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.
White Christmas
Frankie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
And may all your Christmases be white
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
The song "White Christmas" by Frankie Ford is a classic Christmas tune that explores the longing for the traditional Christmases that the singer remembers enjoying in the past. The opening line, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," sets the tone for the entire song, which is characterized by nostalgic yearning for the way things used to be. The singer recalls the treetops glistening under a blanket of snow and the magic of hearing sleigh bells in the snow. He also wishes his listeners a merry and bright Christmas, and hopes that all their future Christmases will be as idyllic as the ones he remembers from his youth.
Beyond its surface-level message of Christmas nostalgia, "White Christmas" is also a song about the passage of time, and the sense that things may never be as perfect as they once were. The singer's references to the past are imbued with a sense of loss, as though he knows that he can never truly recapture the magic of those bygone days. The fact that he dreams of a white Christmas suggests that this perfect, unblemished version of the holiday exists only in his imagination, and that the reality of the present can never quite measure up to it.
Overall, "White Christmas" is a wistful, emotional tribute to childhood memories and the enduring power of holiday traditions. Its combination of specific, vivid details - like the glistening treetops and the sound of sleigh bells - and broader, more abstract themes - like the passage of time and the fragility of happiness - make it a timeless classic that continues to resonate with audiences across generations.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
I am hoping to experience a Christmas with snow, which I have fond memories of from the past.
Just like the ones I used to know
I want this Christmas to be like the ones I remember from my childhood.
Where the treetops glisten
I imagine a winter wonderland where the snow on the branches of trees sparkles in the sunlight.
And children listen
I imagine a peaceful and serene atmosphere where even the children are quiet and still, as they listen for the sound of sleigh bells ringing in the snow.
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I hope to hear the familiar sound of sleigh bells ringing in the soft snow as the holidays approach.
With every Christmas card I write
As I send out my holiday greetings, I am reminded of my wish for snow and happiness for my loved ones.
May your days be merry and bright
I hope that you have a joyful and radiant Christmas season.
And may all your Christmases be white
I wish for all of your Christmases to be magical and filled with snow, just like the ones from my memories.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind