James “T-Model” Ford
1920* – July 16, 2013
It wasn’t until T-Model Ford was 58 when he learned how to play the guitar, but he certainly made up for lost time over the last 20 years of his life. Born in Mississippi, Ford waited until his 70s before he launched his music career. His style has been described as a blend of raw Delta, Chicago, and juke joint blues. Following a troubled life as an illiterate blue-collar worker who later served 2 years on a chain-gang for murder, Ford turned things around when he began putting his life experiences into his music. Unable to read music or tabs, he developed his own way of playing that even he couldn’t define. During the late 90s, Ford was discovered by the owners of Fat Possum Records who went on to release his first five albums to critical praise. He went to release 3 more albums and continued touring until 2012. T-Model Ford died of respiratory failure on July 16, 2013. He was likely 93 years old*.
*Ford claimed to have been born in 1920, but no one knows for sure.
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