Ward 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. [8] 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 1967, Ward enrolled at Worcester teacher training college to study English and divinity, after which he taught at Bromsgrove high school, where his pupils included the future actor Trudie Styler and Underworld singer Karl Hyde. Clifford Thomas Ward (10 February 1944– 18 December 2001) [1] was an English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist. [2] Ward's 1973 album Home Thoughts remains his best known recording and he had hit singles with "Gaye" and "Scullery". His reluctance to tour in support of recorded work may have affected his chances of more substantial mainstream success. [3] Early life [ edit ] By this time, Ward had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As his condition deteriorated, he became effectively confined to his home in rural Worcestershire and his friends and fans, including Elton John and Trudie Styler's husband Sting, raised money to assist him. In 1962, shortly after leaving school and supporting himself with a series of clerical jobs, Ward formed a beat band Cliff Ward and the Cruisers, which won the 1963 Midland Band of the Year contest in Birmingham. [2] 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 as Simon'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. [4] Solo career [ edit ]

Meanwhile, he continued to make private recordings of his songs, and, in 1972, his tapes were passed to the late John Walters ( obituary, August 1 2001), producer of John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. However, his first album, Singer Songwriter, issued by Peel and Clive Selwood's Dandelion Records, sold few copies.

Both of Us Tracklist

In 1967, following the demise of The Secrets, Ward decided he needed to get "a real job". He enrolled at Worcester Teacher Training College and subsequently taught at North Bromsgrove High School teaching English and Drama. [4] One of his pupils was the future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler, and another was Underworld singer Karl Hyde. [2] The children heard singing on Ward's early albums were from North Bromsgrove High School.

In 1987, Ward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). [4] He continued to record and write songs while living at home, cared for by his wife, Pat. In 1994, Ward was interviewed by a 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". [ citation needed] a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London, UK: Guinness World Records Limited. p.591. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. The album, with string parts written by former Beatles arranger Richard Hewson, was well reviewed for Ward's tenor voice and lyrics. The title song, contrasting Robert Browning's lofty verse with the quirky use of domestic details, was the stuff that animated many of Ward's best songs.Educated at Stourport secondary modern and King Charles grammar school, he left before A-levels to work in a succession of clerical jobs. By 1962, he had become the singer with Cliff Ward and the Cruisers, a proficient local beat group that won the 1963 Midland Band of the Year contest in Birmingham. As Martin Raynor and the Secrets, the group made a recording for EMI in 1965, and several more for CBS as the Secrets, though none was successful.