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]

Chris Ward
Born (1960-06-27) June 27, 1960 (age 63)
Bronx, New York City, New York
OriginNashville, Tennessee
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1996
LabelsGiant

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 edit

One Step Beyond (1996) edit

One Step Beyond
Studio album by
Chris Ward
ReleasedAugust 7, 1996 (1996-08-07)
GenreCountry
Length34:25
LabelGiant
ProducerDann Huff and James Stroud
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Step Beyond"Max T. Barnes, Keith Follesé3:08
2."Mary Ann Is a Pistol"Dennis Linde3:18
3."Fall Reaching"Robert Ellis Orrall, Josh Leo3:24
4."When You Get to Be You"Michael Dan Ehmig, Dennis Robbins, Curtis Wright3:15
5."Love'll Do That"Skip Ewing, Tim Johnson3:53
6."Love Me to Death"Tony Martin, Tom Shapiro, Scott Meeks3:22
7."It All Started with a Lie"Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison3:24
8."Somewhere Between Goodbye and Gone"Walt Aldridge, Bob DiPiero3:29
9."Back to Earth"Tim Johnson, Chris Ward, Kim Williams3:19
10."Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)"Robert John "Mutt" Lange3:59

Singles edit

Year Single Peak positions
US Country
[1]
1996 "Fall Reaching" 68
"When You Get to Be You"[6]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos edit

Year Title
1996 "Fall Reaching"
"When You Get to Be You"

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 446. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ Mansfield, Brian; Graff, Gary (1997). MusicHound country: the essential album guide. Visible Ink. chris ward see ya.
  3. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (10 August 1996). "Reviews". Billboard. p. 41.
  4. ^ Flippo, Chet (29 June 1996). "Giant's Chris Ward traded his police badge for singing career". Billboard. pp. 28, 30.
  5. ^ Zehnbauer, Eric. "One Step Beyond review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. November 23, 1996.