Chris Ward (singer)
| Chris Ward | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 27, 1960 Bronx, New York City, New York |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996 |
| Labels | Giant |
| Associated acts |
Dann Huff James Stroud |
Chris Ward (born June 27, 1960 in The Bronx[1]) is an American country music singer. A former police officer and bull rider, Ward signed to Giant Records in 1994. After recording demos, he wrote Confederate Railroad's 1995 single "See Ya".[2]
Ward released his debut single "Fall Reaching" in 1996. Written by Robert Ellis Orrall and Josh Leo, and originally recorded by Orrall in the duo Orrall & Wright, the song received a favorable review from Billboard, whose Deborah Evans Price said that it "should go a long way toward helping Ward get through the clutter of competition at country radio."[3] The song spent two weeks on the Hot Country Songs charts, peaking at number 68.[1]
Stroud and Dann Huff co-produced Ward's debut album One Step Beyond.[4] This album included the song "Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)", co-written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Eric Zehnbauer of Country Standard Time gave the album a mostly-negative review, saying that it "shows too much of the cookie-cutter sameness that has plagued the recent 'hat act' stampede." Zehnbauer's review praised "Fall Reaching" and the up-tempo songs.[5] "When You Get to Be You" was covered by Lisa Brokop on her 1998 album of the same name.
Discography
One Step Beyond (1996)
| One Step Beyond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Chris Ward | |
| Released | August 7, 1996 |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 34:25 |
| Label | Giant |
| Producer | Dann Huff and James Stroud |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Step Beyond" | Max T. Barnes, Keith Follesé | 3:08 |
| 2. | "Mary Ann Is a Pistol" | Dennis Linde | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Fall Reaching" | Robert Ellis Orrall, Josh Leo | 3:24 |
| 4. | "When You Get to Be You" | Michael Dan Ehmig, Dennis Robbins, Curtis Wright | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Love'll Do That" | Skip Ewing, Tim Johnson | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Love Me to Death" | Tony Martin, Tom Shapiro, Scott Meeks | 3:22 |
| 7. | "It All Started with a Lie" | Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison | 3:24 |
| 8. | "Somewhere Between Goodbye and Gone" | Walt Aldridge, Bob DiPiero | 3:29 |
| 9. | "Back to Earth" | Tim Johnson, Chris Ward, Kim Williams | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)" | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | 3:59 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country[1] | ||
| 1996 | "Fall Reaching" | 68 |
| "When You Get to Be You" | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Music videos
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1996 | "Fall Reaching" |
| "When You Get to Be You" |
References
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 446. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ↑ Mansfield, Brian; Graff, Gary. MusicHound country: the essential album guide.
- ↑ Price, Deborah Evans (10 August 1996). "Reviews". Billboard: 41.
- ↑ Flippo, Chet (29 June 1996). "Giant's Chris Ward traded his police badge for singing career". Billboard: 28, 30.
- ↑ Zehnbauer, Eric. "One Step Beyond review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 9 March 2012.