Emile Ford
Biography
Emile Ford was, by his own account, a reluctant pop star, finding success in the recording studio and on-stage in England from the late '50s into the early '60s, despite his belief that his voice was less than ideal. He was born Emile Sweetman in Castries, St. Lucia, in the Caribbean, in 1937 (some sources say 1936), the son of the government official and an opera singer. His interest in music was fostered by his mother and rooted in part -- according to annotator Roger Dopson and journalist Norman Jopling -- in his lifelong affliction with synesthesia, a condition that creates the sensation of perceiving sound as colors and patterns.
That led to his interest in developing superior (if not perfect) sound reproduction and amplification equipment which, in turn, took him to England in 1955 in search of more advanced technology. He designed his own equipment and, in the process of having to demonstrate it, began performing himself -- he learned guitar and eventually recruited a band, subsequently dubbed the Checkmates, that included his brothers George Ford and Dave Ford on bass and sax, respectively, plus Ken Street on guitar and John Cuffley on drums. Later still, Peter Carter, Les Hart, and Alan Hawkshaw would join on guitar, sax, and piano, respectively.
Selected Discography
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