15 minute read
MUSIC Panama City native Rick Ford went from the Marching 100 at FAMU to Atlanta to New York City. Now, he is back in his hometown with a simple aim: bringing joy to the people.
↘ Rick Ford performs with the Da Gruuve Band at the House of Henry in Panama City. His red, white and blue bandana is a signature piece. “I am the most American American you are ever going to meet,” said Ford, whose mission is “to bring joy” to his hometown.
MUSIC
A MUSICIAN FOR ALL OCCASIONS
Rick Ford tailors performances to special events
by STEVE BORNHOFT
For almost 37 years, Rick Ford worked for the State of New York as the facilities manager at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, a teaching hospital and medical school.
Throughout those years, he maintained a Florida driver’s license. A colleague once asked him why.
“I’m just visiting,” Ford replied.
He is back in Bay County now, having returned following his retirement to help look after his ailing father during his final months and to pick up pieces left behind by Hurricane Michael.
These days, he said, “It’s my business to make Panama City a happier place. I came back to a town whose psyche was badly damaged.”
Ford calls himself a “live entertainment coordinator.” He has a business, Konkoction, which he launched in New York and which provides music tailored to special events and occasions — baby showers, weddings, birthdays, retirement parties, even divorce parties.
His customers describe the types of music they prefer to hear — disco, funk, jazz, pop, reggae and rock are all on the menu — choose the number of musicians they want to hire and may even influence what band members will wear. The contacts list in Ford’s phone includes numbers for dozens of players he may call upon to fit a bill locally. Most of them, he said, lost their homes to Michael.
From age 12 forward, Ford was a member of the house band at the Safari Lounge, a one-time Black music venue on 11th Street in Panama City where he also worked as a DJ.
He played sax in the Rutherford High School Band directed by Ray Smith, graduating in 1976. He moved on to Florida A&M and was a member of the Marching 100 there. Upon graduation, he played with a band, CC and the Soulful Three, which included the younger brothers of CC Carter, well known for his weekend soul and blues programs on Panama City radio stations.
After moving to Atlanta, the band adopted a new name, Panama Gold. Two years later, Ford
was on his way to New York and an extended hiatus from playing music.
He got Konkoction going around the turn of the century with the assistance of a friend, Guya Patterson, who was an associate director for CBS News and who managed and branded jazz bands as a “side hustle.”
“Musicians may think they are good businesspeople, but that’s not often true,” said Patterson, reached at her home in Forest Hills, New York. “They need to concentrate on what they do best, playing music.
Patterson said about Ford that he was a good student, a good listener. They worked first on establishing an identity for Konkoction and then ensuring that everything about the business was consistent with that identity.
They determined that they wanted Konkoction to be upscale, chic, sophisticated and consistently professional in all that they did from rehearsals to breaking down equipment following a performance.
Indeed, Ford was elected a chapter president with the Civil Service Employees Association in New York.
In important ways, Ford resembles his father Walter, an educator who rose to positions as the assistant director at the Haney Vocational-Technical Center and principal of Rosenwald High School in Panama City. While in the Navy, Walter Ford became the first Black man ever to serve on the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier.
WALTER’S KID Among his few regrets, Rick Ford wishes that it had been possible for him to bring about a funeral ceremony for his father, Walter, who died in April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented that. “Dad was a Renaissance man,” Rick said. “He set the pace.” Indeed, Walter was the first Black man to serve on the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier. He majored in industrial arts at Florida A&M and drew up house plans. Later in life, he became the first Black man to sell cars at Cook-Whitehead Ford in Panama City. He retired from Bay District Schools as the associate director at Haney Technical Center. He did his student teaching at Rosenwald High School, prior to integration. Walter was a disciplinarian, but in wielding a paddle, he never took a full swing. “My father would beat my butt,” Rick laughed. “My mother would beat my ass.”
← Rick Ford takes five while leaning against a palm tree on Harrison Avenue in Panama City. For most of his career, Ford worked as a facilities manager and musician in New York, then returned to Bay County to look after his ailing father. Ford recalls with fondness an era when Panama City was home to venues dedicated to Black music.
When desegregation of schools began in Bay County, he saw to it that Rick became the first Black boy ever to attend Cove Elementary School.
From his father, Ford learned to be kind, patriotic and composed. Patterson said he often paid musicians in New York to attend rehearsals and bought them clothes. He wears a signature red, white and blue bandana around his neck. He will hold himself to one Absolut and pineapple juice, nursing it until well after the ice has melted.
He learned modesty, too.
Ford writes music, quietly so.
