MRM recently chatted with John Ford Coley ahead of his show in Duluth, Georgia. Coley spoke about his origins, partnership with “England Dan,” impressive acting career, the Grand Ole Opry and much more.

Coley will be the special guest for Ambrosia at the Gas South Theater on Friday, April 24. For more show information, please visit HERE

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MRM: Where are you “calling” from?

Coley: Franklin, Tennessee about 15 miles south of Nashville.

MRM: Could you speak about first getting into music?

Coley: I was trained with a very wide eclectic blend of music. I began serious studies in Classical but had jazz, show tunes, opera, country, Stephen Foster, a lot of church music, rock, soul, gospel, etc, etc. I listen to a wide variety of music and styles. I get bored quite easily and playing only one style is not satisfying for me.

MRM: How did you link up with Dan Seals?

Coley: Dan and I connected in high school when I joined the rock “combo” he was a member, singer and sax player in. That was in 1965. We changed the name of the group from the Playboys 5 to Theze Few and then to the Southwest F.O.B. and then Dan and I took off and formed England Dan and John Ford Coley out of that in 1970.

MRM: When did you share a bill with Led Zeppelin?

Coley: Led Zepplin was performing in Texas and our band the Southwest F.O.B. was a state recognized band with a big song on the Texas charts “Smell of Incense.” We would open up the shows for national acts coming through the Texas area. We opened for the Standells, Vanilla Fudge, Poco, Johnny Rivers, Three Dog Night, Love, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Blues Mcgoos, Canned Heat, etc. That was a real thrill as we had an opportunity that was just put in front of us. One of the groups we got to open for was the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. We took their song, Smell of Incense and made a regional hit out of it. That was 1968.

MRM: What kind of projects did you act in?

Coley: As an actor, that was nothing more than a freak fluke. A friend of mine, Alex Rocco, who played Mo Greene in the Godfather, his stepson wanted to be a director and had written a screenplay with a friend of his. So Alex is calling in any favor he had with anyone to act in his son’s film. So through that film I not only got to know people and got my first taste in film acting. I got to act with and became friends with people such as Steve Railsback (Charles Manson in the Film Helter Skelter, Joey Pantaliano, (Goonies, Sopranos,) Catherine Mary Stewart (Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet), Melissa Etheridge, Timothy B. Schmidt, Cameron Dye (Valley Girls). That was just on the first film, Scenes From the Goldmine. That is kind of a cult classic. Very Dark. It’s on YouTube. I played the drummer in the band in that film and had to learn to play the drums. I had such a tremendous time. I’ve done about 10 films or so over the years, including an America’s Most Wanted. We actually had the fastest capture of the wanted criminal for that show. 2 1/2 hours. He was in custody 30 minutes before the segment showed on the west coast where we were at the time. Pretty cool. I also got to beat up Cory Feldman in a film with he and Cory Haim called Dream a Little Dream. Susan Blakely (Falcon Crest, Rich Man, Poor Man) was my love interest in the film and the mother of the lead actress Meredith Salanger. Ironically enough, I had 3 days work on that film but Susan insisted that I be in all of the scenes with her. So 2 weeks later I finally was done. I did get to have a make out scene that her that didn’t make it into the film. But I was really nervous about that anyway as her husband was sitting about 10 feet from us. I love movies.

MRM: What kind of songs did you produce for film and TV?

Coley: I’ve placed some original songs in a number of films, have written songs for films like The Spy Within, Major League, Back to the Minors, but the majority were songs that Dan and I had already recorded. Anchor Man 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Breaking Bad series, that sort of thing, some for commercials, some for TV, like Cold Case, James at 16. Those sorts of things.

MRM: Is it true you worked with Eddie Money?

Coley: Ha, Yes I did. I produced a couple of sides for him. Eddie was a trip. We fought a lot at first. I thought he had given me a heart attack. When we found out that neither of us was going to back down, we became pretty good friends. Eddie was funny. A very gifted guy.

MRM: How was it making your Grand Ole Opry debut?

Coley: That was one of my biggest thrills and I’ve been blessed to have a good number of them. I don’t get nervous performing. I just do it. But the Opry?????? I don’t think I have ever been that nervous in my entire life. I paced the corridor, I would sit down, get back up, pace some more. Talk with everyone just to get my mind off of having to perform. I played behind Bill Andersen. Whispering Bill. That got to me. I just stood on the side of the stage watching him. Then he finished and came to the side of the stage and was carrying on a conversation with me. I don’t remember much of it I was too nervous. When I stepped on the stage all of the nervousness left. I knew where I was, I know what is expected of me and I know what I’m doing so all of the uncertainty left. In between songs, I realized that I was in the circle where all of these great legends had stood and realized that my family distant relative Minnie Pearl (Sarah Ophelia Colley) had stood in this circle so many times and I felt the honor of following in her footsteps. That has to be one of the most memorable events in my career.

MRM: Dash Crofts recently passed away, how well did you know him?

Coley: Dan and I toured with Seals and Crofts for years, so yes I knew Dash very well. Our relationship began about 1969 when Dan and I landed in LA and went straight to Marsha’s house on Hollywood Blvd. That was the 9th of August, 1969. The next morning the entire house was in an uproar, panic, fear, dread, you name it. We discovered that we were only a couple of miles from the Sharon Tate murders. Dash and I were good friends and as I told his daughter Lua, who I played with about a year ago, about her daddy. I told her that he was about the easiest guy to be around and get along with I had ever known and that if someone was having a problem with her dad Dash, I can tell you who the problem was, and it definitely wasn’t her dad.

MRM: Could you comment on the recent passing of Ambrosia keyboardist Christopher North?

Coley: It is such a sad event surrounding Chris. I met Chris in the Philippines in 2000 when we shared the stage with Ambrosia and Jimmy Jamison of Survivor. Chris was funny. He had an explosive laugh. Something would be said and he didn’t laugh long, but was a short “Ha.” He was one of the original members of the band Ambrosia. So, when Ambrosia performed they always had Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond and Chris. That they had not included Pack in the group since the Philippines. Chris contracted cancer several years ago and had ceased touring until he got well. He got well but was still recovering slowly. He was getting close to coming back when he was hit by a car in the crosswalk walking into a restaurant to eat. He never did quite recover from that and just recently succumbed to the injuries. We were all devastated by his passing. Chris was always a joy to have around and he has been missed the entire time.

MRM: What can fans expect on April 24th in Duluth, Georgia at Gas South Theater when you share the bill with the legendary Ambrosia?

Coley: We enjoy playing many of the older songs and often refer to it as “going down memory lane.” People love revisiting so many of our songs and we play as many of them as we can. It’s still a real thrill for us to play those songs and watch the expressions of people’s faces. You can tell that there’s a lot of memories associated with those songs. No politics, nothing divisive, just music, stories (of which we have a lot of those) and jokes. We like to laugh and have a good time. It’s still fun.

MRM: Thanks for the interview. Anything else you would like to add?

Coley: I personally still like to meet people and shake hands. So, I’ll probably be out front after the show, selling merch and talking with people. We are looking forward to seeing all of you. Get up and dance if you want to. We don’t mind.