It wasn’t until Ward was a student at Rust College in Mississippi that she was offered another opportunity of that magnitude. “They called me their little mockingbird.”Ī few years later, after performing in a Black history program, a 14-year-old Ward was offered a recording contract, which was rejected by her parents. “The people were just loving me,” Ward recalled. Ward recalled a story in which she and her grandmother were aboard a train, and Ward, at two years old, gave both her grandmother and the other passengers a glimpse of what would later become her signature light, soprano voice. Early on, Ward watched as various members of her family displayed a knack for vocalizing, a talent that she says was “probably in my blood.” The lyrics to “Ring My Bell” had made their way onto the breath of Anita Ward, a then 21-year-old college graduate who had no idea that her life was about to change forever, and that her bell would be “ringing” for decades to come.īorn in Memphis, Tennessee, it seems that Anita Ward was destined to have a career in show business. List of artists who reached number one on the U.S.In the summer of 1979, one of disco’s most successful and memorable songs was released.List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)."Caught Between a Good Thing and Good-Bye" The single is produced by producer Gilflo.ĭiscography Albums Year The first single, also titled "It's My Night" was released to iTunes on May 20, 2011.
In early 2011, it was announced that Ward was back in the studio working on a brand new album titled It's My Night. Ward has also appeared in Zagreb, Croatia on January 4, 2006, the night before the FIS World Cup slalom race on nearby Sljeme, with some other groups and singers from disco era ( Nile Rodgers and Chic, Village People, Thelma Houston and Rose Royce).
On New Year's Eve 2005 she performed on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, singing "Ring My Bell" and several other disco songs. On New Year's Eve 2002, Ward performed "Ring My Bell" in New York City's Times Square before a crowd of revelers as part of the city's official celebration. After both the album and single "Be My Baby" failed to chart, Ward took another hiatus from the music industry, focusing on her family, including her daughter born shortly after the release of Wherever There's Love. It spawned one single "Be My Baby", which was released in Australia, but it did not chart there. The album was a departure from Ward's disco past but still contained mostly fast-tempo 1980s pop songs (including a re-recorded version of "Ring My Bell"), in addition to two ballads. The album was recorded in the United States, but was only released internationally as it had no US distributor. Many years later, Ward recorded another album, 1989's Wherever There's Love. These disputes with Knight, a severe car accident Ward later was in, and the fading appeal of disco music halted Ward's career, and she came to be regarded as a one-hit wonder, the fate she originally feared.
These songs were later included on low-budget compilations featuring Anita Ward's first album Songs of Love. A third disco album was in the works due to contractual issues between Knight and Ward, but was canceled after three songs had been recorded. The album, similar to Songs of Love, was disco-infused. The album, entitled Sweet Surrender, featured the minor hit "Don't Drop My Love", which peaked at No. Ward released a second album later in the year it was common in the 1970s to release albums several months apart. After the huge success of "Ring My Bell", "Make Believe Lovers", which was the B-side on most 12" singles for "Ring My Bell", was released, but it failed to chart. "Ring My Bell" has been remixed and released several times since its original release. Her accompanying debut album, Songs of Love was released that same year.
The single reached number one in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada in 1979. The song, which was originally a juvenile-targeted tune about teens talking on the telephone, was rewritten with more 'adult' lyrics and the result was the single " Ring My Bell". Ward did not like the song, but Knight insisted that a dance track was needed to capitalize on the current disco trend, and Ward relented. While recording her debut album, record label owner Frederick Knight presented her with a song he had written the previous year for Stacy Lattisaw. Before signing a recording contract, Ward obtained a degree in psychology from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and had become a schoolteacher. Ward was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.