Clara Ward

For other people named Clara Ward, see Clara Ward (disambiguation).

Clara Ward
Ward in 1970
Ward in 1970
Background information
Birth nameClara Mae Ward[1]
Born(1924-04-21)April 21, 1924[2]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1973(1973-01-16) (aged 48)[3]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresGospel
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • arranger
Years active1931–1972
Labels
  • Stateside
  • Vanguard

Clara Mae Ward[1] (April 21, 1924 – January 16, 1973)[4][5] was an American gospel singer who achieved great artistic and commercial success during the 1940s and 1950s, as leader of the Famous Ward Singers. A gifted singer and arranger, Ward adopted the lead-switching style, previously used primarily by male gospel quartets, creating opportunities for spontaneous improvisation and vamping by each member of the group, while giving virtuoso singers such as Marion Williams the opportunity to perform the lead vocal in songs such as "Surely, God Is Able" (among the first million-selling gospel hits), "How I Got Over" and "Packin' Up".

  1. ^ a b Smith, Jessie Carney (December 17, 2010). Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 1465. ISBN 978-0-313-35797-8 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Keller, Academic Dean and Professor of Church History Emeritae Rosemary Skinner; Keller, Rosemary Skinner; Ruether, Rosemary Radford; Cantlon, Marie (October 29, 2006). Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America: Native American creation stories. Indiana University Press. p. 992. ISBN 0-253-34687-8 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference JE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Though Clara Ward's birthday has been erroneously reported on the Internet as "August 21, 1924", according to her sister, Willa Ward, Clara's birthday was April 21, 1924.
  5. ^ "Social Security Death Index". Baltimore, Maryland: Social Security Administration. 1954–1955. 182-30-7100. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)