Penny Ford (also known as Pennye Ford, born June 11, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Born and raised in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio, she rose to fame in the 1980s after signing a recording contract with Total Experience Records and releasing her debut solo album ''Pennye''. The album spawned the singles "Change Your Wicked Way" and "Dangerous", which were produced and written by Ford. She garnered international fame as the lead singer of

Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...

group

Snap! Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by Record producer, producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters and rappers Thea A ...

. Managed and produced by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti, the group released their debut album ''

World Power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...

'' in 1990, which sold over 7 million copies worldwide and became one of the most successful dance albums to date.Snap! Biography
Milk ‘n’ 2 Sugars. Retrieved on January 10, 2017 The album contained the hits " The Power", "

Ooops Up "Ooops Up" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!. It was released in June 1990 as the second single from their debut studio album, ''World Power'' (1990). The song is a re-working of " I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Ooops!)"; a ...

", "

Cult of Snap In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This s ...

", and "

Mary Had a Little Boy "Mary Had a Little Boy" is a 1990 song recorded by German Eurodance group Snap!. It was released in December that year as the fourth and final single from their debut studio album, ''World Power'' (1990). The song reached number-one in Zimbabwe a ...

", which have collectively sold over nine million records.Penny Ford - Biography
Billboard. Retrieved on January 8, 2017 Snap!'s hiatus saw the release of Ford's second album, ''Penny Ford'' (1993), which established her as a solo artist worldwide and featured the singles "

Daydreaming Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...

" and "I Lose Control". Ford has also been a member of the groups

Klymaxx Klymaxx is an American all-female pop/ R&B band from Los Angeles, California. The band's classic lineup consisted of Bernadette Cooper, Lorena Porter Shelby, Cheryl Cooley, Robbin Grider, Lynn Malsby, and Joyce "Fenderella" Irby. History Klyma ...

and

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

. In 2006, she returned to

and began touring worldwide with them. Throughout her career, Ford has sold over 16 million records.

Early life

Penny Ford was born in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, to Carolyn Griffith (née Ford), an evangelist, and Gene Redd, Sr., a veteran record company executive and producer.Penny Ford of Snap! : Songwriter Interviews - Songfacts
SongFacts. Retrieved on January 8, 2017 Penny's older half-sister,

Sharon Redd Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992) was an American singer from New York City. She was the half sister of Snap! singer Penny Ford. Life and career Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Gene and Katherine Re ...

, was also a singer. Ford attended St. Mark Catholic School in Cincinnati, where she enrolled in dance and music classes.Interview: Penny Ford – The Power of Experience
Blog Critics. Retrieved on January 9, 2017 Her interest in music and performing continued after winning a talented teen pageant at a young age, reading a

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

piece and singing

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's " Summertime" to beat other contestants. In 1979, she snuck into a local club where she landed a job as a background singer for electro-funk group Zapp as part of a

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive fu ...

World Funk Tour at age 14. After graduating from high school at age 16, she traveled to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where she auditioned at a studio for

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

and was given a job as a demo singer.

Career

1984–1988: Career beginnings

Following a stint as a

Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, a ...

backing vocalist, Ford released an album entitled ''Pennye'' in 1984, and two singles from the album made the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

: "Change Your Wicked Ways", which reached No. 76, and "

Dangerous Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

", which reached No. 43.Chart Stats - Pennye Ford
/ref> In 1986, Ford replaced Lorena Shelby as the lead singer of

. After a year on the road, Ford joined The S.O.S. Band for a six-month stint, including recording "It's Time to Move" for the Police Academy soundtrack. In 1988, Ford became friends with fellow vocalist

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

while singing background vocals on "Our Day Will Come", a duet with

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-on ...

. She also toured as a background vocalist for Khan's European Tour in 1988.

1989–1991: Snap!

During a trip to Germany in late 1989, Ford was asked to substitute for

when she couldn't make it to a recording session. The session was for the recording of an album for a new electronic dance group being put together called

. The original line-up for the group consisted of Ford, rapper

Turbo B Durron Maurice Butler (born April 30, 1967), known as Turbo B, is an American musician, rapper and beatboxer. He was once the frontman of the German electronic music group Snap! After completing a period of service with the United States Army i ...

