Introducing Vincent Francis Guzzo, Jr … yep, I’m talking about Frankie Ford an old friend and rockin’ musician. I have been a fan of Frankie Ford since first picking up his record from 1958… “Sea Crusie”. I became a true fan of his after watching the Movie … “American Hot Wax, the Alan Freed story” which he played himself in the flick, never dreaming that one day I would be working with Frankie, become friends and got to know the gentleman known as the “New Orleans Dynamo!”. It all started when I/we, Johnny Angel and the Halos, did a show in Hilton Head, South Carolina for a DJ on Cool FM 98.3 … Gus D. Oldie, the Duke of Doowop. On the show with us was La La Brooks of the Crystals and Frankie Ford. We opened the show and backed La La and Frankie. It was a long day of rehearsals and getting to know each other. When rehearsals were finished, we had some time to kill before the main performance. I was walking around the showroom area when I heard a piano playing down the hallway, being a musician, I followed the sound and peeked through the window and saw a man playing some concertos yet soothing music. The man was Frankie Ford. I stood there for a moment; he noticed me watching and motioned for me to come in. Frankie immediately told me that he likes to play the piano to relax, which is really crazy when you watch him perform on stage … he is wild and full of excitement and energy. I spent a good half hour listening to him play concertos, originals and good old Rock & Roll, New Orleans style. After that we just sat and talked, I picked his brain about the American Hot Wax Movie and of course his career. Now let’s fast forward a few years, I and my two friends, John Gagetta and John Walko were working on a huge event at three Rivers Stadium called The Pittsburgh Thunder event which had a racetrack, a car show and of course and oldies show. I booked my old friends the Wee Jams, the Marcels, the original Tymes from Philly, Frankie Ford as well as yours truly Johnny Angel and the Halos. That evening there was a terrific rainstorm that flooded the power source and prevented us from putting on the show. The next thing that took place was a Rock n’ Roll, street corner classic. My old friend Cesare Berry of the Tymes said … “Let’s have a street corner sing off right here in the parking lot … Philly meets the ‘Burgh” …Challange! The cars that were still there after the storm formed a huge circle around the singers, turned on their headlights and the Challenge began! It started with each group singing a song a cappella, street corner harmony but soon broke off into different groups different singers singing in these new made-up street corner groups. This lasted for well over an hour and the next idea was to continue the party at my restaurant at the new PNC Park … Atria’s, Johnny Angel Lounge. We started on the sidewalk where a huge crowd again began to develop, and it soon moved onto the stage at the restaurant where each group again began to sing … it was an evening we will never forget. Frankie and Freddy Johnson of the Marcels held court that night telling stories of their careers, and our friendships grew that night. I experienced the many sides of the New Orleans Dynamo … Frankie Ford!