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Andy Ward | |
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 Ward in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew John Ward |
| Born | 28 September 1952 Epsom, Surrey, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Website | andywardmusic |
Andrew John Ward (born 28 September 1952) is an English progressive rock drummer.
Born in Epsom, England, Ward attended the City of London Freemen's School. [1] He began drumming at the age of 13 in a local rock band with Jim Butt (guitar), Doug Houston (vocals), Colin Burgess (bass) and Jan (Murray) Obodynski (keyboards).
Ward became a founding member of the progressive rock band Camel, who formed in 1971, evolving from Ward's first band, The Brew. One of the leading lights of the English progressive rock movement, Camel enjoyed considerable success worldwide, peaking in 1975 when they performed their album The Snow Goose at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. Following a period of ill health – including problems caused by alcohol and drugs – in 1981 he was forced to retire from the band. [2] With Ward's departure, Andrew Latimer became the only original member who remained in the band.
Two years later he resurfaced briefly with the neo-progressive rock band Marillion, [3] appearing in the video of the hit single "Garden Party" from their debut album Script for a Jester's Tear and performing with them for three months as a replacement for their original drummer, Mick Pointer, who had recently been sacked. Ward's performances with the band included an appearance on the BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test when they performed "Forgotten Sons". According to Mark Kelly, Ward had been recruited to the band without a proper audition because of his reputation. However, as both Kelly and Fish have recalled, his personal problems had resurfaced and he succumbed to a nervous breakdown midway through the band's first American tour. [4]
Throughout the 1990s, Ward worked with Richard Sinclair's Caravan of Dreams [5] and Going Going, with Sinclair, Hugh Hopper, Vince Clarke and Mark Hewins. In 1994, he joined Mirage – a progressive "supergroup" combining members from both Camel and Caravan. [6] Other projects included the studio-only group the Chrysanthemums, led by singer-songwriter Yukio Yung (aka Terry Burrows), who received drum tracks through the post from Ward before building songs around them, playing all the other instruments himself. At this time Ward also became full-time drummer with the English rock band the Bevis Frond, with whom he recorded and toured extensively.
In 2002 a compilation CD, Sticking Around, was released, highlighting his work with Camel and other projects.
In 2003, Ward participated in a short lived reformation of the original members of The Brew (with Latimer and Ferguson) and recorded material for an album that never materialized, largely due to Latimer's ongoing health issues. [7]
Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in Guildford, Surrey, in 1971. Led by guitarist Andrew Latimer, they have released fourteen studio albums and fourteen singles, plus numerous live albums and DVDs. Without achieving mass popularity, the band gained a cult following in the 1970s with albums such as Mirage (1974) and The Snow Goose (1975). They moved into a jazzier, more commercial direction in the early 1980s, but then went on an extended hiatus. Since 1991 the band has been independent, releasing albums on their own label.
The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in Walthamstow, London, England. The band is fronted by Nick Saloman and has recorded many singles and albums on various independent labels.
Mirage is the second studio album by the English progressive rock band Camel, released on 1 March 1974. It features songs such as "The White Rider", "Lady Fantasy", and "Supertwister" which includes a showcase for Andrew Latimer's flute.
Peter Bardens was an English keyboardist and a founding member of the progressive rock group Camel. He played keyboards, sang, and wrote songs with Andrew Latimer. During his career, Bardens worked alongside Rod Stewart, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and Van Morrison. He recorded eleven solo albums.
Rain Dances is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in 1977 on Gama Records/Decca Records, and brought a major change to the band's lineup, by replacing bassist Doug Ferguson with ex-Caravan member Richard Sinclair and by adding saxophonist Mel Collins, formerly of King Crimson.
Moonmadness is the fourth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in April 1976 on Decca and Gama Records and is their last album recorded by the group's original line-up of Andrew Latimer, Peter Bardens, Doug Ferguson, and Andy Ward. After reaching success with their previous album, the all instrumental The Snow Goose, the band started on a follow-up and incorporated vocals and lyrics to the new music. Moonmadness has a loose concept with one track based on the personality of each band member: "Air Born" for Andrew Latimer, "Chord Change" for Peter Bardens, "Another Night" for Doug Ferguson, and "Lunar Sea" for Andy Ward. In 2018, 42 years after its release, Camel performed the album live in its entirety.
