Robben Ford
b. Robben Lee Ford, 16 December 1951, Woodlake, California, USA. A jazz, blues and rock guitarist, Robben is the most celebrated member of the musical Ford family. His father Charles was a country musician, his brothers Patrick and Mark are bluesmen, playing drums and harmonica respectively. Inspired initially by Mike Bloomfield and Eric Clapton Ford's first professional engagement was with Charlie Musselwhite in 1970. He formed the Charles Ford Band with his brothers in 1971, then backed Jimmy Witherspoon from 1972-74. He toured and recorded with both Joni Mitchell (as part of L.A. Express) and George Harrison in 1974, the resulting exposure bringing him a considerable amount of session work. In 1978, he formed the Yellowjackets with keyboards player Russell Ferrante and also found time to record a patchy solo debut INSIDE STORY. The early '80s saw him performing with Michael McDonald and saxophonist Sadao Watanabe; in 1986 he joined the Miles Davis band on its tour of the USA and Europe. TALK TO YOUR DAUGHTER was a triumphant return to his blues roots, and picked up a Grammy nomination in the 'Contemporary Blues' category. In 1993 he recorded with a new unit, the Blue Line. Ford plays cleanly in an uncluttered style (like Mike Bloomfield), but occasionally with the frantic energy of Larry Carlton. He is an outstanding guitarist, and one who is often overlooked when discussing brilliant virtuosity.