"The John Ward Band is folk at its finest" -- East Anglian Daily Times
"John has assembled a tremendous band ... this man and his excellent band are one of the UK music scene's best kept secrets." -- Stephen Foster, BBC Radio Suffolk
" ... killer harmonies ..."-- Grapevine
John has released 8 critically acclaimed CDs featuring an eclectic mix of his own songs in a variety of styles and instrumentations. The John Ward Band brings full arrangements of these songs to the live stage, with powerful 3- and 4-part harmonies, backed by a wealth of instruments and great playing. John’s lead vocals are accompanied by his acoustic guitar, bodhran and harmonica and he is joined by Les Woodley on double bass and mandolin, Lynne Ward on accordion, whistles and bass and the virtuoso guitar skills of Stephen Mynott, who sometimes doubles up on bass or banjo.
Their style might best be described as folk rock but an evening with the band will bring the audience a blues song or two, something jazzy or country-infused or a traditional French tune. The theme is ‘variety’ and the band can rock out and have an audience dancing and singing, then play the subtlest song as gentle as a whisper. The band is adept at matching the set to the event and the audience.
Booked predominantly for concerts and folk festivals, The John Ward Band occasionally plays folk clubs and is booked regularly for private functions, where the band draws on its extensive repertoire of popular songs from the last 60 years, |
