Bob Thaves is quoted as saying about Ginger Rogers that she did everything Fred Astaire did backwards…and in high heels! Today, I discovered the same can be said about Mary Ford.
Who was Mary Ford? Mary Ford was known for her singing on the records of her husband, guitar legend Les Paul. Les Paul is considered the father of the modern electric guitar (and by default the father of the rock & roll sound). He was among the first to incorporate overdubbing and multi-track recordings into studio sessions. His work allowed Mary to sing three part harmony with herself giving their songs a multilayered and unique sound which you can hear in this video version of “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise.” (Copyright restrictions will not allow me to embed the video on my site.)
Although she remained in his technological shadow until their very bitter divorce in 1964, Mary was a talented woman in her own right. I never knew she could handle the guitar until I saw the clip below. She does everything the legendary Paul does except break her guitar string. It was fun watching these two masters perform.