Robert Ward

Robert Ward's unlikely resurgence ranks among the most touching revival stories in blues. Long absent from the music circuit and widely presumed deceased by enthusiasts, the guitarist's random meeting with Dayton, Ohio, music retailer Dave Hussong triggered a swift sequence of developments that led to his 1990 Black Top debut, Fear No Evil, and a renewed shot at wider recognition.

Ward first reached prominence fronting the Ohio Untouchables, the group that evolved into the Ohio Players years after his exit, during the early 1960s. Born into hardship in rural Georgia, he acquired his initial guitar at age ten. Early singles from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters shaped his developing style. Following military service, he returned in 1959 and entered the Brassettes, a band that also featured Roy Lee Johnson, who soon joined Piano Red and sang "Mister Moonlight."

Frustrated by meager earnings while opening for James Brown and Piano Red with the Brassettes, Ward relocated to Dayton, Ohio, in 1960. Drawing inspiration from Eliot Ness on the television series The Untouchables, he enlisted bassist Levoy Fredrick and drummer Cornelius Johnson to launch the original Ohio Untouchables lineup. His signature vibrato-drenched guitar tone originated from a Magnatone amplifier purchased at a local store; Lonnie Mack, captivated by the liquid effect, acquired an identical model and both players retained the distinctive sound.

Detroit producer Robert West placed the Untouchables on his LuPine imprint in 1962. Ward's distinctive approach shone on the gritty "I'm Tired," the somber doo-wop-inflected "Forgive Me Darling," and the atmospheric "Your Love Is Amazing." The band additionally supplied backing for Wilson Pickett and the Falcons on their 1962 gospel-infused hit "I Found a Love."

The Untouchables also cut sides briefly for Detroit's Thelma Records, including the propulsive blues "Your Love Is Real" and the impassioned "I'm Gonna Cry a River." Ward departed the group in 1965, with Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner stepping in; he paused at Don Davis' Groove City label to record the original "Fear No Evil" paired with "My Love Is Strictly Reserved for You" around 1966-1967.

In the early 1970s Ward served as a session guitarist at Motown, supporting the Temptations and the Undisputed Truth through his longstanding connection to the latter group's lead singer Joe Harris. Following his wife's death in 1977, however, Ward's fortunes collapsed. He returned to Georgia and spent a year incarcerated, during which one fellow inmate was singer Major Lance, whose own career had similarly declined.

That pivotal 1990 meeting with Hussong revived Ward's trajectory. Black Top head Hammond Scott signed him and oversaw production of Fear No Evil along with the solid 1993 follow-up Rhythm of the People. The label later released Black Bottom, again highlighting Ward's singular, otherworldly allure. Residing in Dry Branch, Georgia, alongside second wife Roberta, who added backing vocals to his comeback recordings, Ward reemerged in 1997 with Twiggs County Soul Man and three years afterward with New Role Soul.