THE CLARA WARD SINGERSBRIEF HISTORY:
CLARA WARD & THE WARD SINGERS WERE ONE OF THE GREATEST FEMALE GROUPS TO EVER GRACE THE FIELD OF GOSPEL MUSIC. BASED OUT OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, THE GROUP STARTED AS A TRIO CALLED THE CONSECRATED GOSPEL SINGERS. THE GROUP CONSISTED OF GERTRUDE WARD AND HER DAUGHTERS, CLARA AND WILLA. YEARS LATER, OTHER MEMBERS, SUCH AS FRANCES STEADMAN, MARION WILLIAMS, KITTY PARHAM, HENRIETTA WADDY, AND ESTHER FORD WERE ADDED, AND THIS IS THE GROUP THAT BECAME KNOWN AS THE CLARA WARD SINGERS. WITH HIT SONGS SUCH AS "PACKIN' UP" & "SURELY GOD IS ABLE," THE GROUP WON NATIONAL FAME. THEY TRAVELED THE CHURCH CIRCUIT PACKING IN PEOPLE, WITH STANDING ROOM ONLY. THEY FREQUENTED THE APOLLO THEATRE AS WELL AS OTHER HALLS, STARRING IN CONCERT WITH OTHER BIG NAMES IN GOSPEL SUCH AS MAHALIA JACKSON.
IN 1958, HENRIETTA WADDY, MARION WILLIAMS, FRANCES STEADMAN, KITTY PARHAM, AND ESTHER FORD LEFT THE FAMOUS WARD SINGERS AND FORMED THEIR OWN GROUP, THE STARS OF FAITH. AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THESE MEMBERS, CLARA WARD DID EVENTUALLY RE-GROUP WITH SINGERS SUCH AS MILDRED MEANS, VERMETTYA ROYSTER, VIOLA CROWLEY, MADELINE THOMPSON, GERALDINE JONES, MALVELYN STATHAM, AGNES JACKSON, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS.
AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE 'ORIGINAL' MEMBERS, THE GROUP IS SAID TO HAVE LOST A MAJORITY OF THEIR CHURCH FOLLOWERS, BECAUSE THE WARD SINGERS BEGAN TO SING IN SECULAR SETTINGS. HOWEVER, THE WARD SINGERS WERE STILL VERY POPULAR, TRAVELING THE U.S AND ABROAD, SINGING THEIR STANDARDS, "THE OLD LANDMARK," TRAVELIN' SHOES," AND "MEETIN' TONIGHT," AMONG OTHERS.
CLARA WARD WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF REV. C.L. FRANKLIN, AND WAS A MAJOR INFLUENCE FOR ARETHA FRANKLIN. IF YOU LISTEN TO ARETHA SING, YOU CAN HEAR A SLIGHT RESEMBLENCE IN THE VOICE. IN SPITE OF WHAT THE MEDIA HAS STATED PREVIOUSLY, CLARA WARD WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH MAHALIA JACKSON. MAHALIA DID OBJECT TO THE WARD SINGERS GOING INTO SECULAR VENUES, BUT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN STYLE AND BELIEFS. SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO CARRY THE GOSPEL TO THE PEOPLE WHO WON'T COME TO CHURCH.
THE WARD SINGERS WERE FREQUENT GUESTS IN VEGAS, AND EVENTUALLY MOVED OUT TO CALIFORNIA, BECAUSE MOST OF THEIR ENGAGEMENTS WERE AT DISNEYLAND AND OTHER PLACES ON THE WEST COAST. THEY TRAVELED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, ASIA, AND IN AN INTERVEW WITH HUGH HEFNER ON HIS SHOW, "PLAYBOY AFTER DARK," HUGH ASKED CLARA WHERE SHE ENJOYED SINGING THE MOST. SHE REPLIED, "BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE ENJOY SINGING IN VIETNAM BETTER THAN ANY OTHER PLACE. IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE OVER 8,000 [MEN] SITTING IN THE RAIN- WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SING FOR 45 MINUTES, AND IT WAS RAINING SO HARD, THAT WE WERE GOING TO CUT THE SHOW OFF. THEY APPLAUDED AND WANTED US TO KEEP SINGING- WE SANG FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AND THEY JUST SAT THERE IN THE RAIN..."
IN 1967, CLARA WARD SUFFERED A STROKE DURING A CONCERT IN MIAMI, FLORIDA. A STEP AWAY FROM DEATH, FANS FROM ALL OVER BEGAN TO PRAY AND SEND TELEGRAMS TO CLARA, AND THE LORD SAW FIT TO LET CLARA LIVE. SHE WAS NICKNAMED "THE MIRACLE GIRL."
THE WARD SINGERS APPEARED ON MANY TELEVISION SHOWS AND AT SEVERAL FESTIVALS. MANY OF THEM INCLUDE THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW, FLIP WILSON SHOW, ED SULLIVAN SHOW, NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL, MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL, MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, PLAYBOY AFTER DARK, AND SEVERAL OTHERS. SHE DID MANY COLLEGE TOURS AS WELL.
IN JANUARY 1973, AT THE AGE OF 48, AFTER SUFFERING ANOTHER STROKE, CLARA SPENT A COUPLE OF WEEKS IN A COMA. ON JANUARY 16, 1973, CLARA WARD DIED. HER WORK AND MUSIC WILL LIVE ON FOREVER!
[-----THE WARD SINGERS TODAY-----]
THERE ARE ONLY 3 SURVIVING MEMBERS FROM THE PRE-1958 GROUP: MS. WILLA WARD, MS. FRANCES STEADMAN, AND MS. ESTHER FORD. ALSO, MADELINE THOMPSON, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE WARD SINGERS, IS KEEPING THE NAME ALIVE WITH HER GROUP IN LOS ANGELES. REV. "LADY" ESTHER FORD IS KEEPING THE CLARA WARD LEGACY ALIVE IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND AND OTHER AREAS THROUGH HER CONCERTS OF VINTAGE GOSPEL, SPIRITUALS, & HYMNS.
[-----WORDS FROM THE "CLARA WARD SINGERS" TRIBUTE CREATOR-----]
IT IS MY DUTY, AS WELL AS HER FANS, TO KEEP THE CLARA WARD LEGACY ALIVE! I CAN SAY THAT I AM TRULY BLESSED AND I'M ELATED TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE KEEPING THE LEGACIES OF MANY OTHER PIONEERS, SUCH AS MAHALIA JACKSON, ALBERTINA WALKER & THE CARAVANS, REV. CHARLES NICKS, MATTIE MOSS CLARK, AND SEVERAL OTHERS ALIVE!! THIS IS REAL MUSIC AND WE CANNOT PROGRESS FORWARD UNLESS WE KNOW WHERE WE COME FROM!
I'M BLESSED TO SAY THAT I KNOW A FORMER MEMBERS OF THE CLARA WARD SINGERS: WILLA WARD, ESTHER FORD, MILDRED MEANS, VERMETTYA ROYSTER, ALICE HOUSTON, ANTHONY LAWSON (FORMER ACCOMPANIST), AND JOHN EDMONDS (FORMER ACCOMPANIST). THEY ARE ALL DOING WELL.
THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN A MANNER THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO ME. IN ANY CASE, THANKS FOR HELPING ME TO KEEP THE WARD SINGERS LEGACY ALIVE! TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
- Dwayne Lightsey, Jr.
