Following the demise of his first band in 2004, David Ford bedded down in his Eastbourne, Sussex, flat over the winter and set about recording what became his debut solo album, I Sincerely Apologise For All the Trouble I’ve Caused, which was independently released in the UK on the Magnolia Label in the autumn of 2005.  Shortly thereafter, he filmed a video for key track “State of the Union,” the first of two, one-take videos that would prove pivotal in his career.

The wonders of the Internet allowed the good people at SonyBMG in New York to see this video and within no time, Ford found himself in New York and signed to Columbia Records. I Sincerely Apologise… was released in the U.S. in 2006 and he spent the next year on the road in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, in support of artists such as Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, KT Tunstall, and Gomez. The album, meanwhile, found fans at the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and American Songwriter, among others.  Ford also made his network television debut on Last Call with Carson Daly before heading home to England.

Throughout 2007, Ford wrote and recorded his second album, Songs For The Road.  The critical acclaim that greeted it is was even greater than before. Ford landed a cover of the Sunday Times and glowing reviews in The Sun, The Word, Q, and Uncut in the UK; PopMatters, Reuters, Women’s Wear Daily, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, and AM New York came calling in the U.S.

Ford took his one-man show on the road, supporting Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Aimee Mann, Bell X1, and Augustana on successful tours of the U.S. and Canada, and a UK solo run followed in 2008, each including a couple of triumphant shows at New York’s Mercury Lounge and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. During this time, he filmed a second one-take video for new album opener “Go To Hell,” in which he performed multiple instruments (here including even a water cooler, tea kettle, and fork and knife) live and looped the sounds to create his own imaginary backing band – similar to as he does at each and every show. The video astonished many and became a viral sensation, with nearly 600K hits on YouTube to date and coverage in New York Magazine’s ‘Approval Matrix,’ AOL Music’s Spinner blog, PasteMagazine.com, Apple’s Quicktime page, and Wired’s Listening Post blog (R.I.P., “Catchy videos like this can generate lots of publicity, as we all know by now. But this one goes farther, by proving how talented its subject is.”), among others.  

After returning home to Eastbourne, Ford spent the second half of 2009 creating his third album, Let the Hard Times Roll. Ford plays nearly every instrument on the record, save additional violin and trombone provided by friend and occasional touring partner Hannah Peel, as well as some alto-saxophone played by friend Franco Bidanco.  He also produced and engineered (with the help of James Brown – who’s worked with Foo Fighters, Brendan Benson, Placebo) the album, as well as designed the artwork.

Let The Hard Times Roll contains some of Ford’s most upbeat and rocking songs, like the spirited “She’s Not The One,” in addition to some of his most indicting political anthems (“Surfin’ Guantanamo Bay,” “Stephen”).  Set against the backdrop of the current times, there’s a palpable tension on many tracks, including album opener “Panic,” which sounds quite unlike anything Ford has recorded before. The diverse and multifaceted album touches on the complexity of feelings in, and contradictions and injustices of, what he sees as the modern Western way (“Nothing At All,” “Hurricane”), while also emphasizing the joy and fulfillment found in the fundamental pursuits of love, friendship, honesty, music, and community (“Making Up For Lost Time,” “To Hell With The World,” “Call To Arms”).

Embracing the new realities of life for the hard-working contemporary troubadour, Ford kept the wolf from the door over the past year by releasing limited edition pressings of three, three-track CDs of ‘works in progress’ from Let The Hard Times Roll.  These CDs – which include demos, monitor mixes, outtakes, and alternative versions of the new album’s songs – in combination with the dry-witted Ford’s conversion to Twittering, have kept fans involved with the project from its early stages.  His fanbase has remained unswervingly loyal and committed, exhibited by the crowd of 400 who turned up to see him perform an impromptu, un-booked and unscheduled lakeside show at 2009’s Latitude Festival, an event Q Magazine wrote up as one of their highlights of the whole festival.  Ford’s most recent UK Tour in October 2009 culminated in a sold out show at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre; that particular night saw fans flying in from as far and wise as Dallas, TX, Boston, MA, and Milan, Italy.

As the UK’s Word Magazine wrote; “David Ford is the eternal thrill of a young man going way too far and yet pulling it off!”