Clifford Thomas Ward (10 February 1944 – 18 December 2001) was a popular English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.
Born in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, Ward was one of five children, having one sister and three brothers. He was educated at Stourport Secondary Modern School, and there he met his wife, Pat, when she was 13 years old, and he 14. At school he spent some time as a choir boy. Ward and Pat married when he was 17 and she 16, after Pat became pregnant with the first of their four children: Debbie, Martin, Sam and Polly.
In 1962, shortly after leaving school, Ward formed a beat
band "Cliff Ward and the Cruisers". The band was popular in
Birmingham and also in demand at American Army bases in France. It was during
this time abroad that Ward wrote "Home Thoughts from Abroad" (a song
that would later appear on his second solo album and also as the B-side of
"Gaye").
In the mid 1960s and after several member changes, the
group was renamed 'Martin Raynor and The Secrets' with Ward in the role of the
elusive Raynor. The fictitious name was soon dropped and the band continued on
as 'Raynor's Secrets', and went on to tour around Britain and France, achieving
moderate success. Along the way, six singles were recorded by the group (ten of
the songs penned by Ward himself), though these made little impact.
In 1968, following the demise of The Secrets, Ward decided
he needed to get "a real job", and so spent the following three years
at a teacher training college, ultimately finding employment at nearby North
Bromsgrove High School, teaching English and drama. One of his pupils was the
future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler. The children heard singing on Ward's early
albums were from North Bromsgrove High School. In his spare time, he continued
songwriting and recorded his first solo album Singer Songwriter.
Singer Songwriter was released in 1972 on Dandelion
Records (a label formed by the late disc jockey John Peel) just before it went
into liquidation. As a result, the album received little media coverage and
went largely unnoticed. Signing a new recording contract with Charisma Records,
Ward went on to have a hit with the single "Gaye". It sold over a
million copies worldwide and reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in July
1973.
In July 1973, following the success of "Gaye",
Ward's second album Home Thoughts achieved healthy sales and reached number 40
in the UK Albums Chart. At this point, wanting to concentrate on music
full-time, he gave up the teaching profession. He made a rare public appearance
in August, performing "Gaye" on Top of the Pops. In January 1974 Ward
entered the singles chart again at number 37 with "Scullery", a track
from his third album Mantle Pieces.
Subsequent singles, notably "No More Rock 'n'
Roll", "Jigsaw Girl", "Ocean of Love" and "I Got
Lost Tonight" (written by the US singer-songwriter Tim Moore, one of the
very rare occasions when he recorded outside material) were loved by BBC Radio
presenters and programmers but Ward never made it into the UK charts again. It
was said that he would have had more commercial success were it not for his
dislike of touring, public appearances, interviews and photo shoots.
"The Best is Yet to Come", from the album Both
of Us, enjoyed success when
covered by Justin Hayward, and his songs were recorded by Cliff Richard, Jack Jones, Art Garfunkel, and Judy Collins. He was compared to Paul McCartney by reviewers and his songs have strong melodies and concise, original lyrics.
covered by Justin Hayward, and his songs were recorded by Cliff Richard, Jack Jones, Art Garfunkel, and Judy Collins. He was compared to Paul McCartney by reviewers and his songs have strong melodies and concise, original lyrics.
In 1984, Ward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He
continued to record and write songs while living at home, cared for by his wife
Pat. In 1994, Ward was interviewed by local newspaper, the Wolverhampton
Express & Star. He told reporter Aidan Goldstraw: "I have not and will
not come to terms with this illness. There are times — usually quite late at
night — when I'm almost normal again. But unless they find a cure for this
dreadful MS, then I don't see a future".
Also then, he recorded his eleventh and what would be his
last new album, Julia and Other New Stories, crawling on all fours into his
home-based recording studio to finish it. At around the same time, a stage
musical, Shattered World, was produced as a tribute to him, based on his life
and his battle against MS. Half of the songs were Ward's own, and half were
numbers written by others about him.
In 2001, he fell ill from pneumonia and
entered a Kidderminster hospital. He died there a few weeks later, on 18
December. (Info edited from Wikipedia)
1 comment:
For “Clifford T Ward – Gaye And Other Stories” go here:
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/rGj0t5ON/file.html
1 Gaye
2 Wherewithal
3 Cellophane
4 The Dubious Circus Co.
5 Not Waving - Drowning
6 Time The Magician
7 Homethoughts From Abroad
8 The Way Of Love
9 The Open University
10 Jig-Saw Girl
11 A Day To Myself
12 Nightingale
13 We Could Be Talking
14 Where's It Going To End?
15 Crisis
16 Scullery
17 Where Would That Leave Me?
18 To An Air Hostess
19 A Sad Affair
20 Miner
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