Clifford T. Ward – Singer Songwriter (1972)

Although Clifford was from quite working class roots he was  softly spoken without a trace of a West Midlands accent, and sung in perfectly enunciated English, where most Artists back then sung in Mid-Atlantic voices.  He also sung gentle songs often with a literary background such as ‘Home Thoughts From Abroad’.  In the early Sixties he wrote and sung in a couple of local bands but by 1967 s the band split he decided to become a teacher and after training he taught English at North Bromsgrove High School. He was married by now and continued writing in his spare time.  This album came out on Dandelion Records owned by John Peel with an eclectic rosta of Artists, but the company went into liquidation just after this album was released and received no promotion.  But he was picked up by Charisma who released his far more successful second album and singles.   But Clifford disliked and shunned touring, partly because his wife and he were intent on caring for their daughter Debbie who was born with Cerebral Palsy.  Then after several excellent albums which were only mildly successful he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  He continued to write and record but his health was failing.  He died in 2001.  Quite a few of his demos have been released posthumously by various record companies and he has a dedicated fanbase.  I have struggled to get copies of his official releases as they command quite high prices.  Best on this debut are ‘A Dream’, ‘Circus Girl’, ‘Sidetracked’ and ‘Carrie’ – a truly original and underrated Artist.