Redcoats Who Made The Big Time Back

Clinton Ford

Written by Rocky Mason

Clinton was born in Salford, Lancs in 1931 and his real name was Ian Harrison.

After completing his National Service in 1951 Clinton started to pursue his ambitions in the entertainment business, singing and playing in a number of skiffle and country and western bands, mostly around Liverpool.

Clinton became a Butlin Redcoat at Pwllheli camp in 1957 and worked there for three seasons. In the winters he sang with a group called 'Merseysippi' at the famous Beatles haunt-the Cavern Club in Liverpool, recording several songs with them including "Get Out And Get Under".

As a Redcoat entertainer he quickly established himself as host of the Coronation bar and with so many Liverpudlians holidaying at Pwllheli he very soon developed a large following who enjoyed his brand of old and largely unknown songs. This ensured that Clinton each night was playing to a packed bar. His most popular numbers were "Fanlight Fanny the Frousy Nightclub Queen" and "Old Shep" which was a real tear jerker and when he sang this in the weekly Redcoat show it would reduce every woman in the 2,000 seater theatre to tears. Never have I seen so many people weeping in one place.

Another of his favourite numbers was one he wrote with the famous comic Charlie Chester "The Old Bazaar in Cairo" with a line that went "Rice pud very good, what's it all about. Made it in a kettle and they couldn't get it out. Everybody took a turn to suck it through the spout. In the Old Bazaar in Cairo".

For reasons best known to himself Clinton donated his entire Royalties for "Old Shep" to the Battersea Dogs Home so he made nothing from this high selling hit record. Clinton also enjoyed a very successful tour with Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, and in his many years of touring as a solo act he played just about every major theatre in Great Britain.

His career outlasted many of his contemporaries, with his singles appearing in the UK charts over a span of more than eight years. He was also in great demand on BBC Radio programmes, such as Saturday Club where a live singer was required, to sing standards and also covers of current hit songs.

After recording for Columbia Records in 1966 Clinton changed to Piccadilly Records and in 1967 "Run for the Door" again made the UK charts.

Clinton's light hearted, comedy songs were very popular at Butlins and made him an enormous success with the campers. As a bar entertainer he tucked himself away in a corner of the room at the end of the bar counter, a black Stetson hat on his head and he would stand there all night just strumming his guitar and singing his songs. Periodically, if there were no management about, he would ask "If anybody has a special request just write it on the label of a full bottle of Whitbread's." Needless to say there was always a long line of bottles at the end of the bar.

The immortal Clinton Ford, another Redcoat legend who made his name at Butlins.