Headliner Highlight: Parker Ford
This week we are featuring bearded singer and songwriter Parker Ford! Check out his interview to learn how he got started, his favorite instruments to play, and about his Ford Transit Van turned RV.
What is your name? How did you come up with it? My name is Parker Ford. I get asked a lot if it’s a stage name, but it is actually my birth name.
What got you into music/how did you get started? I actually wasn’t planning on getting into music. I would just jam with my guitar and sing along, and a friend of mine caught me. He had a key to my apartment and happened to catch me singing and told me I was good. After that I ended up posting a few videos, and all of my family and friends told me I should pursue it, and here we are today.
What instruments do you play? I mostly play guitar, but I also play a little banjo, mandolin, and piano as well. Playing guitar has always been a passion of mine. I didn’t ever really think about singing until my buddy told me I was good. I still don’t really believe him, but a lot of people seem to agree with him.
What are your favorite types of music to play/perform? I play a lot of Old country, Southern rock, and Blues. However, I listen to pretty much every genre depending on my mood, and I really pull inspiration from all of the different styles. It’s a lot of fun to be able to make a song your own by fitting it to your style. One of my favorite songs to cover is actually ‘Nothing compares 2 U’ written by Prince but made famous by Sinead O’Connor. So, you never really know what you’re going to get when you come to a show.
Do you write your own songs? Yes, I write anytime I can. Writing is a huge release for me so it’s nice to be able to put what’s jumbled up in my head onto paper. I have thousands of songs in a box in my closet that will most likely never see the light of day. It usually takes a solid year or two for me to become comfortable playing one of my originals live after writing it. I guess that’s the perfectionist in me. I want to make sure it’s perfect before I let people hear it.
What is your favorite place to play? Could be a venue, studio, or just a place where you vibe. I have a good time anywhere they let me on a stage honestly. We travel a lot, and I really enjoy that aspect of it, so I can’t pinpoint a favorite. Honestly even just being alone in the basement of my house is fine with me.
What are your musical goals for the future? My goals are to be able to travel the country and to play music for a living. My girlfriend and I have a Ford Transit Van that we converted into an RV so being able to just jump in and go is really cool. We had some farther out gigs scheduled this year but unfortunately, this year has been weird for the industry with shutdowns. We are really hoping we can get back out there and travel the country soon.
Tell us how your logo came about! My girlfriend’s brother designed it for us one day, and we’ve stuck with it. At some point it’s going to have to get revamped. My beard and hair have both gotten way longer since then. Most of our fans really love the logo, so I don’t know how they will take the change.
You can find Parker on all social media platforms as @Fordofficialmusic, and on iTunes and Spotify under Parker Ford.
