The musical world is full of steep mountains to climb: some people manage to reach the top, others turn back, and some perish along the way… just like climbing literal mountains. How many musicians quit when the going gets tough?
Musical legend, Penny Ford, is not the type to climb down that mountain. Though, she realizes now that there were times in Hollywood when she could have perished had she made different decisions. Afterall, the choices we make create our lives.
Following the release of her first album with Total Experience Records, Penny Ford moved on to replace the lead singer in all-female band, Klymaxx in 1986. Ford was nervous to join a group that was all women, however, she was pleasantly surprised.
“It was a wonderful experience,” says Ford. “I didn’t think I would have so much fun with an all-female band, I thought it would be a nightmare.”
She travelled with the band for a year before things turned south. Ford says the bassist was beginning to take gigs outside of the group, which caused another member to lash out with jealousy. This began creating rifts in the team, and the other members began to feel they deserved higher recognition for their work individually. This led to the group splitting apart.
Ford believes many artists think that performing in a band somehow diminishes them. While they may hold onto that belief, Ford was of a different opinion.
“You get to paid to sing with somebody who’s iconic,” Ford says, shrugging lightly. “It’s a different kind of euphoria being on stage with an idol.”
So, when she received a call that S.O.S.’s lead singer was breaking off to go solo, despite the group’s iconic status, Ford decided to begin working with them. One of the reasons she received the call was her ability to sound like the former singer, making her an indelible asset for the group.
Having already been a solo artist, some may have thought Ford was taking a step backward in her career. But because of that different notion and thought process of hers, Ford didn’t watch herself diminish as a performer.
She only played with the group for a few months as the dynamics weren’t any better than the previous band. In fact, she says it was worse. Though, things began looking up when she met the man who she thought was the love of her life.
It all happened when the S.O.S. band was on stage, and Ford glanced offstage to see a very handsome, Italian man watching. Turns out the band was using sound equipment from his company, explaining the reason for his appearance.a