He’s in the cover-band business.
In preparation for an event, Ford prepares not set lists, but lists of songs, any one of which he may play whenever the moment is right in the course of a performance.
“Some bands roll up on a gig, straggling in at different times wearing whatever,” Ford said. “They are there to play and go home. We want to make people feel like we are their band.” EC
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MMM … GOOD
Emerald Coast Theatre Company Warms Hearts of All Ages This Winter
A beloved holiday classic with a twist, a vintage musical trip down memory lane and a saucy variety show staring — the theater audience!
Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) continues its ninth annual season with a sure cure for the winter blues. From December–February, ECTC will stage three deliciously entertaining shows that serve up something for everyone to enjoy.
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES
January 21–23; February 10–13; March 3–6 This smash, off-Broadway hit takes audiences back to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy: four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts. As the girls serenade us with classic ’50s hits including Lollipop, Dream Lover, Lipstick on Your Collar and more, we are charmed to learn that no matter what life throws their way, they will conquer it together.
“Who isn’t ready to hop in a vintage convertible, peel out of today’s problems and take an entertaining musical trip down memory lane?” asks ECTC producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher. “This show is perfect for couples and anyone who loves sock hop-style music.”
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
December 9–19 Adapted from the 1947 Lux Radio Hour broadcast, this entertaining version of Lance Arthur Smith’s beloved holiday play about the miracle of believing is staged with live Foley effects and a score of holiday carols. This heartwarming story is perfect for the whole family to enjoy.
“I’m thinking retro classic late 1940s/early 1950s,” director Marci Duncan says. “It’s one of my favorite periods for fashion. So picture beautiful clothes, imagine a warm cup of cocoa, a plate of fresh-baked Christmas cookies and the scent of pine in the air. That sets the mental stage with a nostalgic Christmas story that everybody should be in the mood for right now.”
Similar to It’s A Wonderful Life (2018) ECTC’s Miracle on 34th Street will be staged as a 1940s radio play with a live Foley artist.
MISS ABIGAIL’S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING & MARRIAGE
Jan. 28–Feb. 6 In this raucous romp, Miss Abigail is a sought-after relationship expert to the stars. She travels the world — aided by her strapping assistant Paco — sharing her vast “how to” knowledge gleaned from “every piece of relationship literature known to mankind.”
“If you crossed the shows of Richard Simmons with Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Ruth and Dr. Phil, you’ve got the Off-Broadway smash hit Miss Abigail,” says ECTC producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher. “This show is all about relationships, and that includes our theater audience.”
EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY 560 GRAND BLVD., SUITE 200, MIRAMAR BEACH | (850) 684-0323 | EMERALDCOASTTHEATRE.ORG
Broadway’s Nicholas Rodriguez Headlines Holiday Pops
Sinfonia fan to serenade his favorite carols and ballads from the Great American Songbook
Straight from the Broadway stage — he is in Company starring Sinfonia Gulf Coast (2014) gala star Patti LuPone — dashing, upbeat singer/actor Nicholas Rodriquez will add sizzle to the sounds of the season when he takes the stage Friday, Dec. 10 as the headline artist in Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s Holiday Pops concert.
Heralded by the Washington Post as “the classic leading man,” Rodriguez is an award-winning star of the stage (Tarzan, The Sound of Music, Carousel and others), TV screen (One Life to Live as Nick Chavez, Madam Secretary) and film (Sex and the City 2). His debut album, The First Time, based on his one-man show of the same name, fuses Rodriguez’s love of theater with jazz, blues, folk and pop music.
Backed by the sensational Sinfonia Gulf Coast orchestra conducted by music and artistic director Demetrius Fuller, Rodriguez will serenade music lovers with his hand-selected “playlist,” including his favorite classic holiday carols, classic ballads from the Great American Songbook, Broadway tunes (Rodgers & Hammerstein fans rejoice!) and a selection of hand-picked lyrical songs that make his heart zing.
Rodriguez hopes to gift the audience with a performance akin to a compilation “live holiday CD.”
“I’m a super fan of Christmas CDs. My favorites range from Nat King Cole to Vince Gill and from Ella Fitzgerald to Mahalia Jackson. As for atmosphere, remember the old-timey variety show specials that Dean Martin would host where he would bring up old friends? I hope we accomplish that kind of throwback welcome-to-my-livingroom feel. It’s going to be an evening of great holiday music, and we’re going to have some fun.”
This will be a homecoming for Rodriguez, who has performed twice before with the orchestra. This Texas native tenor is eager to return to his Florida “family” to make his first solo appearance.
