Penny Ford

Besides her gospel background, Penny Ford's musical roots run deep down into her family tree. Daughter of veteran record executive and producer Gene Redd Sr. (King Records) and singer Carolyn Ford and sister to singer Sharon Redd (the dance classic "Beat the Streets"), Ford was exposed to a lot of music early on as a result of her father's work with James Brown and Kool and the Gang. Her formal background began at age five when she began taking piano lessons. Ford began performing in local talent shows in and around Cincinnati. During her 1979 summer school vacation, Ford went out on tour with Dayton, OH, funkateers Zapp as a part of Parliament-Funkadelic's World Funk Tour. The following year, she was gigging in a series of dates in Japan. Returning from Tokyo, en route to Cincinnati, Ford made a stop in Los Angeles and got a job doing demos for Motown's music-publishing division, Jobete. As word of her vocal prowess got around, Ford became a much-in-demand session vocalist. Ford can rightfully make claim to being "Ms. New Jill" before there was new jack. She signed with Total Experience Records, home of the Gap Band. Ford can be heard on their hit single "I Found My Baby." The new jack sound owes a lot to the artists of Total Experience. Ford debuted as a recording artist in her own right on Pennye, which yielded two R&B charters, "Change Your Wicked Ways" and the slammin' "Dangerous" (the 12" is a must-find for dance fans). With production by Jonah Ellis, Oliver Scott, Jimmy Hamilton and Maurice Hayes ("Have Myself a Good Time"), and Yarborough and Peoples ("Don't Stop the Music"), Pennye was loaded with sassy soulfulness and is a good precursor of the new jack sound. Ford was even a one-woman band on the track "Serious Love." She also did a duet with Scott, "Silent...