This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The country singer — or should we say, singer/rapper? — received the most publicity of his career this past summer as his good friend Jason Aldean covered Ford's "Dirt Road Anthem" and turned it into a runaway No. 1 hit on the country charts. Even before Aldean covered the song, Ford had sold more than a quarter-million downloads of his version, he said in an interview. Ford is the latest vocal stylist whose influences come from cowboy poets and Hank Williams' "Luke the Drifter" spoken-word songs; because of his distinctive delivery, he said he has fans who run from 8 years old to 80. "Taylor Swift has a lot of young fans, but I don't see so many 80-year-olds singing her songs," he said. More evidence that Ford isn't your common country singer is that this year he partnered with the Georgia Distilling Co. and United Distributors to create a 90-proof liquor called Goodtime Moonshine. He said the moonshine will be distributed throughout the nation after the first of the year. And, yes, even in Utah, Ford promised.
When • Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.
Where • The Rail Event Center, 235 N. 500 West, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $15 at SmithsTix