Written by Dwayne Ford & Derek Kendrick

Dwayne Ford is a veteran singer/songwriter/musician born in Edmonton , Canada in 1949. His first claim to fame was working in the back-up band of the legendary Ronnie Hawkins in the late sixties. In its various incarnations, The Hawks included big names like David Clayton Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko of famed The Band, Burton Cummings and a very young David Foster with his first wife, singer/songwriter B.J. Cook.

After his stint with Hawkins, Ford formed a band called Bearfoot with other Hawkins’ alumni including Jim Atkinson and Terry Danko. Bearfoot released three albums between 1972 and 1975 with good success in their homeland. The group scored a 1974 Juno nomination as Most Promising Group Of The Year, but lost to Bachman-Turner Overdrive. After Bearfoot disbanded, Ford moved to Los Angeles and had a minor hit as a songwriter with The Keane Brothers. “Sherry” was produced in 1976 by his old pal Foster.

Around 1980, the two Canadians again joined forces to work on Ford’s debut solo album. Needless Freaking saw the light of day in 1981. Foster co-produced this noteworthy pop/rock effort and added his deluxe sounds and catchy arrangements to Ford’s original material. The songs on the album were written by Ford with Derek Kendrick and former wife Patsy Gallant. As to be expected, the tunes were dramatically enhanced by Foster’s work and he brought them to a higher level. Foster ensured an impressive line-up of session greats that included the unforgettable Jeff and Mike Porcaro, Steve Lukather, Mike Baird, Jay Graydon and Neil Stubenhaus. Consequently, Needless Freaking was influenced by the melodic appeal and clever musicality of Toto and Airplay. Those influences were especially evident in the slick groove of the rocking opener, “Lovin’ And Losin’ You,” that was previously reviewed. It can also be heard in this Song of the Week, the power ballad “Am I Ever Gonna Find Your Love.”

Co-written by Ford and Kendrick, “Am I Ever Gonna Find Your Love” was an evocative anthem superbly crafted by Foster with top-notch musicianship. Ford’s vocals were right on target with his malleable tenor for this kind of high-tech material. The backing track features Lukather’s fantastic guitar playing all over the place plus Foster on fender rhodes on top of the swinging rhythm section of Mike Baird on drums and Neil Stubenhaus on bass. Despite its radio-friendly potential, Needless Freaking didn’t fly commercially, but became a favorite among west coast/quality pop fans like many other hidden gems of those days. Needless Freaking stands as a great example of Foster’s unique craftsmanship in the art of arranging.

Ford kept releasing new music in the following decades and recently ventured into film scoring. He wrote a book released in 2011 entitled “Rock This Kitchen.” The book presents several entertaining anecdotes about Foster and the making of Needless Freaking.

Listen

Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals & Keyboards: Dwayne Ford
Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
Drums: Mike Baird
Fender Rhodes: David Foster
Guitars: Steve Lukather
Guitar: David Bendeth

Produced & Arranged by David Foster & Dwayne Ford

Lyrics

No Lyrics

written by Dwayne Ford & Derek Kendrick

The late Jeffrey Porcaro was the heart and soul of the legendary rock group, Toto and also one of the most important drummers in the history of rock music. Together with his father Joe and younger brothers Steve and Michael, Jeff Porcaro was part of one of the most respected legacies in the music world.

It took less than a second to a trained ear to know it was Porcaro playing on that particular track and his performances, both live or in the studio, were always impeccable and spectacular. Jeff died way too soon, in 1992, at age thirty-eight and left a big void in the international music scene. During the course of his amazing career, Porcaro played dozen of gigs with David Foster while they were doing session work in the seventies. Some of that amazing stuff and many more treasures can be found on a precious compilation album released in 2008 and entitled “Jeff Porcaro Session Works.” That endeavor includes seventeen gems from Porcaro’s unique career. The opener and the closer, “Moodido” and Home Of The Brave,” come directly from Toto’s songbook.  A few fundamental things are missing like Porcaro’s seminal work with Steely Dan but huge hits like Bruce Springsteen’s “Human Touch,” Michael Bolton’s “When A Man Loves A Woman,” Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown,” Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and Toto’s anthem, “Africa” are all included here. “Jeff Porcaro Session Works” also presents great album tracks by Bill Champlin, Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour and Dwayne Ford that had Porcaro working with Foster. Ford’s track in particular is entitled “Lovin’ And Losin’ You.” That song wasn’t a hit in any form but absolutely deserves to be part of the track list with its magnificent, jazzy groove that’s a must listen. “Lovin’ And Losin’ You” is one of those songs that exemplifies the L.A. top quality pop sound of the early eighties and Jeff Porcaro was such an important part of that unforgettable music era. We have asked David Foster to write a few words to remember his friend and this is what he said: “Jeff was a one of a kind musician. There never was, nor there will ever be another one like him. He had the best feel, the best personality and the best musicality of any musician I have ever met. I miss him a lot and still think about him all the time. All of us who were in his circle still talk about him all the time. He was the best of the best!”

