Born in Houston, Texas in 1927, jazz musician Jimmy Ford's career spanned over six decades. His first training as a child of 12 was under the direction of Cliff Dresher, who was a picolo player for the Houston Symphony Orchestra in the 1930s. Later Ford performed playing tenor saxophone with seminal greats such as Milton Larkin, Maynard Ferguson, and Clark Terry, traversing mainly between New York and Houston. His musical style was influenced by Stan Getz, and above all, Charlie Parker. Ford actually played with Charlie Parker's trumpeter Red Rodney in 1951. Ford's talent, particularly at improvisation and innovative chord progressions, kept him employed continually. He was also known for his solid work ethic cultivated from Milton Larkin's influence. Ford returned to Houston somewhat permanently in 1978, and remained working there until his death in 1994.
The oral history tapes are housed with the Oral History Collection OH 465, separate from MSS 345 - the Jimmy Ford Collection.
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Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Jimmy Ford Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.
The Jimmy Ford Collection is part of a larger record group; the Texas Jazz Collection.
Jimmy Ford Collection. Collection Number MSS 345. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Donated by: Jimmy Ford, September 28, 1988.
Processed by: Charles Stephenson and Tammy Jordan, April 12, 2007.
The material in the Jimmy Ford Collection chronicles the beginning of Mr. Ford's life and his musical career. The collection consists of a comprehensive taped interview of Mr. Ford on September 28, 1988. The interview is completely transcribed to 28 pages of text.