Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Top musician’s roots were in Monklands
Warm tributes have been paid to the Airdrie-born lead singer of beloved Scottish band Marmalade.
Dean Ford passed away, aged 72, last week following a hugely successful musical career, which included Marmalade’s cover version of The Beatles’ Ob-la-di Ob-la-da seeing them become the first Scottish band to hit number one in the UK charts in 1969.
Dean was born Thomas McAleese to parents Thomas senior and Elizabeth on September 5, 1946, and later adopted Dean Ford as his stage name.
Though born in Airdrie, Thomas went on to live in Coatbridge and began his singing career by accompanying a jazz ensemble at Whifflet Parish Church dance hall.
He formed his first musical group, The Tonebeats, aged 13, and by the time his time as a pupil at Clifton High School came to an end, Thomas had been gaining more exposure as a featured singer.
His big break came after a memorable performance with the Monarchs at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom in 1963, where he was seen by members of popular east Glasgow band The Gaylords and subsequently invited to join them.
The band went on to find further fame as Marmalade and along with Ob-ladi Ob-la-da, delivered a multitude of other hits including Reflections of My Life and Rainbow, both of which were written by Thomas.
Marmalade celebrated Ob- la- di Ob- la- da’s number- one success by appearing on Top of the Pops wearing kilts and their song I See The Rain was praised by Jimi Hendrix as the “best cut of 1967”.
The band toured with The Who before Thomas quit the group in 1975; he later moved to Los Angeles and became a limousine driver for superstars Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan.
Jim Millar, lead singer of hit Monklands band The Concordes, has hailed Thomas as a “great singer” and lamented his passing: “I was playing in my band on the circuit around the same time as him and saw him performing with The Gaylords at Coatbridge Palais; I also saw him with Marmalade in Glasgow.
“I followed his career with a particular interest and was delighted to see a local boy doing so well in his career.
“I was really sad to hear about his passing. Not only was Thomas a great singer with a special talent, but a credit to Coatbridge, his family and all who knew him”.
Coatbridge man Bobby Jenks grew up with Thomas and also paid tribute to the singer, saying: “Tommy was a quiet lad; he was a good footballer and played for Coatbridge High School’s team.
“As we got older, all the lads went to Coatbridge Palais on a Saturday night. It was at one of those nights when a talent competition was held and, to our surprise, Tommy was a contestant.
“He won the competition and, I believe, the chance to sing with The Golden Crusaders, who were the top group in the area at that time,
“Tommy went on to travel the world with Marmalade during a brilliant career before settling in America.
“He didn’t do too badly at all for a young man from Calder Avenue in Rosehall; rest in peace Tommy.”
Thomas remained a passionate, hard-working musician during the past couple of years, completing production of Feel My Heartbeat, a second solo album of original material, with the support of crowdfunding in 2017 and releasing album My Scottish Heart just two months ago.
His death was announced on Facebook by his daughter Tracey McAleese-Gorman, who described him as “an amazing man, a gentle soul and extremely talented musician”.
Anamazing man, gentle soul and extremely talented musician