Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the Doug Fir Lounge

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside was an American

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

from

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The band has been described as "Rockabilly", or as having a "raw soul" 1950s rock-and-roll energy sound. Sallie Ford describes it as "Rock n Roll" and that people find it "more rockin’ than they expected." The group received positive reviews from '' USA Today's'' music critic Whitney Matheson and from ''The Oregonian'' critic Ryan White. In 2011, they signed a record deal with

Partisan Records Partisan Records is an independent record label with offices in London and Los Angeles, as well as in New York City, where the company was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler. The label, initially run out of Putnam’s South Brooklyn ...

and released their first full-length CD ''Dirty Radio'' in May, began a US tour in June, and in August, performed on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

''. Sallie Ford is the daughter of puppeteer Hobey Ford, and grew up in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

before moving to Oregon. In Portland, she worked as a waitress, and met

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

n fisherman Tyler Tornfelt and Ford Tennis and Jeff Munger who were "scraping by". With Ford on vocals and guitar, Tennis on drums, Munger on guitar, and Tornfelt on upright bass, they had a band in 2007. They played local clubs in the Portland area. According to singer

Seth Avett Timothy Seth Avett (born July 30, 1980) is one of the lead singers and founding members of the American folk-rock band The Avett Brothers. Avett sings and plays guitar, drums, and piano for the band based out of Concord, North Carolina. In 2008, ...

of ''

The Avett Brothers The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett ( banjo, lead vocals, guitar, piano, kick-drum) and Seth Avett (guitar, lead vocals, piano, hi-hat) along with Bob ...

'', Ford's songs have that "rare quality of somehow combining fun with emotional and artistic integrity" and she "fills the room with it" and reminds him of the "energy of early rock 'n' roll." The group opened for ''The Avett Brothers'' and recorded a five-song EP entitled ''Not an Animal''. Ford's voice has been compared to

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

, with possible influences from

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, and used the words "two-step big beat gospel" to describe the effect. The group has toured the United States, including cities such as

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, and have appeared in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. A reviewer for the ''Portland Mercury'' suggested that listeners should dress in 1950s style with a "

trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

hat", and described the group as "energetic." On December 17, 2013, the band announced that they would separate after 4 final shows. They closed things out with a pair of shows at the

Doug Fir Lounge The Doug Fir Lounge is a bar and restaurant housed within the ground level of the Jupiter Hotel, in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, in the United States. It was established in 2004 and features a basement music and event space. Recepti ...

in Portland. As of March 2014, Ford had found a new backing band and was working on new material.

Discography

* ''Not an Animal'' * ''Dirty Radio'' * ''Untamed Beast'' * ''Summer E.P.''

References

External links

Oregonian photo gallery

{{Authority control Rock music groups from Oregon American progressive rock groups Musical groups from Portland, Oregon 2007 establishments in Oregon 2013 disestablishments in Oregon Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2013