Ford, Dwayne - Needless Freaking

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Lovin' And Losin' You	03:27
	2	Am I Ever Gonna Find Your Love	03:35
	3	Stranger In Paradise	03:31
	4	The Hurricane	03:51

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Midnight Ride	04:16
	2	There's A Life In Me	04:37
	3	The American Blues	05:28
	4	The Best Will Survive	04:03

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Born in Edmonton, Alberta on October 7, 1949 to American parents, Dwayne Ford developed as a musician at an unusually early age. Classically trained on piano from childhood, he was working professionally by his mid-teens, already comfortable across keyboards, guitar, drums, and vocals. That multi-instrumental foundation would become central to a career defined by adaptability rather than spotlight chasing.

Ford first made his mark in Western Canada with the Nomads, one of Alberta’s strongest late-1960s live acts. Like many ambitious prairie musicians of the era, he soon headed east, settling in Toronto by 1970. There he was recruited into Ronnie Hawkins’ Rock and Roll Revival and Travelling Medicine Show, a demanding proving ground that emphasized discipline, versatility, and professional stamina. When the Hawkins unit fractured in 1971, Ford joined fellow alumni Terry Danko and Jim Atkinson, initially forming Atkinson, Danko and Ford before expanding to a full band with guitarist Hugh Brockie and drummer Brian Hilton.

The group recorded a self-titled album that later became absorbed into the Bearfoot catalogue, marking the beginning of Ford’s sustained national presence through the early and mid-1970s. Under the Bearfoot name, the band released multiple albums and toured extensively, blending country-rock roots with increasingly polished pop arrangements. By the time Passing Time appeared in 1975—issued as Dwayne Ford & Bearfoot—Ford had effectively become the project’s creative center, shaping the material while drawing on a rotating cast of musicians.

Following Bearfoot’s dissolution, Ford continued to move fluidly between band projects, solo work, and studio roles. He formed Dogs of War, releasing a single album in 1977, while simultaneously building a reputation as a songwriter and producer. During this period he became closely involved with Patsy Gallant’s English-language breakthrough, producing the million-selling “From New York to L.A.” and writing her Top 40 hit “It’s Got to Be You.” Their collaborations also included duet singles that further underscored Ford’s facility with contemporary pop songwriting.

Ford’s most visible solo statement arrived with Needless Freaking (1981), a meticulously produced album that placed him alongside an elite group of West Coast studio musicians and technicians. Recorded across major studios in Los Angeles and Toronto, the record paired Ford’s songwriting with high-gloss arrangements and performances from players associated with the era’s top American sessions. Singles such as “Stranger in Paradise,” “Lovin’ And Losin’ You,” and “The Hurricane” showcased his ability to operate comfortably within the polished AOR landscape without abandoning his compositional voice.

Rather than pursue a conventional major-label trajectory, Ford increasingly favored independence. By the 1990s he was based largely in southern California, focusing on writing, production, and scoring. His later albums—including Another Way to Fly, Some Day, and On the Other Side—reflect a mature, self-directed approach, balancing re-examined earlier material with new compositions shaped by decades of studio experience.

In 2000, Ford returned to Edmonton, establishing a private recording facility and shifting much of his focus toward composition for film and television. His scoring work spans documentaries, television specials, and commissioned projects for Canadian and international broadcasters, running parallel to his ongoing songwriting and recording output.

Across more than five decades, Dwayne Ford has built a career rooted in craft rather than celebrity. Equally at home as a writer, arranger, producer, and studio musician, he has contributed to recordings by a wide range of artists while maintaining a distinct personal catalogue. His work has been recognized through multiple SOCAN awards, international songwriting honors, an AMPIA award, and a Juno nomination, reflecting a body of work that has quietly but consistently shaped Canadian popular music from both sides of the console.
-Robert Williston

Musicians
Dwayne Ford: lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, synthesizer (Prophet-5, OBX Oberheim)
David Foster: Fender Rhodes, guitar
Steve Lukather: guitar
Jay Graydon: guitar
David Bendeth: guitar
Mike “Peppy” Francis: guitar
Dennis Pendrith: bass
Mike Porcaro: bass
Neil Stubenhaus: bass
Jeff Porcaro: drums
Mike Baird: drums
Barry Keane: drums
Earl Seymour: tenor saxophone
Patricia Gallant: backing vocals

Songwriting
Dwayne Ford
David Kendrick (tracks A2, B1, B4)
Patricia Gallant (tracks A3, B1)

All songs published by Dwayne Ford Publishing
Publishing administered by PROCAN

Production
Produced by David Foster, Dwayne Ford, and Ken Friesen
Arranged by David Foster and Dwayne Ford
Background vocal arrangements by Dwayne Ford
Orchestrated by Eric Bulling
Recorded at Sunset Sound; Davlin Studios; and Eastern Sound
Mixed at Eastern Sound
Engineered by Humberto Gatica and Ken Friesen
Assistant engineers:
– Jeff Borgeson (Davlin Studios)
– Tom Henderson (Eastern Sound)
– Stephen McManus (Sunset Sound)

Half-speed lacquer cutting by Richard Donaldson at International Automated Media, Irvine, California
Matrixing and mastering at Europadisk, New York, New York

Artwork
Art direction, design, and illustration by Dean Motter
Photography by David Street
Concept by Alex Paterson and Dwayne Ford

Notes
© 1980 Dwayne Ford Publishing

Manufactured by Sefel Records Ltd.
Distributed by Almada Corporation
Printed by Shorewood Packaging Corp. of Canada Ltd.

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