Frankie Ford
- September 28, 2015
- 76 years
About Frankie Ford
Frankie Ford, 76, American singer ("Sea Cruise").
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Full Biography
|Frankie Ford (born Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr.; August 4, 1939 – September 28, 2015) was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer, best known for his 1959 hit "Sea Cruise".
Biography
He was born in Gretna, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, and was the adopted son of Vincent and Anna Guzzo, who named him Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr. He learned to sing and dance at an early age, and when at high school joined a group, the Syncopators, as singer and pianist. He was spotted by manager Joe Caronna, who took him to Johnny Vincent of Ace Records. Taking the stage name Frankie Ford, he made his first recordings for Ace in 1958. He toured locally in Louisiana, before recording a vocal overdub on the song "Sea Cruise", a song written and originally recorded by Huey "Piano" Smith with his group, the Clowns, and featuring overdubbed bells and ships' horns. As Smith already had a record in the charts, and was away touring, the record label decided to release Ford's version, and it rose to No. 14 on the US pop chart and No. 11 on the R&B chart, selling over one million copies, and gaining gold disc status.
Ford toured widely around the US, but his later records were less successful, with his versions of "Alimony" and "Time After Time" only reaching the lower reaches of the national charts. He also recorded a novelty record in praise of a local TV presenter, "Morgus the Magnificent", with musicians including Mac Rebennack and Jerry Byrne, but it failed to sell. Ace released an LP by Ford, Let's Take A Sea Cruise With Frankie Ford, before the singer moved to Imperial Records in late 1960. He recorded with producer Dave Bartholomew, and released a version of "You Talk Too Much", but Ford's recording missed out in competition with one by Joe Jones which was issued almost simultaneously. In 1961, his version of Boyd Bennett's 1955 hit "Seventeen" was Ford's last chart entry.
Ford was drafted in 1962, and performed for troops in Japan, Vietnam and Korea. He later recorded occasionally for small labels, but mainly performed in clubs in and around New Orleans. He appeared in the 1978 movie American Hot Wax, and toured in Britain and Europe, recording the album New Orleans Dynamo in London in 1984. He continued to record and perform through the 1990s. Ford co-owned the Briarmeade record label, which issued several singles and albums by him from the 1970s to the 2000s. On May 16, 2010, at the Louisiana Music Homecoming in Erwinville, Ford was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Ford died in Gretna at the age of 76 on September 28, 2015, following a long illness.
Discography
Singles (selected)
- "Cheatin' Woman" / "The Last One to Cry" (1958)
- "Sea Cruise" / "Roberta" (1958) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 14 / US Billboard R&B No. 11
- "Alimony" / "Can't Tell My Heart (What To Do)" (1959) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 97
- "Time After Time" / "I Want To Be Your Man" (1960) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 75
- "Chinatown" / "What's Going On" (1960)
- "You Talk Too Much" / "If You've Got Troubles" (1960) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 87
- "My Southern Belle" / "The Groom" (1960)
- "Seventeen" / "Dog House" (1961) - Billboard Hot 100 No. 72
- "Saturday Night Fish Fry" / "Love Don't Love Nobody" (1961)
- "What Happened To You?" / "Let 'Em Talk" (1961)
- "A Man Only Does (What A Woman Makes Him Do)" / "They Said It Couldn't Be Done" (1962)
Albums
- Let's Take a Sea Cruise with Frankie Ford (Ace, 1959)
- Frankie Ford (Briarmeade, 1976)
- New Orleans Dynamo (Stardust, 1984)
- Hot and Lonely (Ace, 1995)
- Christmas (Avantiavi, 1999)
- Night Songs (Briarmeade, 2002)
- That Can Be Used Again! (Briarmeade, 2003)
- The Legend (Knight, 2006)
- On the Street Where You Live (Briarmeade, 2009)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Ford
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Frankie Ford's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the birth name of Frankie Ford?
- A.Joe Caronna Ford
- B.Frankie James Ford
- C.Johnny Vincent Guzzo
- D.Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr.correct
Frankie Ford was born Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr.
Source: Biography section
2.In which city was Frankie Ford born?
