John Ford’s 50+ year career has traversed Psychedelia with Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, Progressive Folk with The Strawbs, eclectic Rock with Hudson-Ford, Punky New Wave with The Monks, and even ’30s-style music hall with High Society. An Englishman in New York since the mid-’80s, Ford launched a solo career spotlighting his melodic gifts and multi-instrumental prowess in Power Pop and acoustic-based Rock settings. For his latest album, the eternally youthful John Ford presents “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” a lyrically reflective and musically energetic set.
“As a songwriter the subconscious can bring forth ideas that you may not even be thinking of day to day, but looking back on stages in my life, songs like ‘The Last Goodnight’ and ‘Lilacs and Hollyhocks’ certainly reflect that,” Ford comments. “I think everyone at some point in their lives have been between a rock and a hard place.”
John Ford seamlessly integrates two cover songs into “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” including the album’s first single, the Tom Petty-written “Walls.” Ford: “Somehow, even though a great Tom Petty fan, I had never heard his ‘Walls’ song until I heard the Glen Campbell version on the radio. I thought, I can do a decent job with that.” The album’s second non-original is a deep cut from another legend: “George Harrison’s album Brainwashed had some great songs on it, and I hope I did ‘The Rising Sun’ justice.” Uniting Petty, Harrison, and Ford is their mutual love for Jeff Lynne’s productions, an influence heard throughout “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.”
John Ford has been an on-and-off member of The Strawbs since writing and singing the band’s biggest hit, 1973’s “Part of the Union.” He rejoined the Dave Cousins-founded Strawbs for the band’s final two albums in 2021 and 2023 before founder and leader Dave Cousins’ passing in 2025. “I dedicated this album to Dave Cousins because I was working with him and Blue Weaver right up to the time he was hospitalized. Dave and I had co-written songs on the last two Strawbs albums and I did send him ‘Lilacs and Hollyhocks’ for verses but had to finish the lyrics myself. We had our ups and downs over the years, but we fortunately ended on a good note.”
“Between a Rock and a Hard Place” is John Ford’s first solo album to be released through traditional, worldwide physical retail distribution. The CD format includes an exclusive bonus disc of 21 career highlights, introducing fans to songs they might have missed from Ford’s self-released albums. “I signed on to Iconoclassic Records because they surprisingly had a great knowledge of my previous work and suggested we have a best of bonus CD with my new release.”
John Ford’s “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” drops July 24, 2026.
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