Robben Ford & The Ford Blues Band – Thursday August 9, 2012

Ford Brothers Blues Band
Thursday August 9, 2012 – 8pm
Tickets $150.00 

The Ford Blues Band – Featuring

Robben Ford • Patrick Ford • Volker Strifler & Dewayne Pate

It was 1969 When Patrick Ford first came in to the San Francisco blues scene with
brother Robben Ford. During the 70′s he spent time working with his brothers Robben
and Mark in the Charles Ford Band and then on the road with Charlie Musselwhite.
During this time he had his first real one on one experiences playing with many of the
blues legends like Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, and Jimmy Witherspoon just to
name a few.
In the 80′s Patrick started his own modern blues label, Blue Rock’lt Records, with
releases by such artists as Charlie Musselwhite, Brownie McGhee, the Charles Ford
Band, and Chris Cain. It was 1988 when Patrick decided it was time to break away
from the position of being a side man for others and try his skills as a band leader. He
decided to put together a band of musicians who had roots in the blues but who were
more than willing to go other places.
The first version of the Ford Blues Band featured his brother Mark on harp and vocals
and Garth Webber on guitar and vocals. They went directly into the studio and recorded
enough of Patrick’s ideas for a CD. The results were the first FBB release and their first
tour of Europe. Mark was not able to make the tour and was replaced my Andy Just
who has shared those chores with Mark ever since. The release and the tour served
notice that this was not just another blues band. The band was new and it was different
and Patrick made no apologies for their non traditional approach to the blues idiom.
Since that time the band has continued to record and tour around the world. Though
the guitar and bass positions have been filled by several players over the years the
identity of the band has remained consistent. Every version of the FBB features
exceptional players performing very original and very powerful modern blues. The
latest addition of Dewayne Pate on bass and Volker Strifler on guitar and vocal
continues that tradition. All four band members are journeyman who have honed their
craft studying and performing with the masters. If you compiled a list of all the blues
greats that various members of the band have played with it would look like a “Who’s
Who” of the Blues, including such greats as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Fenton
Robinson, Lowell Fulson, Charlie Musselwhite, and on and on.There is no lack of
respect for the roots here. However, the band remains open to any other influences that
might make their music even more exciting, more real, more alive.
Over the last several years the FBB has been doing a lot of work with Patrick’s brother
Robben with great results. They released a “Tribute to Paul Butterfield” CD as well as
an “In Memory OF Michael Bloomfield” CD to honor the fellows who really pulled them
into the blues and gave Patrick and Robben their life course musically. They have also
been doing occasional tours together with great success.
The FBB sees no reason to change course at this point and they continue to stretch the
blues limits. With Patrick at the helm stagnation is not an option. He was once quoted
as saying, “I would rather someone didn’t like the band than to say we sounded like just
another blues band.”