User:MAL FORD LIVE

MAL FORD the British Keyboard Entertainer born in Birmingham UK and resident in Blackpool UK. One of the original 60's Brummie group musicians and subsequently signed by Columbia Records with the band 'Keith Powell and the Valets' and touring with name groups and recording stars of the 60's 'The Rolling Stones' etc and appearing on various national UK TV shows including "Ready Steady Go", "Thank Your Lucky Stars". The Valets went solo when Keith Powell left to be a solo recording artiste.Mal Ford the entertainer came to fore when he was engaged as one of the on stage stars in Birmingham when his band The Valets became "The Showmen" a musical comedy show touring around British clubland in the late 60's early 70's. The 70's saw Mal Ford touring the United States with various bands including Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys who had had a hit with 'Giddy Up A Ding Dong' and this included various resident bookings in Las Vegas hotels including The Hilton International. In the 70/80's Mal Ford enjoyed a certain amount of success with his own band both backing/recording sessions for name artistes of the day David Whitfield, Ruby Murray, Bernard Manning, Billy Pierce, Jim Davieson etc, and also entertaining in his own right with his musicians, especially back in the Birmingham UK area at residencies like The Mackadown, Kings, The Night Out and Severn Manor Stourport. In the 90's Mal Ford was engaged by various artistes to manage their careers. This is when the Mal Ford theatrical and artistes management started booking name artistes to Europe and Scandinavian countries and subsequently the USSR which included Russia, East Germany, Poland and all the Soviets Republic. Mal Ford was engaged by the then Soviet government agency (GOS Concerts) to produce a pop entertainment TV show that would be shown on their no:1 Channel called "Gradis Ad Panassum" and international groups and artistes like "Pink Floyd", "Kim Wilde", "Black Sabbath" and many more were booked both for the TV show and ten to twenty day tours around the USSR. Mal Ford pulled oit of this very extensive and busy time when he sold his company to an Irish consortium. By now Mal Ford was not only a respected musician but also a very respected Artiste Manager and Theatrical Agent booking shows internationally. In the late 90's Mal Ford married well known and fellow Theatrical Promoter Jean Parkes and together they not only promoted theatre tours for artistes like "Cannon and Ball", "Jimmy Cricket" "Johnnie Casson". At this time and upon his request Mal and Jean took over personal management of TV/Recording Star "Joe Longthorne". Infact it was whilst Joe Longthorne was appearing in Las Vegas that Mal and Jean actually got married with Joe Longthorne giving the bride away. This was attended by hundreds of Joe Longthorne fans that had flown over from the UK for his shows. Ofcourse at this time Mal Ford had earned a reputation as a top Keyboards Entertainer in top British entertainment capital Blackpool appearing very successfully at top 'Lyndene Hotel Blackpool'. In the 2000's both Mal Ford and his wife Jean retired due to Jean having Parkinsons Decease. They both live just outside Blackpool in Poulton-Le-Fylde with many many happy memories.