Ivy Ford
This blog is on Ivy Ford, I have recently discovered Ivy about 6 months ago. What drew me to Ivy was her awesome guitar playing, which is right up there with some of Blues Elders like Buddy Guy, BB King, & Freddie King. In my opinion Ivy is one of the top slide guitar players. Ivy plays guitar with such power & finesse, that when you hear her play you just can’t help from getting the chills. Now this not to say that Ivy doesn’t have an amazing voice, because she does. Ivy’s voice has got a lot of soul in it, with a little be rasp to it. She has a such deep Chicago Blues tone to it, Ivy can sing a down & dirty blues song then go to a good old Rocker, ad let’s not forget about a sweet ballad. Back to the Blues when Ivy sings them she can really make you feel the Blues and that’s not a bad thing. I have not yet gotten the chance to see Ivy Ford in person, I do plan on it. But I have seen some of her live videos. I can tell that she puts 110% into her shows and plays her heart out. So, if you are looking to go hear some awesome guitar playing with an amazing singing, then Ivy Ford is what you are looking for. I highly recommend checking out a live show plus her music if you haven’t yet. I put some links below, so you can hear & buy some of her music. https://www.ivyfordmusic.com/home https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqht5fusY-GcRThEx84bzg/videos https://www.facebook.com/IvyFordMusic Here are some questions That I recently got to ask Ivy. Hope you enjoy reading them. 1. How long have you been playing music? Professionally I've been a full-time musician going on 8 years. But I've always been into performing since I was a little kid. Before going full time, I still was gigging here and there but had a "day job." But I remember singing in my first talent show at age 5 and I knew from then on out that music was what I wanted to do. 2. How many bands have you been in? Officially and on some regular basis probably three. At 19 I was in a band as an extra singer, and I played keyboards from time to time. That band evolved into what was known as “Ivy Ford and the Cadillacs," which was my band. It was from there I went to being a trio and I also with JB Ritchie's bass player too. 3. Where were you born? I was born in Chicago, but raised primarily in Waukegan, IL. During my childhood, my family and I did move to California and back twice. 4. Are you self-taught? I took a few piano lessons when I was nine, and I was in actual band playing saxophone starting from elementary through high school. But guitar, bass and drums are all self-taught and what I know on piano is mostly self-taught as well. 5. Who are your biggest influences? Musically I am a huge Freddie King and Buddy Guy fan. Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie are artists I look up to very much so. My favorite would have to be Billie Holiday. The first time I heard some of her recordings I think I was about 8 or so and was hooked ever since. Now my influences in my character as a person are my godmother Tina and my mom Evelyn hands down. 6. What style of music do you consider yours? I think it's easier to categorize my music depending on the album. Naturally, I have a ton of blues and roots inspiration in my writing. However, I don't think it's always accurate to say all of my music solely fits in the Blues and Roots genre. But the foundation of most of my original music is in blues and roots. 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? Well, if you categorize first gig as the first time I got paid to perform, I don't know the exact night, but it was shortly I had met, The Real Deal, who was managed and put together by one of the strongest influences in my life, Steve Rainey. I believe I was 13 and was hired to be a pianist for another vocalist on a gig with him somewhere in southern Wisconsin. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? In anything, be humble. However, don't be afraid to be confident and know your worth. You have to remember that you can't expected anyone else to work as hard or harder for you than yourself and in that it's very important to be determined and have drive to push yourself. Know what you want, because if you don't then you leave someone else to "tell you what you want" 9. Do you write your own songs? I do, all of my original music is all written solely by myself. I've had a few proposals to do some collaborations, however I'm not in a creative head space to go in that direction at this time. That is not to say it wouldn't be an enriching experience. I just am not ready to fully collaborate right now. 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal song collection? I listen to a lot of EDM, House and even 90s pop music. It can be kind of an obsession. Don’t get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of soul R&B and of course blues roots, etc. 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? You know I always say that I don't have another option, so I don't think much about that too often. However, I love to cook. My last job before music full time was a cook for a very successful catering company and I took to it like a fish to water. So, if I wasn't lay music, god forbid, I think I would probably have my own restaurant or something. 12. Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? Anything upbeat and funky. I am a sucker for a swing shuffle both playing and listening. Also ''It hurt so bad'' by Susan Tedeschi has been one of my favorites for a few months now. 13. If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? That's a good one and I honestly am not sure. Again, my song feels, and styles can range so it's hard to pick just one artist.
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AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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