The Snow Goose is the third studio album by the band Camel, released in 1975. The critical success of "The White Rider" suite inspired the group to write more novel-inspired conceptual suites.
Andrew Latimer is an English musician and composer. He is a founding member of the progressive rock band Camel and the only member who has been with them since their formation in 1971. Although he is best known as a guitarist and singer, Latimer is also a flautist and keyboardist.
Richard Stephen Sinclair is an English progressive rock bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.
Colin Bass is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 1979, he has been a member of the British progressive rock band Camel, who, after a ten-year hiatus due to the ill health of bandleader Andrew Latimer, returned to active touring in 2013. From 1984 to 1992, he was also a core figure in the pioneering World Music group 3 Mustaphas 3. He has also made two solo albums under his own name and three albums recorded in Indonesia under the name Sabah Habas Mustapha. The title track of the first, "Denpasar Moon", became a hugely popular song in Indonesia in the mid-1990s and has been covered by over 50 Indonesian, Malaysian, Japanese and Filipino artists. As a record producer he has worked with a diverse range of international artists including: the Klezmatics (USA), SambaSunda (Indonesia), Daniel Kahn & the Painted Bird (USA) Krar Collective (Ethiopia), Etran Finatawa (Niger) and 9Bach (Wales) amongst others. As a guest artist he has appeared on albums by a number of internationally acclaimed artists including top Malian singing star Oumou Sangare, playing on all tracks of her 1993 Ko Sira album.
Breathless is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Camel, released in 1978. It is the last album to feature the group's original keyboardist, Peter Bardens, who left the group before the tour for the album.
Caravan of Dreams were a British progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene. Led by Richard Sinclair, it evolved from the short-lived Going Going.
A Live Record is the first live album by the progressive rock band Camel, released in 1978. It is a double LP, composed of recordings from three different tours.
I Can See Your House from Here is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. Released in 1979, a new line up was introduced with founding members Andrew Latimer (guitar) and Andy Ward (drums) joined by bassist Colin Bass and keyboardists Jan Schelhaas and Kit Watkins who replaced Dave Sinclair. At one point, the album was going to be called Endangered Species.
The Chrysanthemums are an English art-pop group. The project began as a collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Terry Burrows and Alan Jenkins, the leader of The Deep Freeze Mice. The first releases were performed in the studio by Burrows and Jenkins alone. Other personnel were gradually added, including Vladimir Zajkowiecz on bass, Robyn Gibson on drums and Jonathan Lemon on keyboards, enabling them to complete several tours of mainland Europe, where there was most interest in their work.
Nude is the eighth studio album and a concept album released by the English progressive rock band Camel in January 1981. The album is based on a true story of a Japanese soldier marooned on an island in World War II who doesn't know that the war is over. 'Nude' derives from his family name 'Onoda'. Most of the album is composed of instrumentals with only a few tracks containing lyrics. The album's lyrics were mainly written by Susan Hoover, except "Please Come Home", which was written by Andrew Latimer. It was the last Camel album to feature original drummer Andy Ward, and the last Camel album to feature more than one original member.
The Polite Force was a British progressive rock band in the Canterbury scene from 1976 to 1978. The name comes from the 1971 Egg album of the same name.
The Single Factor, released in 1982, is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. The album was essentially a contractual obligation album, created under pressure from Decca Records to produce a hit single, and the "made-to-order" nature of its composition resulted in a selection of songs described as "odd" on the band's official website. Unlike previous Camel albums, The Single Factor consists exclusively of shorter compositions around 3 to 5 minutes in length.
Prog is a British magazine dedicated to progressive rock music, published by Future. The magazine, which is edited by Jerry Ewing, was launched in March 2009 as a spin-off from Classic Rock and covers both past and present artists. Other current staff are Natasha Scharf, Russell Fairbrother, Grant Moon, and Dave Everley.
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