Wabash Valley Musicians Hall of Fame
'Promoting fellowship and friendship among all musicians of the Wabash Valley'
Musical History of Mark Ford
Musical Influences
Mark grew up with NPR radio in the house - jazz, folk, big band, etc.
His grandfather toured the country with the Shrine Band in the early
1900s and was always encouraging an interest in music.
He plays the upright bass, bass guitar (4 and 5-string, fretted and fretless),
Moog pedals, and some drums. Mark says, "I love the way the bass moves you."
Musical Career
| 1966-1973 | Grade school through high school orchestra (violin, bass) |
| 1969-1974 | Terre Haute Youth Symphony |
| 1967 | Played in a series of bands with Pat Kelley throughout Junior High and High School (Played once at Indy Convention Center for live broadcast for Indiana Cancer Telethon |
| 1973-1976 | Lynn Haley Band |
| Unknown | Church bassist for several years |
| Unknown | Church choir on statewide tour (played IU Opera house and Indy Convention Center) |
| Unknown | Kingdom Heirs Quartet |
| 1979-1980 | NorthWest Express Roadshow |
| 1980-1981 | Jack Jenning’s church choir in Bozeman, Montana (a feeder group for “Up With People”) |
| 1981-1983 | Hot Pursuit Band in Bozeman, Montana |
| 1984-1985 | Crosswinds Band |
| 1985-1989 | Presto |
| Unknown | Heart’s Desire (played several years on the square at Covered Bridge Festival) |
| Unknown | Bruce Borders |
| Unknown | No Borders |
| Unknown | Louie Popejoy |
| Unknown | Roger Market |
| 1998-Now | Men of Note Band and Claudia 1998 |
| Unknown | Fab Forties Swing Band with Norm Hanson |
| Unknown | Stonehenge Band with John Penry |
| Unknown | Indiana State University Jazz Ensemble |
| 2009-Now | Dicky James and the Blue Flames |
| Unknown | Dicky James and the Night Shift |
Recorded with Lynn Haley Band, Heart’s Desire, Tracy Richardson, Cowboy Bob Glaze,
Karen Whistler, Presto (at Bill Gaither’s Alexandria Studio), Bad Dangos, Dicky James
and the Blue Flames, studio bassist for Snowden Music Services, etc.
Live Sound Engineer for many shows – Ronnie McDowell, Bobbie Bare, Dan Seals,
Beatlemania Live!, Buddy Greene, Rebecca St. James, Lowell Lundstrom, Johnny Paycheck,
Steve Brown, Evan Bayh, Bad Dangos, Old School, Maryland Community Church, George Morgan
and Little Roy Wiggins, etc.
Memorable Moments
Presto recorded a “45” for jukebox play. Heart’s Desire was featured in the Terre Haute Tribune Star’s front page coverage of the annual Covered Bridge Festival in Rockville, IN. Dicky James and the Blue Flames won the Indiana Blues Challenge in 2011 and 2012 and represented Indiana at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2012 and 2013. They were also awarded “Best Self-Produced Blues CD” by the Indiana Blues Society. Performed on Beale Street at the Rum Boogie, Club 152, and Superior Bar. Performed at the Juke Joint Festival and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the blues.
Hall of Fame
Mark was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a part of the Class
of 2009.
Just three months after his induction, Mark was elected to the Board of
Directors. He was elected to the position of Vice-Chair in 2016.
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Last update on 22 Oct 2016