About John Ford (musician)
John Ford (born 1 July 1948) is a British musician. He has toured and recorded with Velvet Opera, The Strawbs, Hudson/Ford and The Monks. == Biography == Ford was born in the South West London district of Fulham and grew up in a household where his father played piano and his four sisters were singers. Ford went to a Church of England school, where church attendance was mandatory, and began singing there. When he was very young, his grandmother bought him a ukulele, then he got an Emenee toy Elvis Presley guitar and a guitar book; by the time he was 9, he had learned several chords. When he was 14, his father bought him a Höfner 500/1 bass, a guitar that was particularly popular at the time because it was used by Paul McCartney. Ford’s two idols were McCartney and Lonnie Donegan; Ford was most inspired by McCartney’s ‘popping’ bass on The Beatles’ "With a Little Help from My Friends" and used that same technique throughout his career. In 1964, Ford joined with some school mates to form a band called Jaymes Fenda and the Vulcans. That November, they released two singles, "Mistletoe Love” and "The Only Girl", both of which were written by Ford. "Mistletoe Love" got some radio play through that Christmas season, but the band split up shortly afterwards.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.