Robben Ford


Robben Lee Ford is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Springfield, Little Feat, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Kiss. He was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine.
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Early life

Robben Ford was born in Woodlake, California, and raised in Ukiah, California. He began playing the saxophone at age 10 and the guitar at age 14. Robben and two of his brothers created the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of and named after their father. A fourth brother died in the Vietnam conflict.

Career

At age 18, Ford's band was hired to play with Charlie Musselwhite, and recorded two albums The Charles Ford Band and Discovering the Blues. He recorded two albums with Jimmy Witherspoon called Live and Spoonful. In the 1970s, Ford joined the jazz fusion band L.A. Express, led by saxophonist Tom Scott. In 1974, the band supported George Harrison on his American tour and played on the Joni Mitchell albums The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Miles of Aisles.
After leaving the L.A. Express in 1976, Robben Ford recorded his first solo album, The Inside Story with a band that later became the Yellowjackets.
In 1977 Ford was one of over half a dozen session players asked to play a guitar solo for the Steely Dan song "Peg." The band eventually used a version by Jay Graydon. In 2006, a tribute album to Steely Dan – The Royal Dan – was released, with Ford covering "Peg" in his own style.
In 1982, Ford was one of several guitarists who appeared on the Kiss album Creatures of the Night, playing lead guitar on the songs "Rock And Roll Hell" and "I Still Love You".
Ford worked briefly with Miles Davis in 1986; and can be heard on Davis' Montreux box set. Ford released his second solo album Talk to Your Daughter in 1988. 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 late-night NBC television program Sunday Night in 1989. In the 1990s, he released the albums Robben Ford and the Blue Line, Mystic Mile, Handful of Blues, Tiger Walk and Supernatural.
Robben Ford has received five Grammy Award nominations and was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine. He credited pianist and arranger Roger Kellaway and saxophonist and arranger Tom Scott, whom he met while playing for Joni Mitchell, as major influences on his musical development.
Robben Ford divorced Anne Kerry Ford in 2018. As of 2023, he lives in London, England with his long time girlfriend, Milam Kelly Roberts.
In October 2022, Ford toured in Italy opening for Eric Clapton.

Equipment

Guitars

Ford considers his first good electric a Guild Starfire III with a single Florentine cutaway. He used a Gibson L-5 when he played with Charlie Musselwhite and the Ford Band, although he never thought it was a great guitar. While playing with Jimmy Witherspoon, Ford traded the L-5 plus $200 for a . When Ford began playing with the L.A. Express and Joni Mitchell, he used a 1958 Gibson dot-neck ES-335. At some point he also acquired a .
After Ford's Talk to Your Daughter album was released in 1988, Robben used a Robben Ford Signature model guitar created in a collaboration with Dan Smith of Fender and produced in Japan between 1987 and 1993. That guitar was based on the Fender Master Series Esprit Ultra that was produced from 1983 to 1986 in Japan. In 1987, new management at Fender authorized the first production of the Robben Ford Signature guitar. In 1994, production of the guitar moved from Japan to the Fender Custom Shop. Three models were produced: Ultra FM, Ultra SP, and the Elite FM. The guitar line continued to be produced until 2002 when it was discontinued by Fender.
Sometimes he plays a vintage 1960 Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Pauls, a 1963 Gibson SG, a Gibson Es-335 12-string that he has set up as a 6-string, a .
In a May 1–16, 2017 tour which ended in Niagara Falls NY, Ford debuted a newly acquired 1953 Gibson Les Paul.
In the summer of 2021 he teased a PRS which was finally released in October 2022.

Amplifiers

Robben Ford uses Dumble Amplifiers and Celestion G12-65 speakers. In 1983, Alexander "Howard" Dumble made Robben's first Overdrive Special for Robben. Dumble himself is the owner of serial #001.
When traveling abroad he prefers taking his Dumble, but will sometimes use Fender Super Reverb or Fender Twin amplifiers. When playing his Fenders, Ford uses a Hermida Zendrive overdrive pedal, which was designed to replicate the sound of Ford's Dumble amplifier.
Robben Ford has lately been playing hand crafted amplifiers by Little Walter Tube Amps.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Schizophonic Live: Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford The Inside Story Talk to Your Daughter Minor Elegance - with Joe DiorioLive at the Notodden Blues Festival - with Jimmy WitherspoonRobben Ford & the Blue Line Mystic Mile Handful of Blues Ain't Nothin' New About the Blues - with Jimmy WitherspoonBlues Connotation - reissue of A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy SingTiger Walk The Authorized Bootleg Discovering the Blues Sunrise Supernatural A Tribute to Paul Butterfield Blue Moon Keep On Running Truth Soul on Ten Bringing It Back Home A Day in Nashville Into the Sun Purple House The Sun Room - with Bill EvansCommon Ground - with Bill EvansPure
  • ''Night in the City''

As member

YellowjacketsYellowjackets Mirage a Trois Run for Your Life
  • ''Timeline''

As sideman

With Larry CarltonLive in Tokyo Unplugged
With A.J. CroceA.J. Croce That's Me in the Bar By Request
With Tommy EmmanuelCan't Get Enough Midnight Drive
With Jerry GranelliOne Day at a Time Koputai A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing Dance Hall
With Jing Chi Jing Chi Live! 3D Supremo
With Little FeatDown on the Farm Hoy-Hoy!
With Barry ManilowHere Comes the Night Oh Julie!
With Eric MarienthalOasis Turn Up the Heat
With Keiko MatsuiA Drop of Water Under Northern Lights No Borders
With Amanda McBroomDreaming Midnight Matinee
With Michael McDonaldIf That's What It Takes No Lookin' Back Blink of an Eye
With Charlie MusselwhiteLouisiana Fog Takin' My Time Goin' Back Down South Tell Me Where Have All the Good Times Gone? One Night in America
With John Kaizan NeptuneWest of Somewhere Mixed Bag
With Renegade CreationRenegade Creation Bullet
With Tom ScottTom Cat Reed My Lips Night Creatures Bluestreak
With Supersonic Blues MachineWest of Flushing, South of Frisco Californisoul
With Jennifer WarnesFamous Blue Raincoat The Hunter
With Jimmy WitherspoonSpoonful Live at the Mint
With others

Videos

Robben Ford and the Blue Line: In Concert Robben Ford: New Morning - The Paris Concert Playing the Blues The Blues and Beyond Back to the Blues Autour Du Blues: Larry Carlton and Robben Ford The Robben Ford Clinic: The Art of Blues Rhythm Robben Ford: In Concert: Revisited The Robben Ford Clinic: The Art of Blues Solos
  • ''Robben Ford Trio: New Morning the Paris Concert: Revisited''