1939 - 2015 (Age 76)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Frankie Ford, a rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues singer whose 1959 hit "Sea Cruise" brought him international fame when he was 19, is dead at the age of 76.
Ford died Monday of natural causes, according to the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner's office.
"He was a great guy. He had the best voice in rock and roll," said Mike Shepherd, a friend of Ford's and head of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, which inducted Ford in 2010.
In addition to "Sea Cruise," Billboard magazine's No. 14 overall and No. 11 in rhythm and blues in 1959, Ford's hits included "Roberta," ''Time after Time" and "You Talk Too Much." His version of "You Talk Too Much" aired while Joe Jones' recordings of the song were tied up in court. Jones' recording eventually reached No. 3, while none of Ford's after "Sea Cruise" made it higher than 72, the mark set by "Seventeen" in 1961.
Shepherd said Ford had been ill for some time, and had been unable to walk since he was hit by a car in Memphis several years ago.
Ford had sung since childhood. His adopted parents, Vincent and Anna Guzzo of Gretna, brought him to New York when he was five to perform on the "Ted Mack Amateur Hour." His stage name was suggested, in a nod to hot rods, by Ace Records owner Johnny Vincent, according to his biography on the hall of fame website.
Shepherd said Ford was called to Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans studio in the late 1950s to cover songs by local black musicians whose records got limited airtime because of racial discrimination. Lenny Capello and Jimmy Clanton, both from Baton Rouge, were brought in at the same time, he said.
"All the music was coming from New Orleans, yet people like Pat Boone were covering people like Little Richard and Fats Domino and getting hits. It was a black-white thing," Shepherd said.
He said all three were auditioned in one day. "The producers understood the point: This is our music, this is Louisiana's music, yet we're letting them take it out of here and making a fortune with - I've got to say it - white guys," Shepherd said.
A different producer took each singer, he said. Capello had a hit with "Cotton Candy," which he previously had recorded with his own band, but this time backed with New Orleans professionals, according to his biography on the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame website. Clanton became a teen idol with "Just a Dream," ''Go Jimmy Go" and, in 1962, "Venus in Blue Jeans."
Ford's last performance was at the 2013 Gretna Heritage Festival.
Shepherd said he last saw Ford a couple of months ago when he visited to get items for the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame museum.
He said Ford, no longer able to walk, told him, "Son, you go up and take whatever you want, because I'm never wearing any of it again."
His choices included a sequined jacket - dark red except for a piano keyboard in cream and black sequins.
He said Ford "put one hand on the sleeve of the jacket ... and he said, 'My mama made this for me.'"
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JANET McCONNAUGHEY, Associated Press
Copyright © 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
I grew up in the French quarter of New Orleans Frankie was a very good friend of mine in the mid-70s and late '70s Frankie was a good man peace and love to Frankie and his family Eddie Green
Eddie Green
May 09, 2025 | Friend
General Mann transporting troops over seas... he entertained the officers and cabin passengers while steaming to Japan. He was a hit.
Charlie
September 20, 2024 | Other
Godspeed Frankie, and thank you for one of the anthems of my youth, and beyond, "Sea Cruise". Unforgettable. Rest Frankie, until you hear at dawn, the low, clear reveille of God. Thank you for your service to this nation. U.S. Army.
Harry Simpson
August 02, 2023 | Other
Remembered By
Randall Clarkson
March 20, 2020 | Fort Wayne In
Condolences to the friends of Frankie. He was a good person and great singer. His manager and friend Ken Keene was a high-school buddy of mine.
Forrest Stewart
December 10, 2017 | Clay Center, KS
"SWEET CAROLINE, GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD, I'VE BEEN INCLINED TO believe they never would....." my favorite song you sinG! Makes me want my name to be Caroline!!!!! Dearest friend, the world will be less musical without you in it. I think of you often though we haven't seen each other in 30+years. My thoughts, feelings, and memories of you will be with me always..... REST IN PEACE, MY DEAR FRIEND. My Love, MARY ETTA
December 03, 2016
Valenda Newell
November 25, 2016 | Indianapolis, IN
Rip Frankie.....you were always the nicest man....I enjoyed handling your travel arrangements for many years...with you and Ken Keene....GOD BLESS YOU.. Barbara Beauvais
barbara baudin
October 23, 2015 | Metairie, LA
Very friendly and liked to talk to his fans. Saw him in Green Bay and at Star Plaza in Indiana and in Central IL. He will be missed
howard moser
October 12, 2015 | Lincolnshire, IL