Emile Ford was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the West Indies. He was the son of Barbadian politician, Frederick Edward Miller, and Madge Murray, a singer and musical theatre director whose father had founded and conducted the St. Lucia Philharmonic Band. His mother married again, taking the name of Sweetnam; some sources erroneously give Emile Ford's birth name as Sweetnam or Sweetman.
He was educated at St Mary’s College, Castries. He moved to London with his mother and family in the mid-1950s, partly motivated by his desire to explore improved sound reproduction technology, and studied at the Paddington Technical College in London.[4] It was during this time that he taught himself to play a number of musical instruments, including guitar, piano, violin, bass guitar and drums. Using an abbreviated form of his name, as Emile Ford, he first entered show business at the age of 20, and made his first public performance at the Buttery, Kensington. His first appearance with a backing group was at the Athenaeum Ballroom in Muswell Hill. His TV appearances in 1958 included outings on The Music Shop, the Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson Show, Oh, Boy!, and Six-Five Special.
He teamed up in January 1959 with his half-brother, bassist George Sweetnam-Ford (born 1 January 1941), electric guitarist Ken Street (born 1943) and drummer John Cuffley to form Emile Ford & the Checkmates. The band appeared on the TV programme Sunday Serenade, which ran for six weeks. They won the Soho Fair talent contest in July 1959, but turned down a recording contract with EMI because the company would not allow Ford to produce their records, and instead agreed to a deal with Pye Records. Their first self-produced recording, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?", a song originally recorded by Ada Jones and Billy Murray in 1917, went to number one in the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1959 and stayed there for six weeks. Ford was the first black British artist to sell one million copies of a single.
In January 1960, Ford signed a two-year employment management contract with Leslie Grade. He had several more hits in the UK, and also scored a number one EP in 1960. The readers of the British music magazine New Musical Express voted Emile Ford and the Checkmates as the "Best New Act" in 1960. Ford's debut album was made up of covers. He made several albums, but his last studio recordings were in 1963. His half-brothers George and Dave Sweetnam-Ford were later members of the Ferris Wheel.
As a sound engineer, Ford was responsible for creating a backing track system for stage shows, first used in 1960, which provided a basis for what became known as karaoke. In 1969, he set up a recording studio in Barbados with the help of his father, before moving to Sweden.[6] While there, he further developed a new open-air playback system for stage shows, patented as the Liveoteque Sound Frequency Feedback Injection System.
Counting Teardrops, an anthology including all of Ford's recordings with Pye Records, was released in 2001.
Emile Ford died in London on 11 April 2016.
Don't Tell Me Your Troubles
Emile Ford & The Checkmates Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't tell me your troubles
I got troubles of my own
Don't tell me your troubles
Just a leave me alone
Leave me alone
Tell it to a friend
I got troubles of my own
You say your sweet love left you
Watcha think about me
I got them same old heartaches
Same old misery
Leave me alone
Go on home
Tell it to a friend
I got troubles of my own
It happens to the best of us
That's a what they always say
Take it baby like a man
Don't through it away
You tell that's she's no good
She's as mean as she can be
It's written all over your lonesome face
And any heartbreak fool can see
Leave me alone
Go on home
Tell it to a friend
I got troubles of my own
The song "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates is a fusion of rock and roll and R&B and was released in 1959. The lyrics of this song are fairly straightforward; the singer of the song is telling a friend to keep their problems to themselves as they already have their own issues to deal with. The message of the song is simple, it's saying that everyone has problems and should try to handle them on their own instead of burdening others with them.
The chorus of the song, in which the singer repeats the phrase "Leave me alone, go on home, tell it to a friend, I got troubles of my own," provides the main message of the song. The lyrics suggest that the singer is overwhelmed with their own problems and doesn't have the capacity to deal with anyone else's troubles at the moment. The song has a catchy and upbeat tune that belies the melancholy sentiments expressed in the lyrics.
