Matthew Ward

As an associate from the ’70s Jesus rock and roll mainstays 2nd Section of Works, vocalist Matthew Ward helped create the audio that ultimately became CCM; upon the group’s dissolution in 1988, Ward embarked on a single career. Ward was raised in North Dakota on his family’s plantation, among nine siblings; after shifting to Sacramento, his mom died of the human brain tumor in 1968, and his dad passed away simply two years afterwards. The 12-year-old Matthew, together with his old sister Nelly, shifted in with old sister Annie Herring and her hubby, Buck, an audio engineer. The three siblings shaped 2nd Section of Acts away from their healing nightly singalongs, and Buck’s connection with born-again “Eve of Devastation” vocalist Barry McGuire catapulted the group into stardom for the Christian circuit. Basing himself in Lindale, TX, Ward started his solo profession in earnest after 2nd Section of Works disbanded in 1988, launching the LP Toward Eternity the next year (it got actually been documented some time previous). Follow-ups included Equipped and Harmful, Fade to Light, and 1992’s Viewpoint. However, through the ’90s, Ward was stricken with tumor; he spent quite a while from music to fight the condition. He came back in 1997 with My Redeemer, an record of tracks about his combat with tumor and the convenience of beliefs; it became probably the most broadly acclaimed function of his single profession. The follow-up, NONETHELESS, premiered in 2000.