He was born in Gretna, Louisiana, as Vincent Francis Guzzo, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, and was the adopted son of Vincent and Anna Guzzo, who named him Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr. He learned to sing and dance at an early age, and when at high school joined a group, the Syncopators, as singer and pianist. He was spotted by manager Joe Caronna, who took him to Johnny Vincent of Ace Records. Taking the stage name Frankie Ford, he made his first recordings for Ace in 1958. He toured locally in Louisiana, before recording a vocal overdub on the song "Sea Cruise", a song written and originally recorded by Huey "Piano" Smith with his group, the Clowns, and featuring overdubbed bells and ships' horns.. As Smith already had a record in the charts, and was away touring, the record label decided to release Ford's version, and it rose to #14 on the US pop chart and #11 on the R&B chart, selling over one million copies, and gaining gold disc status.
Ford toured widely around the US, but his later records were less successful, with his versions of "Alimony" and "Time After Time" only reaching the lower reaches of the national charts. He also recorded a novelty record in praise of a local TV presenter, "Morgus the Magnificent", with musicians including Mac Rebennack and Jerry Byrne, but it failed to sell. Ace released an LP by Ford, Let's Take A Sea Cruise With Frankie Ford, before the singer moved to Imperial Records in late 1960. He recorded with producer Dave Bartholomew, and released a version of "You Talk Too Much", but Ford's recording missed out in competition with one by Joe Jones which was issued almost simultaneously. In 1961, his version of Boyd Bennett's 1955 hit "Seventeen" was Ford's last chart entry.
Ford was drafted in 1962, and performed for troops in Japan, Vietnam and Korea. He later recorded occasionally for small labels, but mainly performed in clubs in and around New Orleans. He appeared in the 1978 movie American Hot Wax, and toured in Britain and Europe, recording the album New Orleans Dynamo in London in 1984. He continued to record and perform through the 1990s. Ford co-owned the Briarmeade record label, which issued several singles and albums by him from the 1970s to the 2000s. On May 16, 2010, at the Louisiana Music Homecoming in Erwinville, Ford was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Ford died in Gretna at the age of 76 on September 28, 2015, following a long illness.
Roberta
Frankie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you be mad at me
I ain't mad at you
So don't you be mad at me
One and one is two
Two and one is three
I pawned my pistol I pawned my watch and chain
I woulda pawned roberta but roberta cant start a name
going to the river where the water goes round and round
going to the river where the water goes round and round
If i cant find roberta gonna jump overboard and drown
I wanna find my baby going away downtown
I wanna find my baby going away downtown
If I can't find Roberta,
Going to jump overboard and drown
Oh, I said I ain't mad at you
Don't you be mad at me
I ain't mad at you, child
Don't you be mad at me
One and one is two,
Two and one is three
Come on baby…
"Roberta" by Frankie Ford is a blues-inspired song that tells a story about a man who is deeply in love with his partner named Roberta. The first verse of the song emphasizes that there are no hard feelings between the man and the woman in question. The repetition of "I ain't mad at you, so don't you be mad at me" almost feels like it is meant for the listener himself as if to say, "I'm not the one causing any problems, so please don't blame me." The following lines, "One and one is two, two and one is three" suggest that the man is not particularly knowledgeable in mathematics but can still figure out what he needs to know.
The following verses reveal that the man may be going through some financial difficulties as he has had to pawn his pistol and watch to survive. However, he would never pawn his beloved Roberta, even though her name holds no value to anyone else. The final verse suggests that the man is on a mission to find Roberta and wants to know where she is so he can join her. The line, "If I can't find Roberta, gonna jump overboard and drown" foreshadows the possibility that the man may be contemplating suicide if he does not find her.
Overall, the song "Roberta" is an emotional and gritty blues piece that glamorizes deep and intense feelings of love and devotion. The lyrics touch on themes of poverty, desperation, and the importance of human connection despite difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't mad at you
I'm not angry with you
Don't you be mad at me
Please don't be angry with me
I ain't mad at you
I repeat, I'm not angry with you
So don't you be mad at me
Please don't be angry with me either
One and one is two
Basic math equation stating 1+1=2
Two and one is three
Another basic math equation stating 2+1=3
I pawned my pistol I pawned my watch and chain
I sold my gun, watch, and jewelry for money
I woulda pawned roberta but roberta cant start a name
I would've sold Roberta too, but it isn't a valuable enough item
going to the river where the water goes round and round
I'm heading to the river where water flows continuously in a circle
If i cant find roberta gonna jump overboard and drown
If I can't find what or who I'm looking for, I'll commit suicide by jumping into the water
I wanna find my baby going away downtown
I want to find my lover who went downtown
If I can't find Roberta,
If I don't find Roberta
Going to jump overboard and drown
I will commit suicide by jumping into the water
Oh, I said I ain't mad at you
I repeated that I am not angry with you
Don't you be mad at me
Please do not be angry with me
I ain't mad at you, child
I'm not angry with you, my dear
Come on baby…
Let's go, my love...
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HUEY P. SMITH, JOHNNY VINCENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
paperboxcutter
Thanks to Dick Clark, we heard Sea Cruse on American Bandstand every weekday after school, got hooked, bought the record, and then heard the great flip side, ROBERTA.
Jamie B. Reeves
Thanks to YOU for that story 🙏🏼 admittedly I prefer the flip "Roberta" when playing out. Thanks for taking the time to comment and pop by again soon.
- J.
EjomaTic
Is that you in the picture.