Matthew Ward

Matthew Ward, a vocalist in the enduring Jesus rock ensemble 2nd Chapter of Acts, played a central role in shaping the musical style that later defined CCM. After the group ended its run in 1988, he launched an independent path as a recording artist. Raised on a North Dakota farm as one of nine children, Ward relocated with his family to Sacramento, where his mother succumbed to a brain tumor in 1968 and his father followed two years afterward. At age twelve he and his older sister Nelly joined their sibling Annie Herring and her husband Buck, a sound engineer, in their household; the nightly singalongs that served as emotional release for the siblings eventually gave rise to 2nd Chapter of Acts. Buck’s introduction to the born-again “Eve of Destruction” singer Barry McGuire propelled the trio to prominence within the Christian music scene. Settling in Lindale, TX, Ward issued his debut solo album, Toward Eternity, in 1989—the project having been tracked years earlier—once 2nd Chapter of Acts had disbanded. Subsequent releases comprised Armed and Dangerous, Fade to White, and Point of View in 1992. Cancer interrupted his work during the 1990s, forcing an extended hiatus while he underwent treatment. He reemerged in 1997 with My Redeemer, a collection that chronicled his illness and the sustaining power of faith and that earned the strongest critical recognition of any solo effort. Its successor, Even Now, appeared in 2000.