John Ford Coley Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{short description|American singer-songwriter}} <!--DON'T ADD LIBELOUS OR HARMFUL ARTICLES--> {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = John Ford Coley | image = John Ford Coley 1976 (cropped).jpg | caption = Coley in 1976 | image_size = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = John Edward Colley | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|10|13}} | birth_place = [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], United States | death_date = | death_place = | instrument = [[Vocals]], [[guitar]], [[piano]], [[Electronic keyboard|keyboards]] | genre = [[Pop rock]], [[Folk rock|folk]], [[soft rock]], [[Country music|country]] | occupation = [[Singing|Singer]] | years_active = 1969–present | label = A&M Records, Atlantic Records, HIP Records (Stax) | past_member_of = [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]] | website = [http://www.johnfordcoley.com www.johnfordcoley.com] }} '''John Ford Coley''' (born October 13, 1948)<ref>Texas Births, 1926–1995, [http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/20902?c=search&first=John&last=Colley John Edward Colley]</ref> is an American singer, classically trained pianist, guitarist, [[actor]], and author most known for his partnership in the musical duo [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]].<ref name="Larkin"/> ==Early life== Coley was born '''John Edward Colley''' in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], United States. He grew up listening to the [[Grand Ole Opry]], early [[rock and roll]], singing church [[hymns]] and was trained as a classical pianist. At 16, while at [[W. W. Samuell High School]] in Dallas, Coley, along with schoolmate [[Dan Seals]], joined the group Theze Few, which later became [[Southwest F.O.B.]] and toured the Texas music scene where they had one hit, "The Smell of Incense", which in 1969 rose to number 43 on the charts. This band played on the bill with [[Led Zeppelin]] and other acts. While in the band, Seals and Coley began their own acoustic act, Coley and Wayland. The act was renamed [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]], and the duo was signed by [[A&M Records]]. In 1971, the two moved to [[Los Angeles]] where they opened for numerous bands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://johnfordcoley.com/home|title=John Ford Coley|website=Johnfordcoley.com|access-date=October 12, 2019}}</ref> Their first break came in 1972 with the song "Simone". It became a number one hit in Japan and was popular in France. However, "Simone" did not fare as well in the United States, and the two were released from their contract with A&M after three albums. ==Signing to Atlantic Records== Two years later, they acquired another record deal from [[Atlantic Records]] subsidiary [[Big Tree Records]] and released the song "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". Overall they had four top-ten hits and two top-twenty hits. They were nominated for a [[Grammy Award]], received triple-platinum and gold records and released eight albums; additionally, other recordings were released abroad. The duo disbanded in 1980.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=431}}</ref> ==After the 1980s== Coley formed another group that released an album on A&M Records: Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley (featuring sisters Leslie and Kelly Bulkin).<ref name="Larkin"/> He [[acting|acted]] in teen films in the 1980s, acquired a small ranch in the 1990s, and wrote songs for film and television. He returned to touring in 1996. Coley plays with groups and artists including [[Ambrosia (band)|Ambrosia]] and [[Terry Sylvester]] (formerly of [[The Hollies]]), [[Three Dog Night]], [[Lou Gramm]] (of [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]), [[Christopher Cross]], [[Poco (band)|Poco]], [[Stephen Bishop (musician)|Stephen Bishop]], [[Al Stewart]], [[Edgar Winter]] and others. In 1996, Coley made a trip south for Tin Pan South and began making trips to Nashville to be part of the music community. He moved his family and horses across country to Tennessee in 1999. While in Tennessee, Coley, once a [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], converted back to [[Christianity]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Bruce |first= Billy |date= August 31, 2000 |title= Born-Again Rock Stars |url= http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/146-covers/cover-story/106-born-again-rock-stars |magazine= Charisma Magazine |access-date= September 16, 2016 |archive-date= September 27, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170927000412/https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/146-covers/cover-story/106-born-again-rock-stars |url-status= dead }}</ref> Coley continues to perform internationally. On August 11, 1997, a handyman in Long Island, New York was arrested for impersonating Coley.<ref>{{cite web |date= August 11, 2006 |title= This Day in Entertainment History |url= https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/today-in-entertainment-history-august-12/83-403249743 |magazine= WFMY News 2 website |access-date= June 4, 2021}}</ref> ==Discography== ===Albums=== *''Smell of Incense'' - Southwest F.O.B., 1969 *''England Dan and John Ford Coley'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1971 *''Fables'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1972 *''[[I Hear Music (England Dan & John Ford Coley album)|I Hear Music]]'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1976 *''Nights Are Forever'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1976 *''Dowdy Ferry Road'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1977 *''Some Things Don't Come Easy'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1978 *''Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1979 *''Just Tell Me You Love Me'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1980 *''Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley'' - Leslie, Kelly and John Ford Coley, 1980 (A&M Records) *''The Best of England Dan and John Ford Coley'' - England Dan and John Ford Coley, 1980 *''Live from the Philippines'' - John Ford Coley, 2009 *''Eclectic'' - John Ford Coley, 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/eclectic/1175688229|title=Eclectic by John Ford Coley|website=Music.apple.com|access-date=October 12, 2019}}</ref> *''Long Way Home (Live in Israel & L.A.)'' - John Ford Coley, 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://music.apple.com/us/album/long-way-home-live-in-israel-l-a/1519050073 |title=Long Way Home (Live in Israel & L.A.) by John Ford Coley|website=Music.apple.com|access-date=June 6, 2022}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{official website|johnfordcoley.com}} {{England Dan & John Ford Coley}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Coley, John Ford}} [[Category:1948 births]] [[Category:American country guitarists]] [[Category:American country pianists]] [[Category:American male pianists]] [[Category:American folk guitarists]] [[Category:American male guitarists]] [[Category:American male singer-songwriters]] [[Category:American soft rock musicians]] [[Category:England Dan & John Ford Coley members]] [[Category:Former Bahá'ís]] [[Category:Converts to Christianity]] [[Category:American Christians]] [[Category:Guitarists from Texas]] [[Category:Singers from Dallas]] [[Category:Singer-songwriters from Texas]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American guitarists]] [[Category:20th-century American pianists]] [[Category:20th-century American male singers]] [[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]] [[Category:Big Tree Records artists]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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