- A.Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- B.Erwinville, Louisiana
- C.Gretna, Louisianacorrect
- D.New Orleans, Louisiana
Frankie Ford was born in Gretna, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.
Source: Biography section
3.What was the name of the high school group Frankie Ford joined?
- A.The Briarmeade Boys
- B.The Syncopatorscorrect
- C.The Magnificent Seven
- D.The Clowns
While in high school, Frankie Ford joined a group called the Syncopators as a singer and pianist.
Source: Biography section
4.Which manager was responsible for discovering Frankie Ford and introducing him to Ace Records?
- A.Dave Bartholomew
- B.Joe Caronnacorrect
- C.Huey Smith
- D.Johnny Vincent
Frankie Ford was spotted by manager Joe Caronna, who took him to Johnny Vincent of Ace Records.
Source: Biography section
5.What was the highest position reached by Frankie Ford's hit song 'Sea Cruise' on the US pop chart?
- A.No. 11
- B.No. 97
- C.No. 75
- D.No. 14correct
Frankie Ford's 'Sea Cruise' rose to No. 14 on the US pop chart.
Source: Biography section
6.Who originally wrote and recorded the song 'Sea Cruise'?
- A.Jerry Byrne
- B.Dave Bartholomew
- C.Huey 'Piano' Smithcorrect
- D.Joe Jones
'Sea Cruise' was written and originally recorded by Huey 'Piano' Smith with his group, the Clowns.
Source: Biography section
7.Which musicians played on the Frankie Ford novelty record 'Morgus the Magnificent'?
- A.Huey Smith and Joe Jones
- B.Dave Bartholomew and Joe Caronna
- C.Mac Rebennack and Jerry Byrnecorrect
- D.The Syncopators
Frankie Ford recorded 'Morgus the Magnificent' with musicians including Mac Rebennack and Jerry Byrne.
Source: Biography section
8.In late 1960, to which record label did Frankie Ford move?
- A.Ace Records
- B.Imperial Recordscorrect
- C.Stardust Records
- D.Briarmeade Records
After releasing an LP with Ace, Frankie Ford moved to Imperial Records in late 1960.
Source: Biography section
9.What was the last chart entry for Frankie Ford?
- A.Alimony
- B.You Talk Too Much
- C.Sea Cruise
- D.Seventeencorrect
In 1961, Frankie Ford's version of the song 'Seventeen' became his last chart entry.
Source: Biography section
10.During his military service which began in 1962, where did Frankie Ford perform for troops?
- A.Korea, Louisiana and Europe
- B.Britain, Europe and Japan
- C.Louisiana, Vietnam and Britain
- D.Japan, Vietnam and Koreacorrect
Frankie Ford was drafted in 1962 and performed for troops in Japan, Vietnam and Korea.
Source: Biography section
11.In which 1978 movie did Frankie Ford make an appearance?
- A.American Hot Waxcorrect
- B.New Orleans Dynamo
- C.Morgus the Magnificent
- D.Sea Cruise
Frankie Ford appeared in the 1978 movie titled American Hot Wax.
Source: Biography section
12.Where was the album 'New Orleans Dynamo' recorded by Frankie Ford in 1984?
- A.New Orleans
- B.Japan
- C.Gretna
- D.Londoncorrect
Frankie Ford recorded the album New Orleans Dynamo in London in 1984.
Source: Biography section
13.What was the name of the record label co-owned by Frankie Ford?
- A.Ace
- B.Imperial
- C.Briarmeadecorrect
- D.Stardust
Frankie Ford co-owned the Briarmeade record label, which issued several of his singles and albums.
Source: Biography section
14.When was Frankie Ford inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame?
- A.May 16, 2010correct
- B.October 12, 1999
- C.September 28, 2015
- D.August 4, 1939
Frankie Ford was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame on May 16, 2010.
Source: Biography section
15.Where did Frankie Ford die in 2015?
- A.Erwinville
- B.London
- C.Gretnacorrect
- D.New Orleans
Frankie Ford died in Gretna on September 28, 2015.
Source: Biography section
16.At what age did Frankie Ford pass away?
- A.80
- B.76correct
- C.72
- D.70
Frankie Ford died in Gretna at the age of 76.
Source: Biography section
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