Emile Ford & The Checkmates

Although their legacy has dimmed considerably, Emile Ford & the Checkmates secured a landmark achievement by reaching the summit of the British singles chart in 1959, an accomplishment that launched a recording career spanning four years. Emile Ford entered the world as Emile Sweetman on October 16, 1937, in Castries, St. Lucia in the British West Indies. Arriving in England from the Bahamas in the mid-'50s with ambitions of working as a sound engineer, he drew on that technical expertise to shape his later accomplishments as a bandleader. Adopting the name Emile Ford, he assembled the Checkmates, a group that featured his two half-brothers, George Sweetman and Dave Sweetman, handling sax and bass duties, alongside Ken Street, Pete Carter, Les Hart, Alan Hawkshaw, and John Cuffley.

Billed as Emile Ford & the Checkmates, the ensemble captured first place in a talent contest backed by Pye Records, earning both an audition and a recording contract. Their debut single paired "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" with "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For," the latter produced by the renowned Joe Meek. Pye executives ultimately favored the intended B-side, reversing the sides prior to release, and the resulting "Why Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" climbed to number one in England, instantly elevating the group to prominence.

The band followed with five singles in 1960, three of which entered the U.K. Top 40 and two of which reached the Top Ten, including the number-three hit "On a Slow Boat to China" b/w "That Lucky Old Sun." Chart momentum proved fleeting after that peak year, although three releases from 1961 and 1962 scraped into the lower reaches of the listings, with "What Am I Gonna Do" barely registering inside the Top 40. Ford himself possessed only modest vocal ability, yet the band compensated with tight musicianship and an innovation unavailable to most English rock & roll acts of the era: they performed exclusively through their custom sound system, engineered by Ford, rather than standard PA setups. The superior audio quality helped them outshine rivals and sustain steady work for years. The Checkmates also issued material independently on Pye, including a full album.

By late 1962 the group confronted the first wave of fresh British rock & roll, exemplified by the Beatles and similar acts. Their established hits and distinctive presentation sustained activity until the close of 1963. The Checkmates subsequently recorded for Decca Records (under Joe Meek) and Parlophone Records, occasionally appearing under the name the Original Checkmates. George Sweetman, Dave Sweetman—who sometimes performed as Sweetman-Ford to highlight their connection to Emile—and drummer Barry Reeves later formed the foundation of the psychedelic-soul outfit the Ferris Wheel, while Alan Hawkshaw transitioned into film scoring. Ford continued performing sporadically before returning to audio engineering, an arena in which rock & roll had by then embraced his core strength; numerous acts began traveling with personal sound systems, and Ford found ready clients for his technical services. He eventually settled in California following an extended stay in Scandinavia.