hot and Lonely (Ace, 1995)
  • Christmas (Avantiavi, 1999)
  • Night Songs (Briarmeade, 2002)
  • That Can Be Used Again! (Briarmeade, 2003)
  • The Legend (Knight, 2006)
  • On the Street Where You Live (Briarmeade, 2009)

References

  • Frankie Ford at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame