Born in Airdrie, Scotland, Ford joined The Gaylords in 1963 after members of the group saw him perform with The Monarchs at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. Subsequently, the band became Dean Ford & The Gaylords and relocated to London in 1965. The band changed its name to “The Marmalade” in 1966, and Jimi Hendrix called their song ‘I See The Rain’ “the best cut of 1967.” Marmalade went on to achieve six top-ten hits before breaking up in 1975.

Ford released his self-titled solo album produced by Alan Parsons in 1975 featuring the single ‘Hey My Love.’ He made a guest appearance on Parsons’ album ‘Pyramid’ released in 1978 and did some recording with his former bandmate Hugh Nicholson.

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) honored Ford and Junior Campbell with a Special Citation of Achievement in 1998 for reaching over one million radio broadcast performances in the United States. In 2003, he appeared with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band for an album tribute to Glaswegian Frankie Miller. In 2012, he collaborated with former Badfinger Guitarist Joe Tansin on an album, ‘Paradise Cove.’

Music industry veteran/record producer/engineer Dan Matovina began working with Ford in 2015 and assisted him with moving his solo career forward.  Matovina restored and re-issued his debut album and helped Ford put together his 2017 release ‘Feel My Heartbeat,’ with Producer Fernando Perdomo. Ford recorded one last album, ‘This Scottish Heart,’ Produced by Matovina, and released two months before he passed away in 2018.

Post-humously, Matovina gathered a group of musicians including Grant Maloy Smith, Kirk ‘Jelly Roll’ Johnson, and David Williams, to create backing tracks for the unfinished recording of ‘Darlin’ Oh Darlin.” Ford had only recorded a scratch track. ‘Darlin’ Oh Darlin” was released on February 22, 2022.   

Dean Ford was a true original who left an enduring music legacy that continues to engage fans worldwide.

Eddie Star (Eddie Star & The Zero Effect, JoyBox) signed Kelly to his label Ton-Up Records in 2022 and released his first single, ‘Savior.’ Now Philip brings his vocal talent to the Roy Orbison classic ‘Only the Lonely,’ to be released April 25th. This quote by Eddie Star probably sums up Philip Paul Kelly best, “Philip has the gift of drawing the listener in emotionally and making his audience feel the song. He sings straight from the heart”.

With the release of their upcoming debut album titled Informal Deviance (August 28, 2015), Joybox is reinventing punk influenced rock.

Joybox is best described as high energy glitter-punk-raw power chords built on a solid foundation of epic drums, provocative lyrics and melodies that are infectious and memorable.

Informal Deviance takes the listener on a dark journey laced with sexual desire and political, religious and social overtones.  The fury of “Sexsation” is infused with a sensibility that brings to mind The Stooges,  while “Strange Love” conjures Marc Bolan and T.Rex.  Informal Deviance is an all- out must listen for the musical connoisseur

Their Los Angeles roots and their New York zip code are evident in Eddie Star’s lead vocals and rhythm guitar and in Bob Mars’ thunderous drums. They are high powered sonic ear candy for music junkies craving their rock-n-roll fix.

The band slammed into New York with their debut appearance at artist William Quigley’s, New York art gala “The Pleasurist” in 2013 and have not looked back. The music of Joybox is unapologetic and true to the vision that inspired Star and Mars to put the band together.

Upon graduation from high school, Star began working with producer Arthur G. Wright (Righteous Bros, Ike & Tina Turner, Billy Preston).  While recording at Quad Tech Studios in Los Angeles, Wright encouraged Star to go out on acting auditions as he thought it would help his career in music.  Star appeared in numerous small parts, including Paramount TV’s “Bronx Zoo,” and Aaron Spelling’s “Nightingales.”

Star began working with Lead Guitarist, Kelly Charles after being introduced by a studio engineer during a recording session in the San Fernando Valley. Charles doubled on bass and brought in his friend, Drummer Don McCurdy to finish recording. With the Generation Zero album in the can, bassist Vince D’Alessandro joined the band, and Eddie Star & The Zero Effect blazed through the 90s, taking their brand of rock-n-roll to audiences everywhere. The EP “Live From Hollywood” (1998), captures the spirit of the band.

As the new century dawned, Star began working on his second solo album. While recording, Star relocated to New York and worked in Artist Development with music industry veteran Gary Monroe’s company, The Monroe Entertainment Group, and the 2004 MTV Battle For Ozz, rock core runner-ups, Guilt by Association.

“Twenty-Seventeen,” was released as a single to promote the reissue of Star’s titles in 2013, along with a music video, featuring a special guest appearance by MTV VJ, Jesse Camp.

In 2015, Star released his long-awaited follow-up album “Informal Deviance (13 Sexational Songs),” with his side project, JoyBox. College radio put the song “Manic Part One” into rotation, and the band played a string of club dates to support the album.

In 2016, Star turned his focus to film, directing several shorts, including the music video “Science Fiction/Double Feature” for his single released in October 2019.

Star’s music captured the attention of Actor, Writer, and Director, Philip Paul Kelly, who adapted ten songs from Star’s discography to his musical, “Rockquiem for a Wrestler.” In a documentary released in 2019, Kelly said, “I thought it would be a good compatible form of music to compliment the grittiness of the wrestling environment.” Star made his Off-Broadway debut at New York’s, Triad Theater, in 2019, appearing in the first reading of the new musical.

In 2020, Star launched “The College of Rock-n-Roll Knowledge,” a new podcast that examines the music and culture that influenced his life and journey through the world of Rock-n-Roll.Charting his path independently, Star started Ton-Up, Inc., a small label that has turned into a growing creative enterprise with interest in music, film, theatre, and digital.

From the recording studios of Hollywood to the stage, screen, and digital world, Star has come a long way through persistence and determination. Star credits his parents, “My Dad and Mom always told me, ‘Attitude will determine Altitude.’ I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way.”