“Having gotten to know so many patrons personally over the years, it will be amazing to come back and see people who are now very good friends,” Rodriguez shares. “The beauty of the venue is that it feels like a living room. You can see every single face in the audience. You can feel that connection coming back to you. So that’s really magical.”
This one-night-only “holiday card,” held in the decked halls of Village Church in Destin, will be festive fun for the whole family — and, who knows, maybe another famous Nick will make an appearance, too!
SINFONIA GULF COAST SINFONIA GULF COAST BOX OFFICE (850) 460-8800 | SINFONIAGULFCOAST.ORG
Cheers to 10 Years
South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival Serves Up Great Wine, Fine Food and Good Will
Adazzling roster of celebrity winemakers, mixologists and chefs will converge April 21-24, 2022 in idyllic South Walton’s Grand Boulevard Town Center to wine, dine, educate and entertain guests as part of the four-day celebration of wine, spirits, food, music, fun and goodwill.
Celebrating 10 years in 2022, the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival — an award-winning, nationally ranked event — draws wine and food industry icons such as Peter Mondavi, Jr., Marc Perrin, Don Hartford, Cristina MarianiMay, Jean-Charles Boissett, Norman Van Aken and South Walton’s own Chef Emeril Lagasse and many more. Given the caliber of A-list participants, it’s no wonder USA Today touted it as “one of the South’s standout food and beverage festivals.”
Here, we provide a personal “tour” of the highly anticipated highlights planned for the ninth year of this popular charity event.
The Festival kicks off in fine wine fashion in the Culinary Village with a VIP Wine Tasting on Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Delivering the ultimate wine experience, limited tickets are sold to this exclusive event which gathers you with fellow wine lovers and top wine celebrities. Whether an aficionado or novice, you will sip rare and collectible wines from your commemorative XL Riedel glass and savor high-end food tastings created by the chefs of Grand Boulevard and South Walton’s rave restaurants. Relax; your VIP status gives you express entry into Friday’s Craft Beer & Spirits Jam as well as Saturday’s and Sunday’s Grand Tastings.
Keep the party going at the best block party of the year in the Town Center and Grand Park with Friday night’s Craft Beer & Spirits Jam from 6 to 9 p.m. Taste and enjoy specialty craft beers and spirits from the hottest breweries and distilleries in the country. Meet the makers of these lively libations, and chat up master mixologists as they craft creative cocktails. Nosh on fantastic food all along EATS Street, and jam to live music.
Before, you swirl a single wine at the Grand Tastings (Saturday
and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.), take a moment to download the Festival wine list from the newly refreshed Sowalwine.com website. Create your own custom wine tour by mapping out the tent locations of favorite “friends” and a few you’d like to “meet.” Having a plan is wise when there are more than 600 domestic and imported wines to discover. But wine isn’t all there is to drink in. Included in your ticket price are Savor South Walton Culinary Village, Tasting Seminars, Rosé All Day Garden, Spirits Row, chef demos and the Nashville Songwriters Showcase. Cheers to that!
Each year, wine A-listers come to showcase trending wines, which infuse the event with fresh excitement. A must-not-miss this year is Château Minuty, the global leader in luxury Cotes de Provence Rosé, which will be making a special appearance. Château Minuty abounds in leading beach clubs, restaurants and luxury retailers from Saint-Tropez to Monaco and beyond. Join in the celebration of the French Riviera lifestyle, personified by these luxury rosé wines. Sample the Château Minuty wines with pairings by top local proprietor/chefs along with the VINTUS wine team. Master Sommelier Craig Collins will be presenting exciting educational seminars in Grand Park.
Wine is best shared and paired. Food is in the name of this Festival for good reason. Top chefs from near and far gather at the Festival to present their artfully curated creations designed to pair with the wines being poured. Foodies will delight in the delicious dishes artfully orchestrated by local Festival Culinary Director Scott Plumley throughout the Savor South Walton Culinary Village and peppered along EATS Street — the feast of flavors will satisfy and surprise.
What pairs with good food and wine? Great music! Amplifying the atmosphere is the Great Florida Event’s Nashville Songwriters Showcase, creating a sensational live “soundtrack” of the Music City’s top talent.
The toast of the event is surely Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), the beneficiary of this charity event. The Festival works in concert with DCWAF — of the nation’s Top Charity Wine Auctions in the U.S. — to raise funds for children in need in Northwest Florida.
Whether your tasting tour has led you to an old flame or a new love, you can purchase your favorite wine discovery in the Retail Wine Tent located on-site.
