Emile Ford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emile Ford
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Emile Telford Miller |
| Also known as | Emile Sweetnam |
| Born | 16 October 1937 Castries, Saint Lucia, British Windward Islands |
| Died | 11 April 2016 (aged 78) London, United Kingdom |
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| Years active | 1957–late 1960s |
| Labels | Pye |
| Associated acts | The Checkmates |
Michael Emile Telford Miller (born October 16, 1937 – died April 11, 2016), known as Emile Ford, was a super talented musician and singer. He was born in Saint Lucia, a beautiful island in the Caribbean. Emile became really famous in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He led a band called Emile Ford & the Checkmates. They had a huge hit song in 1959 called "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" which was even the Christmas number one song that year! Emile was also a clever sound engineer, which means he was great at making music sound amazing.
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Emile Ford's Early Life and Music Career
Emile Ford was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean. His father, Frederick Edward Miller, was a politician. His mother, Madge Murray, was a singer and director of musical theatre. Her father had even started and led the St. Lucia Philharmonic Band! Emile's mother later remarried and took the name Sweetnam. This is why some people sometimes mistakenly think Emile's birth name was Sweetnam.
Emile went to St Mary’s College in Castries. In the mid-1950s, he moved to London with his mother and family. He was really interested in new ways to make sound better. He studied at the Paddington Technical College in London.
While studying, Emile taught himself to play many musical instruments. He learned guitar, piano, violin, bass guitar, and drums. When he was 20, he started his music career as Emile Ford. His first public show was at The Buttery in Kensington. He first performed with a backing group at the Athenaeum Ballroom in Muswell Hill. In 1958, he appeared on TV shows like The Music Shop and Oh Boy!.
Forming The Checkmates and Their Big Hit
In January 1959, Emile formed a band called Emile Ford & the Checkmates. His half-brother, George Sweetnam-Ford, played bass. Ken Street played electric lead guitar. Another half-brother, Dave Sweetnam-Ford, played saxophone. John Cuffley was the drummer.
The band appeared on a TV show called Sunday Serenade. They won the Soho Fair talent contest in July 1959. They turned down a recording deal with EMI because Emile wanted to produce their records himself. Instead, they signed with Pye Records.
Their first song, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?", was a huge success! Emile produced it himself. This song had been recorded by other artists way back in 1917. But Emile's version went to number one in the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1959. It stayed at the top for six weeks! Emile Ford was the first Black British artist to sell one million copies of a single.
More Success and Later Years
In January 1960, Emile signed a two-year management contract. He had several more hit songs in the UK. He also had a number one EP (a type of record with more songs than a single but less than an album) in 1960. The readers of the British music magazine New Musical Express voted Emile Ford & the Checkmates the "Best New Act" in 1960.
Emile made several albums, but his last studio recordings were in 1963. His half-brothers, George and Dave Sweetnam-Ford, later joined another band called the Ferris Wheel. A collection of all of Emile's recordings with Pye Records, called Counting Teardrops, was released in 2001.
The Fordettes: Backing Singers
Emile Ford had female singers who backed him up. They were first called The Fordettes. The group included Margot Quantrell, Eleanor Russell, Vicki Haseman, and Betty Prescott. They toured with Emile for a year in 1960. After that, they left to sing backup for Joe Brown. Vicki Haseman was engaged to Joe Brown at the time. They then became known as The Breakaways.
Emile Ford's Sound Engineering Innovations
Emile Ford was not just a singer; he was also a very clever sound engineer. He created a special system for stage shows that used backing tracks. This system was first used in 1960. It helped create the basis for what we now know as karaoke!
In 1969, he opened a recording studio in Barbados with his father's help. Later, he moved to Sweden. There, he kept working on new sound systems. He developed a special open-air playback system for stage shows. He even got a patent for it! He called it the Liveoteque Sound Frequency Feedback Injection System.
His Passing
Emile Ford passed away in London on April 11, 2016.
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)
- UK No.1 Hits of 1959
- UK No.1 Hits of 1960
- List of Christmas number one singles (UK)
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1960s
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
