About Sue Ford
Assistant Director of Womansong
Singer-Songwriter
Sue Ford is an eclectic singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has performed professionally in the Asheville area for over 10 years. She is currently the assistant director of Womansong. Additionally, Sue performs with sign language interpreter, Shiner Antiorio and a small ensemble of musicians calling themselves, "Sue Ford and the Extremes". Sue is also active in the community as a teacher, teaching music at Rainbow Mountain Children's School, drumming for women and beginning piano and guitar to children and adults. At Evergreen Community Charter School, she is starting a middle school marimba band and performing ensemble.
Sue Ford has been in love with music all her life. She took piano lessons for 11 years and sang with the children's choir for 14 years. Her introduction to the guitar at age 12 was love at first sight, a perfect combination of rhythm and accompaniment. During the '70s Sue drummed and played tympani and glockenspiel with the junior high and high school band, a rare and unusual role for a girl back then! She performed her very first "gig" in Salisbury, North Carolina when she was 17.
Sue attended Appalachian State University and Warren Wilson College, where she studied biology and environmental education, sang in the college chorus and studied Appalachian music with David Holt. She performed regularly on campus in a banjo, guitar and singing duo. She married puppeteer Hobey Ford in 1980 and performed with him until the birth of their first daughter. Becoming more in tune with her body and needing a break from the demands of mothering, Sue became interested in dance, yoga and tai chi, which she studied intensely for five years. Hobey's career took off and Sue took on the role of stay-at-home Mom. As a couple, Sue and Hobey have provided their three daughters, ages 20, 16 and 13 an artistically rich home environment with home-schooling as well as the resources and encouragement for personal artistic development.
After the birth of her third daughter, Sue longed to perform again and with three other women began "Singing River" in 1990. The trio performed at coffeehouses, restaurants and finally did a full length show at the Diana Wortham Theater in 1996. In 1997, Sue became an accompanist for Womansong and began the Womansong Percussion Ensemble. She is currently the Assistant Director of Womansong. Sue has taken a leadership role and has been quite visible through Womansong performing at venues such as the Diana Wortham Theater, Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC-A, HART in Waynesville, Mars Hill College, The Unity Center, Malaprops Bookstore and the Asheville Civic Center in Rolling Thunder Review. Sue's song "Heal Me" was premiered at the National Women's Choral Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2001.
Sue loves the role of student as well as teacher. She has pursued the study of music learning drumming techniques from teachers such as Baba Olatunji and Glen Velez and gospel singing from Sister Alice Williams. She regularly attends Contemporary Folk Week at The Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College, taking classes in songwriting, performance and guitar.
Sue Ford
SueF444@aol.com
62 Ballard Branch Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
828-645-5001 or 776-7918
Sue Ford, music teacher
Rainbow Mountain Children's School
http://www.rmcs.org
Evergreen Community Charter School
http://www.evergreenccs.org
Sue Ford, singer-songwriter
http://www.suefordmusic.com
http://www.electricshop.info
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sueford
Sue Ford, Assistant Director of Womansong
http://www.womansong.org
http://www.musemart.com