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/lovin_and_losin_you.mp3|titles=Lovin’ and Losin’ you|artists=Dwayne Ford]

Lead Vocals & Keyboards: Dwayne Ford
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Bass: Mike Porcaro
Guitars: Steve Lukather

Produced & Arranged by David Foster & Dwayne Ford

Lyrics

Half way home from paradise
I’m lost inside a dream
I’m in love and that’s all I know for sure
And the stain of love is still too strong
I don’t understand it – your love is gone
Lovin’ and losin’ you

The lights went out in Chinatown
Was raining down in Seoul
And inside it rages like a storm
And the pain of love is still too strong
I don’t understand it – your love is gone
Lovin’ and losin’ you
I’ll never give up my dreams of you
Show me the light and let me through
Heaven can tell you I’ve been standing in your light
Love was paradise

If I could change the hands of time
If I could only see
If my life is still a part of me
But my eyes no longer see the rain
It’s just another vision to erase the pain
Destiny was written to erase the stain
Of lovin’ and losin’ you

Dwayne Ford and David Foster met while playing in Ronnie Hawkins’ band in the early seventies, just before Foster left for LA with his band Skylark to record their first hit Wildflower. In 1981 Ford, a fellow Canadian, after many years spent in bands like Atkinson, Danko & Ford and Barefoot, released his first solo project and who else than David Foster could have been called to produce it? Foster took Ford’s tunes and helped shape them into a pop/rock style that isn’t too far from the music of the band Toto. The only two moments that sound a bit different, with some country/rock flavour -“There’s A Life In Me” and “The American Blues” – are the only moments not produced and arranged by Foster. The whole record is very eclectic, the first song “Lovin’ And Losin’ You” is typical of the LA sound of that time with a jazzy groove, some cool backing vocals and great playing courtesy of the Toto guys.

Another couple of interesting tracks are the pop/rock numbers “Am I Ever Gonna Find Your Love” and the closing one “The Best Will Survive” with some great guitar playing by Jay Graydon. The song we picked for our page is “Stranger In Paradise”, an interesting pop number that sounds a bit like a cross between Steely Dan (especially the central part with the sax solo) and the Eagles with good vocals courtesy of Ford with his wife Patricia Gallant. Ford has released another cd in 1997 entitled “Another Way To Fly”, a solid effort but that lacks the musicianship of “Needless Freaking” and, especially, misses David Foster’s producing and arranging art.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/stranger_in_paradise.mp3|titles=STRANGER IN PARADISE|artists=Dwayne Ford]

Lead Vocals: Dwayne Ford
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Bass: Mike Porcaro
Guitar: Steve Lukather
Sax: Earl Seymour
Keyboards: Dwayne Ford
Arranged by David Foster & Dwayne Ford
Produced by David Foster & Dwayne Ford

Lyrics

Too many nights on the town
Too many times when the lines were down
She’s a long way from home
It’s a long way to run

She spends her days at the Ritz
Waiting in silence before the night hits
She’s a long way from home
It’s a long way to run

A stranger in paradise – she’s just like a fool in love
An angel in her demise – it’s a thin disguise
Just doesn’t hide all the pain
She’ll stand by her alibi – she’s just like a fool in love
Defend it with jealous eyes – but she never lies
She just denies it

Oh doesn’t she know she can never win
The state she’s in – she’s lucky she still knows how to cry

Love is alive – if she’d only see
There’s enough for her – there’s enough for me

You say, “How much for the cain, she says”
“I don’t deal i just play the game”
“I’m a long way from home – it’s a long way to run”

-chorus-

I saw her yesterday
she looked tired and alone as she walked away – i said
You’re a long way from home – it’s a long way to run

-chorus-