Jason Farris Brown (born August 27, 1969) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country rap musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer. He is also the co-founder of record label Average Joes Entertainment. Ford has released seven albums through Average Joes and has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In addition, he co-wrote "Dirt Road Anthem" for Jason Aldean, "Country Must Be Country Wide" for Brantley Gilbert, and "Mind on You" for George Birge.
Colt Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jason Farris Brown |
| Born | August 27, 1969 |
| Origin | Athens, Georgia, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Average Joes |
| Website | coltford |
Biography
editJason Farris Brown was born and raised in Athens, Georgia.[2] He was a professional golfer,[1] playing on the Nationwide Tour.[3] Later, he turned his interests to music, taking influence from country music and hip hop.[1] Assuming the stage name Colt Ford, he released his debut album, Ride Through the Country, on December 2, 2008, through Average Joes Entertainment, which he cofounded.[4] This album included the singles "No Trash in My Trailer"[5] (a cover of a Mike Dekle/Byron Hill song) and "Ride Through the Country" (a duet with John Michael Montgomery), the latter of which did not chart until the week of October 10, 2009, when it debuted at number 57 on Hot Country
He also appeared on a rap remix of Montgomery Gentry's late-2008 Number One single "Roll with Me".[6] Ford's debut album also has guest appearances from country singer Jamey Johnson, as well as Bone Crusher and Jermaine Dupri, Adrian Young of No Doubt, and Jeremy Popoff of Lit.[7] The album did not enter the Billboard albums charts until 2009.
Ford co-wrote and originally recorded the song "Dirt Road Anthem" for his debut album Ride Through the Country; it was later released by Brantley Gilbert, who co-wrote the song, on his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven,[8][9] and again by Jason Aldean on his album My Kinda Party, also from 2010.[10]
Ford wrote the theme song "Buck 'em" for the Professional Bull Riders association. He also appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Tailgatin'" on Cledus T. Judd's 2009 album Polyrically Uncorrect, a song which Ford wrote with Johnson and Popoff.[11] Ford's second studio album, Chicken & Biscuits, was released in April 2010, following the release of its title track.
Ford released a third studio album on May 3, 2011, called Every Chance I Get.[12] The album's lead-off single, "Country Thang", debuted at number 55 for the country chart week ending February 19, 2011. "She Likes to Ride in Trucks", featuring Craig Morgan, served as the album's second single.
Ford's fourth album, Declaration of Independence, became his first number 1 album on Top Country Albums. Its first charted single is "Back", a duet with Jake Owen. "Back" is Ford's highest charting single to date, making Top 40 on Hot Country Songs. In 2012, Colt Ford headlined the Declaration Of Independence Tour with supporting acts The Lacs, Lenny Cooper, and JB and the Moonshine Band. In the fall of 2012 Ford announced he would be touring with JJ Lawhorn on the Answer To No One Tour.
Colt Ford's fifth studio album, Thanks for Listening, was released on July 1, 2014.
"4 Lane Gone" is the first single from his sixth studio album, Love Hope Faith. Ford released a music video for the single on September 11, 2016[13] Love Hope Faith was released on May 5, 2017.[14]
Colt's next album We the People, Volume 1 was released in September 2019.
On April 5, 2024, Ford suffered a heart attack after a concert in Arizona, and was placed in intensive care soon after.[15]
Discography
edit- Ride Through the Country (2008)
- Chicken & Biscuits (2010)
- Every Chance I Get (2011)
- Declaration of Independence (2012)
- Thanks for Listening (2014)
- Love Hope Faith (2017)
- We the People, Volume 1 (2019)
- Must Be the Country (2023)
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Vocal Event of the Year — "Cold Beer" (with Jamey Johnson)[16] | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Colt Ford biography". CMT. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ^ David Jeffries. "Colt Ford | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Elling, Steve. "Up & Down: Mickelsons appreciate thoughts; sour note by singer". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
- ^ Talbott, Chris (June 4, 2010). "Ford takes a different country road". GoErie.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ^ "Ford brings upbeat style, 'No Trash in My Trailer' crooner to perform country/hip-hop mix". Sun News. August 29, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ^ "New Faces: Colt Ford". The Boot. February 2, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ^ David Jeffries. "Colt Ford biography". Allmusic. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ^ Waterman, Doug (September 21, 2011). "The Story Behind The Song: "Dirt Road Anthem" « American Songwriter". Americansongwriter.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ "CMT.com : Brantley Gilbert : Album". CMT. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "My Kinda Party >> Music >> Jason Aldean". Jason Aldean. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "Music". Cledus T. Judd. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ^ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2020.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Love Hope Faith by Colt Ford on iTunes". Apple Inc. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Colt Ford in ICU After Suffering Heart Attack Following Arizona Performance".
- ^ "2011 ACM Awards Nominees". The Boot. February 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.