He may have started his musical career working with hip-hop artists, but when it came time to write his own album, it was country all the way for Colt Ford.
“Country is my favorite. It’s what I was raised on,” said Ford, who will bring his act to La Vida Loca in Greenwood Saturday night.
The live show, which Ford refers to as “an hour and a half of non-stop craziness,” will feature songs off Ford’s new album, “Ride Through the Country.” The debut single off the album, “No Trash in My Trailer,” is in rotation on Sirius Satellite Radio and CMT.
Ford, 36, grew up in Athens, Ga., listening to many different styles of music.
“I’ve been into music my whole life,” he said.
Though country was his main influence growing up, he eventually gravitated toward rhythm and blues and hip-hop music, which led him to a career writing with Atlanta-based rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri.
He returned to country music with “Ride Through the Country,” although the album does feature a variety of styles.
The project includes collaborations with country artists Jamey Johnson, John Michael Montgomery and Montgomery Gentry, hip-hop artists Attitude and Bone Crusher and rock musicians Jeremy Popoff of Lit and Adrian Young of No Doubt, making “Ride Through the Country” a little different from the average country album.
“It never occurred to me to make the kind of record that I made,” Ford said.
Ford’s music has a unique sound, and though many people try to draw the connection to his background in hip-hop music, Ford doesn’t think of himself as a “country-rap” artist. He said the kind of “rapping” he does in his music is more akin to what you hear in Toby Keith’s “I Wanna Talk About Me” or the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
“It’s country because of what you’re talking about,” Ford explained.
He said the fan base purchasing his albums and coming to his shows also proves that he’s a bona fide country musician.
“People are liking it, and it’s 100 percent country people who are listening to it,” Ford said.
Ford still lives in Athens, but his tour schedule takes him all over the Southeast. Though the funds are limited, as Ford’s popularity has grown, so has his entourage.
“We’ve gone from a van to a bus, so that’s pretty cool,” he said.
In addition to “Ride Through the Country,” Ford wrote the current theme song for the Outdoor Channel series “Huntin’ the World” and the anthem for the Professional Bull Riders Inc., “Buck ‘Em.”
Despite his recent accomplishments, Ford still considers himself an average guy. He answers all the messages on his MySpace page himself and keeps his wife and family as his top priorities.
Ford said he is looking forward to coming to Greenwood this weekend.
“I’m really excited to start playing more in Mississippi,” he said.
Tickets to the show at La Vida Loca are $10 and are available by calling (662) 897-3361.
For more information, visit www.coltford.com.
