Featured Album – Talk to Your Daughter – Robben Ford

Written by Jim S.

I wrote about Robben Ford a couple of years ago when I went to see him at a small club. In that post, I said this, “Robben Ford is an ace guitarist from California who hit the scene back in the late ’60s playing with his and his brothers’ band, the Charles Ford band. (Named for their father.) They were hired to play for blues harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite but it’s not clear whether or not they recorded together.” I went on to say that his playing is “terrific – fluid, melodic and creative.”

Robben is very much of one of those under-the-radar guys who to my knowledge has never had a hit of any sort but still manages to eke out a living making great music. In 1988 he released a blues-rock album called Talk to Your Daughter. For the most part, it’s a gem with some nice tunes, mostly covers, all with his great tone and phrasing.

First up, the title tune. The band lays down an infectious groove driven by Russell Ferrante’s keyboards. Robben plays some smokin’ guitar with a fat tone for miles:

Spotify link

You say you like some Albert King? Of course, you do. The band’s version of “Born Under a Bad Sign.”

Wine and women is all I crave
A big legged woman is gonna carry me to my grave
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all

Spotify link

I’ll leave you with “Revelation,” a tasty instrumental that sounds like what Steely Dan would do if they did instrumentals. I mentioned in my piece on his live show that “he never played on any of the Dan’s albums and his – and a lot of other players’ – solo didn’t make the cut on “Peg.”)

Spotify link

I noticed on Robben’s website he sometimes does live stream clinics on guitar playing for a reasonable price. Just missed one. Next time.

Robben Ford – guitars, lead vocals
Russell Ferrante – Yamaha GS-1, synthesizers, piano
Roscoe Beck – four- and six-string bass, vocals
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums

10 thoughts on “Featured Album – Talk to Your Daughter – Robben Ford”

  1. Thanks for this; loved the selections you have, now to listen to the whole album. The drummer’s name sounded familiar, & it turns out he was drummer for Jeff Beck’s gig at Ronnie Scott’s in 2008, along with Tal Wilkenfeld on bass & Jason Rebello on keyboards. Saw some of it online, loved it so had to grab the whole video.

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    1. Yeah, that Beck gig is pretty well-known. Crops up on TV every now and again. I saw Tal open up for the Who of all bands. Vinnie’s a superstar. Wikipedia: “He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014.”

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    1. Yeah, who knows what kind of a living these guys make? Robben’s site shows a webinar with him for 30 bucks. I did one with Steve Howe and it cost $200. There’s the difference.

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      1. $$? Sessions/live gigs etc. No record or song sales. Scrambling like everyone else. Then you see some that’s been around for a few months cashing in on some kind of music that is produced for the masses. Ouch!

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        1. A guy like Robber probably quietly teaches and does studio work. And if a guitar part is needed on one of those crappy tunes then he might get his scale pay. But that’s a choice he made. A peer like Steve Morse chose to play in Deep Purple and so reaps those much greater benefits,

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  3. I’ve definitely heard the name Robben Ford before but I’m not familiar with his music. Based on your selections, this album surely sounds great. I like the blend of blues and jazz. Groovy stuff!

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