Today we’d like to introduce you to Thaddeus Ford.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Thaddeus. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born into a family of Jazz musicians. Originally, they were from the Dominican Republic but immigrated to New Orleans in the late 1800’s. I am the 6th generation of musicians in my family. I started playing trumpet at age 8, under the tutelage of my father, who was a jazz musician, educator, and trumpeter in the Marine Corp Band. At age 12 I attended the prestigious St. Augustine High School in New Orleans and played in the world famous Marching 100, concert and jazz bands. At 15, I met trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and decided that I wanted to become a jazz musician like him. My father instructed me to contact my grandfather, woodwind player Clarence Ford, Sr, who was a very established session player on many early rock & roll albums, as well in the touring band of Fats Domino for 25+ years. I began taking lessons with him and auditioned for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, whose alumni include the Marsalis brothers and Harry Connick, Jr. After graduating in 1996, I attended Southern University in Baton Rouge and the University of New Orleans. In the summer of 1997 I began playing and touring the world with “brass-hop” group Coolbone. I played trumpet, keyboards and rapped.
After 5 years with Coolbone, I left the group and formed my first band in 2001. In 2004 I relocated to Dallas and formed a new band. I’m 2007. I traveled to Shanghai, China, for an 11-week residency at The House of Blues & Jazz. Upon returning, I continue to build a local following. In 2013 I suffered a heart attack. After a year of recovery, I formed a new band and focused on original music. In 2016, I traveled to the country with gospel star, GRAMMY Award winner Kirk Franklin. In 2017, I received an Artist Grant from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. That year I was also nominated for Best Jazz Act by the Dallas Observer. In 2018 I joined the supergroup The Polyphonic Spree.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having a heart attack completely changed my outlook on life and music. Time became more valuable to me. I decided that if I could play again, I would write and play the music that represented who I was as a man and artist. I adopted the motto “Character Before Content” as a way to lessen the gap between who I was as a person and who I was as an artist.
Please tell us about your music.
As a teenager, I decided that I wanted to be a working artist, as opposed to a working musician. Since the heart attack, I am grateful that I’ve been able to carve out a niche for myself. I play a kind of improvised music that transcends genre and feeds a person’s spirit, soul and body. Because of my background performing in different genres, I’m able to draw from those experiences and create a sound that is vintage, contemporary and forward pressing at the same time. I’m also very spiritually inclined and use the lessons I’ve learned in my walk with Jesus Christ to permeate the music that I play.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Developing my character, first and foremost, has been the greatest key to my success. In my past, I was able to forge ahead in my own strength and wisdom. After the heart attack, I realized that I could only get so far on my own. When I was given a new lease on life, I found out that there was a greater power working in me that could propel my life beyond my wildest dreams. I find that my transparency is what gravitates people towards me. And that transparency and truth is what fuels my art. There is no separation.
Contact Info:
- Email: thaddeus@thaddeusford
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thaddeusford_music
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThaddeusFordMusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/thaddeusford
- Other: https://thaddeusford.wordpress.com/
Image Credit:
Matt Malaise
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