From porn star to pop star

Since he was a toddler in the ’60s, Glenn Soukesian wanted to be a performer. Music was his thing — he had a ‘knack’ for it.

It’s a struggle to imagine the now bulging porn-star/ musician/ actor as a little tacker, singing in school choirs and practising on the balance beam as a gymnast from the age of six.

Almost 40 years later and he now goes by the pseudonym Colton Ford, a lasting brand from his brief but truly definitive stint in the adult film industry.

Ford exited the industry after just 10 months almost 10 years ago but his name has been so legendary that he was recently invited to join 11 prominent male porn stars for last year’s cover of Attitude magazine’s sex issue.

When he left porn in 2001, Ford returned his focus to his music. He spoke to the Star Observer about all things porn and pop.

Ford’s music career began in the late ’80s when he moved from Pasadena to Los Angeles and signed to John St James.

“Back in the late ’80s, he produced Stacey Q and Bardeux and then in the early ’90s, I was signed up to Denise Rich and paired up with Frankie Knuckles for his second album,” he said.

Ford was replaced on Frankie Knuckles’ Welcome To The Real World album but Virgin Records offered the singer a solo album deal — although nothing would eventuate from that offer either.

Years later, nearing 40 and “bored and frustrated”, Ford saw a break.

“I was doing a corporate gig, obviously in the major label gig, I was way too old,” Ford said.

“I had partnered up with Blake Harper who was a big porn star at the time. I had mentioned to him I had fantasised about what it would be like but had never acted on it because of my music.

“I was going up to Palm Springs with Blake to do a shoot with a photographer by the name of Jeff Palmer. Blake was going up to do a scene and his scene partner couldn’t get out of New York, it was right after 9/11, so he couldn’t get a flight out.

“Blake asked me if I would like to ‘dabble’ in a new experience and I thought about it. I thought, ‘I’m not going to run for president’.

“I entered into it with the mindset of an adventure.”

Ten months later and with about 10 films under his belt with Falcon Studios, Ford left the industry feeling he had “got everything out of the experience I could get”.

Ford released some singles including Everything and a well-received cover of Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours. He also appeared in the controversial documentary Naked Fame.

“We came to find out they wanted to tell a different story. Ultimately we didn’t give them what they wanted to tell the story they wanted to tell,” Ford said.

In mid-2006 Ford began work on his debut album with producer Quentin Harris. A year and a half later, he released Tug Of War.

“It was great. Up to that point, I had released a bunch of singles but with my prior Virgin deals and whatnot, I had several albums worth of material and nothing was released,” he said.

“It was very satisfying to put a full record out.”

A year later, he released his covers album Under The Covers including a successful cover of R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion.

“We released Losing My Religion and I received an email from Michael Stipe saying how great the cover was and they were super honoured and amazing.”

The pop musician found creating music much deeper than porn and far more exposing than having sex on film.

“What you see on film and what in fact is actually happening when you are shooting are generally two very different things. It was a very mechanical experience,” he said.

“For me, it’s a lot more exposing because you are putting spirit or energy into it in a way that goes deeper than just getting off on camera.

“I’m certainly not shameful of it. There are people who think I’m trying to distance myself from it but if that was the case I definitely wouldn’t be using the name Colton Ford.”

— by Benn Dorrington

info: Colton Ford has a new remix record out and his new album The Way I Am came out in April. Visit www.coltonfordmusic.com