Early rock’n’roll crossover singer Frankie Ford has died at the age of 76.
He started out as a blues performer then found fame in 1959 at the age of 19, when his version of Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s Sea Cruise became a hit single around the world, selling more than a million copies.
Although the vocalist and pianist never repeated the commercial success, he continued performing.
Ford, real name Vincent Francis Guzzo, had been ill since a car accident several years ago, which left him unable to walk.
Mike Shepherd, boss of the Louisiana Hall Of Fame – which inducted Ford in 2010 – tells the LA Times: “Frankie had the best voice in rock’n’roll.”
