Clarence Joseph Ford, Sr. (December 16, 1929 – August 9, 1994) was an American saxophonist and clarinetist, who played and recorded with many of New Orleans’ leading R&B and jazz artists in a career spanning more than 40 years.

Clarence Ford was born December 16, 1929, at Charity Hospital in New Orleans to Hampy Ford and Elouise A. Gabriel Ford. Hampy was a laborer who later worked in road construction for the Works Progress Administration. Elouise was a member of the musical Gabriel family. Clarence Ford’s great-grandfather Narcisse Gabriel emigrated from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to New Orleans in 1856. Narcisse was a bass player who earned his living as a bricklayer.