, and producers Michael Münzing & Luca Anzilotti. In early 1990, the group released their debut single " The Power", which immediately became an international, hit selling over a million copies in America. In May 1990, Snap! released their debut album ''

''. The album reached number seven on Germany's

Media Control Charts Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

, number 25 on Australia's

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, number four on the

Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Tuesdays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as ...

, number 20 on the

Topplistan Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...

chart in Sweden, number four on the

Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 7 ...

, number 10 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, and number 30 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Although it did not chart on the Dutch MegaCharts, it earned gold

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

from the

NVPI NVPI (Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld - en geluidsdragers) ( en, The Dutch Association of Producers and Importers of image - and sound carriers) is the Dutch trade association of the entertainment industry. The NVPI ...

, for sales in excess of 60,000 copies in the Netherlands. ''World Power'' has also been certified gold in Australia, Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while it has received platinum certifications in both Germany and Switzerland. The group's second single

also became an international success, peaking in the top-ten position on many charts. The single also earned a gold certification, selling over 500,000 copies in America. Their success continued with the singles "

" and "

", and an international tour. After the tour, the group began working on their second album. Ford took on a lesser role and only wrote two songs (" Colour of Love" and "See the Light"), which were recorded by replacement member Thea Austin as Ford chose to leave the group in 1991.

1991-1995: ''Penny Ford'' and Soul II Soul

Shortly after leaving Snap!, Ford became the subject of a major-label bidding war that resulted in her signing to Columbia/

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

in June 1991. During this time, she began recording with British musical group

and contributed background vocals for the song "Move Me No Mountain". The song was released as the second single of their third album ''Volume III Just Right'' in 1992. In 1992, Ford began recording her second solo album. In March 1993, Ford released her second album, ''Penny Ford''. The album's lead single "

" peaked at number 40 on Billboard's R&B singles chart and at number 43 on the UK Singles chart. The album also spawned two additional singles, "I'll Be There" and "I Lose Control". In 1994, Ford began working with

again. She sang lead vocals on their single "Love Enuff", which was released in 1995. She was also present when the group performed the song on

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

2003: Judge Mathis appearance

In 2003, Ford appeared on an episode of the U.S. television program ''

Judge Mathis ''Judge Mathis'' is an American syndicated arbitration-based reality court show presided over by Judge Greg Mathis, a former judge of Michigan's 36th District Court and Black-interests motivational speaker/activist. The courtroom series prem ...

'', suing a producer/boyfriend. One of her witnesses was

; though Khan did not appear, she spoke to Judge Mathis via telephone.

2006–present: Later career and current work

In 2006, Ford returned as the original and official singer of the group Snap! She also rejoined with Snap! producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilloti, and has been performing with them worldwide. She lives in Offenbach, Germany.

Artistry

Ford is a multi-instrumentalist. She has been known to play the guitar, flute, drums, percussion, bass, keyboards, and synthesizer, all of which she played during her early career as a demo singer. On her first album, she played all of the instruments on the song "Serious", and three instruments on the remaining songs. She has produced and arranged songs for

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, an ...

Victoria Wilson-James Victoria Wilson-James is an American-born British singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she performed in various theatre plays and musicals as a teenager. Following the release of her debut single "I Want You ...

, and

.Penny Ford - Credits
All Music Guide. Retrieved on January 10, 2017

Discography

* ''Pennye'' (1984) * ''Penny Ford'' (1993)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Penny 1964 births 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American singers 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American singers African-American Christians African-American women singer-songwriters African-American pianists American women pianists African-American record producers Record producers from Ohio American dance musicians American women pop singers American flautists American multi-instrumentalists American music arrangers American Protestants American rhythm and blues keyboardists American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers American soul keyboardists American soul singers American women guitarists Feminist musicians Living people Motown artists Musicians from Cincinnati American women in electronic music Rhythm and blues pianists Singer-songwriters from Ohio Singers with a three-octave vocal range Guitarists from Ohio 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American women singers American women record producers African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Soul II Soul members Snap! members 20th-century flautists 21st-century flautists