About Mary Ford
Mary Ford
Coming from a musical family that played gospel music, Mary became a pioneering multitrack recording artist with millions of album sales. She remains a key figure in the history of the electric guitar.
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Mary Ford Bio
Biography
Mary Ford, whose birth name was Colleen Summers, began her singing career with “The Sunshine Girls.” The vocal group's perfect harmonies were featured backing popular Western singers of the day, such as Jimmy Wakely and Foy Willing. In 1944, Mary sang with the “Singing Cowboy,” Gene Autry.
In 1946, Gene Autry introduced Mary to inventor and guitar builder Les Paul at his home studio. In 1948, Mary was driving on an icy road and broke her pelvis in a car accident, Les was the passenger and was permanently disabled. Mary and Les were married Dec. 29, 1949.
Mary was known for being the first artist to overdub a vocal harmony in their studio in 1949. That became known as “The New Sound.”
In 1951, Mary received one of the first Gold Top Gibson guitars, and her performance on “How High the Moon” hit #1 on the charts. Between 1950 and 1957; Mary was featured on 14 albums, numerous singles, 16 top ten hits, and a weekly television show. She sang for President Eisenhower at the White House in 1956. In 1960, Mary and Les received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1961 Mary embraced the new guitar soon to known as the Gibson SG and was a key factor in the guitar’s commercial success.
Mary and Les Paul were divorced in 1963.
Mary Ford died late Friday Oct. 7th, 1977, in Los Angles after 8 weeks in a coma from complications of diabetes due to alcohol dependency. She was 53 years old.
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