Clifford Ward

Infobox musical artist
Name = Clifford T. Ward


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Clifford Thomas Ward
Alias =
Born = birth date |1944|2|10|mf=yes,
Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England
Died = death date and age |2001|12|18|1944|2|10|
Instrument =
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1962–2001

Clifford Thomas Ward (February 10, 1944, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire — December 18, 2001), was a popular English singer/songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.

Early life

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.

Early career

In 1962, shortly after leaving school, Ward formed a beat band called "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). In the mid 1960s and after several member changes, the group was re-named "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, simply known as "The Secrets". It went on to do some extensive touring 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 on the music world.

Solo career

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".

His first album, "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 contract with Charisma Records, Ward went on to have a hit with the haunting single "Gaye". It sold over a million copies worldwide and reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in June 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 US singer-songwriter Tim Moore, one of the very rare occasions when he recorded outside material) were much 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 also 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.

Death

In 1984 Ward was diagnosed as having 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 paper, 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 the winter of 2001, he fell ill from pneumonia and entered hospital. He died there a few weeks later, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday December 18. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1719140.stm Songwriter Clifford T Ward dies] ]

Trivia

* The speech at the end of "Screen Test" (on the "Mantle Pieces" album) was recorded by a former pupil of his.
* Ward was unusual for a pop star as fans who turned up at his home were usually invited in for a talk.
* There is a photograph of Ward's fourth child, Polly, aged approximately five years old, on the reverse side of the "Both Of Us" album sleeve.
* In 1990, it was reported that Ward was reputed to have had an affair with a French girl named Gaye, while on tour in France. The story suggested that Gaye was killed in a high speed car crash (possibly as an act of suicide) after Ward, refusing to stay with Gaye in France, had returned home to Pat. It was said this episode led to the composition of Ward's hit song, "Gaye". A biography by Dave Cartwright has revealed that there never was a 'Gaye' and that such stories were wholly fictitious.
* Ward spent time in the 1980's recording sessions for the Manchester Jingle production house Alfasound,and his voice can be heard on a number of packages,including those for Signal Radio and most memorably,Radio Trent.Other members of the vocal team used by Alfasound at the time included Ian Wilson of Sad Café (band),David Parton (singer of the UK version of "Isn't She Lovely"),and current Barclay James Harvest member Steve Butler

Albums

Books

* “Bittersweet: The Clifford T. Ward Story” by David Cartwright - ISBN 1-901447-18-9

References

External links

* [http://www.cliffordtward.info/ Official Fan Club - 'The Friends of Clifford T Ward']
* [http://members.madasafish.com/~chelsearecords/ctw.htm Appreciation Page by Peter Daltrey]
* [http://mick-armitage.staff.shef.ac.uk/cliffordt/ward.html 'Clifford T Ward - Singer/Songwriter' - Comprehensive Tribute site by Mick Armitage]