Whitey Ford Sings the Blues

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For other uses, see Whitey Ford (disambiguation).

Whitey Ford Sings the Blues
Studio album by
Everlast
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1998
Recorded1997–1998
GenreBlues, rock, country rock, hip hop
Length55:07
LabelTommy Boy
Producer
Everlast chronology
Forever Everlasting
(1990) 		Whitey Ford Sings the Blues
(1998) 		Eat at Whitey's
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[3]

Whitey Ford Sings the Blues is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Everlast, and the first one following his departure from House of Pain. It was released on September 8, 1998, via Tommy Boy Records, a full eight years after his solo debut album Forever Everlasting and after he had a major heart attack.[4][5] "Whitey Ford" in the album title refers to the New York Yankees pitcher of the same name.[4]

The album was both a commercial and critical success (selling more than three million copies) and went 2× platinum according to RIAA. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Its hit single "What It's Like" became Everlast's most popular and successful song, which received him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Whitey Ford Sings the Blues blended rap with acoustic and electric guitars, developed by Everlast together with producers Dante Ross and John Gamble. The album incorporates a mix of musical styles such as blues, rock and hip hop. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote that the album "exudes the folk-rock vibe – if not quite the peerless songwriting – of a Bruce Springsteen or a Steve Earle, augmented by the beats that Everlast perfected in his former band."[6]

Singles[edit]

Whitey Ford Sings the Blues spawned five singles: "What It's Like", "Painkillers", "Money (Dollar Bill)", "Ends", and "Today (Watch Me Shine)". Its lead single "What It's Like" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks. "Ends" peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Alternative Songs, "Today (Watch Me Shine)" peaked at No. 12 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, and the other two did not appear in main music charts. "Painkillers" appeared in the 1999 Jet Li film Black Mask.

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The White Boy Is Back" (Skit) (featuring Kia Jeffries)
0:45
2."Money (Dollar Bill)" (featuring Sadat X)
  • Ross
  • Gamble
3:14
3."Ends"
  • Ross
  • Gamble
4:33
4."What It's Like"Schrody
  • Ross
  • Gamble
5:03
5."Get Down"Schrody
  • Ross
  • Gamble
3:59
6."Sen Dog" (Skit)
  • Ross
  • Gamble
0:15
7."Tired"
  • Ross
  • Gamble
2:22
8."Hot to Death"
Divine Styler3:49
9."Painkillers"SchrodySiba Giba3:23
10."Prince Paul" (Skit)
  • Ross
  • Gamble
0:59
11."Praise the Lord"
E-Swift3:05
12."Today (Watch Me Shine)" (featuring Bronx Style Bob)Schrody
  • Ross
  • Gamble
5:02
13."Guru" (Skit)
  • Elam
  • Ross
  • Gamble
0:17
14."Death Comes Callin'"
  • Ross
  • Gamble
4:16
15."Funky Beat" (featuring Casual & Sadat X)
  • Ross
  • Gamble
4:03
16."The Letter"
  • Schrody
  • Ross
  • Ross
  • Gamble
2:06
17."7 Years"
  • Schrody
  • Ross
  • Ross
  • Gamble
4:04
18."Next Man"
  • Schrody
  • Ross
  • Ross
  • Gamble
3:52
Total length:55:07

Notes

  • "The White Boy Is Back" is a cover song of "The Fat Boys Are Back" by Fat Boys, performed by Kia Jeffries
  • "Ends" features background vocals by Bronx Style Bob

Samples[7]

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from Discogs[8]

Vocalists

Instrumentalists

  • Eric Francis Schrody – guitar (track 3–4, 14, 17), scratches (track 5, 12), keyboards (track 14)
  • Dante Ross – drum programming & scratches (track 15); piano, bass & strings (track 16)
  • Keith "Keefus" Ciancia – keyboards (track 1, 5, 17)
  • Nightrain Merlot – bass (track 3, 8, 12)
  • Giovanni Loria – string arrangement (track 4), bass (track 5, 17)
  • Ben Bocardo – bass (track 4)
  • Elizabeth Wright – cello (track 4)
  • Stephan Cullo – keyboards (track 4)
  • John Wang – viola (track 4)
  • Alen C. Agadhzhanyan – first violin (track 4)
  • Jacqueline Suzuki – second violin (track 4)
  • Darren Robinson – guitar (track 12)
  • John Norwood Fisher – bass (track 14)
  • Melvin Babu – scratches (track 14)
  • DJ Daz – scratches (track 14)
  • John Gamble – bass (track 15)
  • Geoff Gallegos – tenor saxophone (track 17)
  • Dan Osterman – trombone (track 17)
  • Todd M. Simon – trumpet (track 17)

Technicals

  • John Gamble – producer (tracks 1–7, 10, 12–18), mixing (track 3–5, 7, 9, 12, 14–18), engineer (tracks 1–5, 7–8, 11–12, 14–18)
  • Dante Ross – producer (tracks 1–7, 10, 12–18), mixing (track 3–5, 7, 12, 14–17), executive producer
  • Jamie Staub – mixing (tracks 3–5, 8, 11–12, 14–15, 17)
  • Mark Richardson – producer & mixing (track 8)
  • Eric Brooks – producer & mixing (track 11)
  • Siba Giba – producer (track 9)
  • Eric Francis Schrody – executive producer
  • Carl Stubner – executive producer

Additional

  • Dante Ross – A&R direction
  • Max Nichols – A&R direction
  • Jason Rand – art direction, design
  • Keith Carter – photography

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues – Everlast". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 1018. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Album: Everlast: Whitey Ford Sings the Blues". Robert Christgau.
  4. ^ a b Mukherjee, Tiarra (September 29, 1998). "Everlast's White Boy Blues". Rolling Stone.
  5. ^ Rabin, Nathan (March 29, 2002). "Everlast: Whitey Ford Sings The Blues". The A.V. Club.
  6. ^ "If Everlast Calls, Tell Him I Went To Lunch". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. February 12, 1999. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues by Everlast: Album Samples, Covers and Remixes". WhoSampled. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings The Blues". Discogs. August 18, 1998.
  9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "Everlast Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  17. ^ "Everlast Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  18. ^ "Everlast Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  19. ^ "Everlast Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  20. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1999". austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – EVERLAST – WHITEY FORD SINGS THE BLUES". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
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