Overall, "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" is a song about the struggles of life and how it's important to handle them on your own. It's a message that still resonates with people today and adds to the song's timeless appeal.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me your troubles
I am dealing with my own problems and can’t really deal with yours right now.
I got troubles of my own
I'm already dealing with my own issues, and I don't have the emotional capacity to help you with yours.
Just a leave me alone
Please don't burden me with your issues. I just need some space.
Leave me alone
I need some time to myself to work through my own problems.
Go on home
It's best for you to leave me alone and go back to your own life.
Tell it to a friend
Maybe it's better for you to talk to someone else instead of me, who is already dealing with my own issues.
You say your sweet love left you
You're telling me that your romantic partner has left you and you're feeling heartbroken.
Watcha think about me
But have you considered how I'm feeling as well? I am also dealing with my own heartbreak.
I got them same old heartaches
I can relate to your pain because I've experienced the same kind of emotional hurt before.
Same old misery
It feels like a never-ending cycle of emotional pain and sadness.
It happens to the best of us
Experiencing heartbreak and difficult times is a common experience that many people go through.
That's a what they always say
It's a common saying that people use to comfort each other during difficult times.
Take it baby like a man
Be strong and handle your emotions in a mature way, even if it's difficult.
Don't through it away
Don't let your pain and sadness consume you to the point where you lose sight of hope and possibility.
You tell that's she's no good
You're sharing with me that your ex-partner was a bad person and treated you poorly.
She's as mean as she can be
Your ex-partner was unkind and hurtful toward you.
It's written all over your lonesome face
Your sadness and heartbreak is evident on your facial expression, even if you're trying to hide it.
And any heartbreak fool can see
It's obvious to anyone who looks at you that you're going through a tough time.
Writer(s): Eddie Miller, Don Gibson
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yorkiegilly4355
We caught his act in the late 70s in a little backstreet bar in Blackpool ,couldn"t believe that somebody so well know had dropped out of sight so soon .
He was good ,the time before we saw him perform was when he was on that Beatles tour ,never changed in looks or sound - greatly missed ! .
@valerieslater3029
Loved this and loved Emile when I was really young, so talented...
@Monotostereoking
I agree, the 'B' side of 'What Do You Want To make Those Eyes At Me For'. What a bargain. My mother bought it on 78rpm & I still have it. Two of my favourite tracks.
@bryanpalmer9660
Never heard of this one but I LOVE IT
@margaretgilmore9393
Love it 💙
@eztyson
This takes me way back to Victor Sylvesters dance classes at Gaumont cinema Bromley Kent!
The record has stayed with me for 55 years and still remember the words.
Thanks for the memories!!!
@Monotostereoking
This was the 'B' side of 'What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For'. We had this & Cliff's 'Living Doll'. I knew the words to these three songs & still know them today... lol. We bought them on 78's & I still have them today.
@paulgoldstein2569
@@Monotostereoking I have the original American copies of them, Emile Ford on U.S. Andex label, Cliff on U.S. ABC Paramount, the Emile Ford A side with abridged ending, the Cliff, just credited Cliff Richard, obviously a later U.S. pressing, as the earlier pressings credited Cliff Richard And The Drifters confused the latter over there with their American namesakes. They were all the original UK recordings. Was the photo in the middle of the video, Emile Ford with The Beatles, as one of the others looked like a young Paul McCartney, but I did not recognize one of the other faces while the face of a fourth person does not show in the photo.
@dongoodyear3384
love this song. RIP. Mr.Ford.
@ndiamone9136
As good as this is - it's one of those that works better as a two channel front-and-surround presentation i.e. as can be heard playing through a Muntz 4 track cartridge stereo system found in a `65 fire engine red Valiant with emerald green and gold plaid upholstery.
Kid brought this in to the station one night a couple years ago when we were first starting the Rare Stereo Hour in the Classic Cuts and Rare Grooves show every Friday night.
For the curious - do a 45-degree stereo swap in any music editing program i.e making the left channel the center and the right channel everything but. Then play it through any Dolby Pro Logic system and see for yourself.