Perry Ford (born Brian Joseph Pugh, 30 December 1933 – 29 April 1999) was an English pop singer, songwriter, producer and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, best known as a member of the Ivy League.

Life and career

Born in Lincoln, he moved to London in the mid-1950s and began singing and playing in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

clubs. Under the name Lou Bryan, he briefly joined Colin Hicks & the Cabin Boys as a pianist in 1958, and then joined Vince Taylor's band, the Playboys. In 1959, using the name Perry Ford, he recorded the first of three singles on the

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

label, produced by

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

, but none were successful. However, he found some success as a songwriter, co-writing

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. As a British rock and roll teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK singles chart with " What ...

's 1960 UK chart hit "Someone Else's Baby" with Les Vandyke, and co-writing "Caroline" with

Tony Hiller Anthony Toby Hiller (30 July 1927 – 26 August 2018) was an English songwriter and record producer. He was best known for writing and/or producing hits for Brotherhood of Man, including " United We Stand" (1970) and " Save Your Kisses for Me" ( ...

for

the Fortunes The Fortunes are an English harmony beat music, beat group. Formed in Birmingham, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US, Canadian, and UK Top 40, Top 10s. Aft ...

. Although "Caroline" was not a chart hit, it became widely known as the theme song for the

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

station

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopol ...

. In 1964, after working with

talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager, or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of Entertainer, artists within the entertainment industry. The responsibility of a talent manager is to ove ...

Reg Calvert in

Denmark Street Denmark Street is a street on the edge of London's West End running from Charing Cross Road to St Giles High Street. It is near St Giles in the Fields Church and Tottenham Court Road station. The street was developed in the late 17th centu ...

, and according to some sources playing piano on

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

' "

You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies and released as their third single in 1964. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead B ...

", he teamed up with the songwriting and singing duo of John Carter and Ken Lewis to form the vocal harmony group the Ivy League. Initially working as backing singers, they featured on several chart hits in the mid-1960s, including

Sandie Shaw Sandra Ann Goodrich (born 26 February 1947), known by her stage name Sandie Shaw, is a retired English pop singer. One of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s, she had three UK number one singles with "(There's) Always Some ...

's " Always Something There to Remind Me",

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

' "

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with ...

", and

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

's "

I Can't Explain "I Can't Explain" is a song by English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel Talmy. It was released as a single in the United States on 19 December 1964 by Decca and on 15 January 1965 in the United Kingdom by Bruns ...

". The trio began recording for

Piccadilly Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

, and had several hits between 1965 and 1967, including " Tossing and Turning", "That's Why I'm Crying" and "Willow Tree", all written by Ford with Carter and Lewis. "The Ivy League", ''Obscure Bands of the 50s and 60s''
Retrieved 19 April 2020 The Ivy League, ''45cat.com''
Retrieved 19 April 2020 After Carter and Lewis left the group in 1966, Ford continued to use the name Ivy League with new members until the mid-1970s, and also worked as a songwriter and record producer. He later moved back to Lincoln, where he died in 1999 at the age of 65. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007, Register Number:B58C District and Subdistrict 6191B
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Perry 1933 births 1999 deaths English male singers English record producers English session musicians English male songwriters Musicians from Lincolnshire The Ivy League (band) members 20th-century British male singers