Ken Ward – Songwriter

Biographically, all one needs to know is that I lived the blues when I was young. My father was a cowboy turned poor farmer, my mother a bowling champion who, at the age of seventeen, married a man twenty years her senior. I was the first born. I left home the summer that I turned eight years old, taking the train by myself, two days ride to the big city. My family soon followed. I knew things at that age that were beyond my knowing. There were rogues in the family, suicides and petty crime, a tattoo artist and a milkman who taught me about women. I became an artist, writer and spent twenty-eight years as a mailman. I have travelled extensively, have enjoyed lots of fulfilling relationships and survived when others didn’t. Eventually, I took up music.

As a songwriter, the challenge is to have an emotional impact on the listener by providing them with a narrative that compels by virtue of the story told and the delights that come with word play. Drawing the audience into the essence of the narrative is crucial and being able to tell the story in a fresh way is fun. As a published author, I wrote rhyming poetry (nonsense verse) for kids for many years and I understand the nuances of drama and comedy, how the shock of recognition that comes with a twist of language or meaning is what keeps people interested. I took up playing acoustic guitar in my early fifties and have limited myself to standard chords, played with a rogues interest in inventing unusual chord changes. The writing process is what challenges me but the results have been successful so far, in that my first two cd’s were nominated for Music Nova Scotia blues recording of the year in 2008 and 2010. The blues works for me because of its simplicity and directness. Musicians who play my songs like the space that is left for improvisation. The songs that I have created are rich in inventive storytelling . simple in musical structure. Love and life.

I don’t perform before audiences much but have played all of the local clubs, with and without a band. When I see the waiters and waitresses enjoying the music, I know that something is happening on the right level. When I get a handshake from one of the regulars, a pat on the back, I know that it’s been a good night. I enjoy performing, just as many songwriters do. I love the immediate response, the laughs, the quiet listening and the gentle roar of approval. I always expect it to be a good experience and it usually is. And sometimes, there’s nothing like it.