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The Duke of Paducah
The country comedian "The Duke of Paducah" was
one of Gladys Presley's favorite acts. He was born Benjamin Frances
Ford on May 12, 1901 in DeSoto, Missouri and he was nicknamed
"Whitey" for his blonde hair. Whitey Ford was raised by his
grandmother in Little Rock, Arkansas. He didn't finish school and
often joked he was a graduate of the "University of Hard Knocks."
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I and during this time
he learned to play the banjo. After he left the navy, he formed a
musical group and performed across the vaudeville circuit. During
the Great Depression he turned to working in radio as a comedian and
emcee and took the stage name "The Duke of Paducah," developing a
rube character whose suit was too small and who wore button shoes.
His tag line for the end of his act became, "I'm goin' back to the
wagon, boys, these shoes are killin' me!"
In the 1940s he starred on the NBC segment of the Grand Ole Opry's
radio show. He toured throughout the 1950s, sometimes appearing on
the same bill as Elvis, which allowed an opportunity for Gladys to
meet him. At Elvis's show in Little Rock, Arkansas on August 3, 1955
Gladys and Vernon Presley were in attendance to meet with Colonel
Parker. Knowing that Gladys was a Whitey Ford fan and knowing that
she was balking at approving a management contract with Parker for
Elvis, who was still a minor requiring parental co-signing for
contracts, Parker brought Whitey Ford along to this meeting to sing
his praises. In an interview many years later Ford recalled that
Gladys Presley was very reluctant to trust in Colonel Parker and
indeed she and Vernon did not sign the contract that night, much to
Elvis's disappointment. The Colonel was not deterred and they would
eventually sign with him.
Whitey Ford continued to tour until 1958 when he became the host of
a Nashville TV show called "Country Junction." He recorded some of
his comedy routines in the 1960s and often was asked to be a guest
speaker for public functions. He published a book of his jokes in
1980. Unfortunately, he lost a long battle with cancer on June 20,
1986. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame four
months after his death.
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