Whatever happened to: Jean Ward

Subject: JEAN WARD
From: Lancashire Lad
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 08:13 AM

Hi all
Does anyone know the whereabouts of a lovely British singer called Jean Ward. Is she still around?

LL

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Nov 05 - 07:52 AM

is that the one who was Laurie ward's missus, who ran a folk club Cannock way?

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: Lancashire Lad
Date: 04 Nov 05 - 11:46 AM

Not sure about her marital status...know she made a good album called Stay not late and a cracker with Mike Raven

LL

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Nov 05 - 11:52 AM

As I remember Mike was part of that Black country set. i remember him as being a bit more traddy that Jean, but perhaps my memory plays tricks. What do I know, i am an old fart and plead insanity.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: GUEST,Madam du Lac
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 08:06 AM

Yeah she was married to Laurie and ran a folk club in Cannock. I had the privelege of singing with her both at her club and when she came to do a turn at mine in the Turks Head Lichfield. Have a virtually defunct tape of the Stay Not Late album - lovely songs on it. Where is she now? And why wasn't she better known?

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 02:02 PM

jean still livves in burntwood ,laurie passed away a couple of years ago ,she only sings now at requested weddings and funerals i purchased her album of her at xmas (stay not late ) which her son put on cd for me,still sounds as good

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: GUEST,Libby
Date: 23 Apr 10 - 04:23 PM

Jean Ward used to sing at my mum and dad's wine bar in Cannock and Stay Not Late was an album i grew up with. I'd love to get hold of a copy so if anyone has it please get in touch.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: GUEST,Jean's greatest fan in New Zealand
Date: 26 Feb 11 - 10:10 PM

Wow what an album 'Stay Not Late'. I also have a copy, that Jean sent to us.   We need to let her know that she is well loved and her voice is one of the greatest British folk singers.
Libby is there any photos of her performing at your Mother and Father's wine bar?

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: JEAN WARD
From: GUEST,Jean's greatest fan in New Zealand
Date: 26 Feb 11 - 10:11 PM

Why is Jean not on You Tube?????

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Lewys Martin
Date: 29 Aug 11 - 06:01 PM

Jean ward happens to be my nan lol... It's well weird seein all this stuff about her on the Internet about her........ For all you hardcore Jean ward fans out there, if you are really interested then I could get her to contact you if your a friend from the past or even just a huge fan... She's told me she wouldn't mind before I put this up so if your interested then find me on Facebook and message me... Just look for Lewys Martin... There shouldn't be many Lewys martin's spelt the same as mine but just incase... In my profile pic I have black spikey hair and i'm wearing shades/sun glasses

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Lewys Martin
Date: 29 Aug 11 - 06:07 PM

By the way I swear to you this is no hoax or anyone trying to waste your time..... I am actually Jean ward's grandson.... If you don't believe me then theres no harm in trying to find me on Facebook and letting me prove it to u :D

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Jean Ward
Date: 26 Oct 11 - 12:01 PM

Here I am 77 years old and still singing although not often.

My daughter Mandy lives in Wales - I sing there when visiting her she plays guitar, mandoline and sings. We sing together in local shows

We are hoping to make a CD along with my son.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: maeve
Date: 26 Oct 11 - 08:28 PM

Welcome to Mudcat, Jean Ward!

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Oct 11 - 10:01 PM

What a great thread! Welcome to mudcat!

SRS

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: moecurlythanu
Date: 21 Nov 11 - 09:12 PM

Hello Jean from America! I have 'Stay Not Late' and love it. Good to hear that you still sing too. Cheers, Mark

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Rightsound
Date: 20 May 12 - 04:33 PM

Hi

I have just to-day seen Jean Ward as she recovers from a hip replacement. It will be a little time before she is fully up and about but she is determined to make a few more appearances when her health permits. She also want's to try and produce a new album - something to look out for.

Jean was always very sorry that arguably her last and best LP "Stay Not late" was only available in small numbers, so if you have one it is a real treasure - look after it.

No new repress or CD release is likely as the master tape is damaged beyond repair, but through Jean I have permission from the rights holder (Bernard Wittey of Folksound records) to produce a small number of copies of the best vinyl records we could find.

Its wonderful what digital systems can now do these days but having tried several of the commercially available automatic systems to clean up the tracks, most dull the sound so much and especially Jeans voice the copies do not do justice to the tracks.

Work continues using a studio grade DAW to try and improve these tracks further, but it is very painstaking searching the greatly magnified wave forms and removing the unwanted artefacts, re listening to ensure the sound is a faithful as possible. This is proving both time consuming and mind numbing!

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Stay Not Late, then please drop me an email to:-

[e-mail]

I Don't review this email address very often so it might take a month or so for me to reply, but you've waited this long so a little longer wont hurt will it?.

Kindest regards
John C.


Please note that Jeans collaborations with Mike and John Raven are not available through me.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 May 12 - 05:55 AM

I take it its the noise reduction that dulls it - there used to be a little gadget called an aural exciter which restored the sparkle after dolby C had worked its none too subtle magic.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Justin Ward (not a relation s far as I know)
Date: 21 May 12 - 02:03 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hidRo-lQSqo

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: Stewie
Date: 21 May 12 - 08:35 PM

'Kate of Coalbrookdale' was a lovely album - unfortunately, on the long-gone Argo label and therefore unlikely to be reissued on CD.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,John C
Date: 03 Jun 12 - 05:37 PM

Its nice to see some activity about Jean,

Hi Big Al, Yes it is the noise reduction, There's so many clicks and pops on some tracks, that I think it gives up the ghost and just kills all the HF. I don't have access to an aural exciter, so its not an option, but I suspect it tends to introduce some phase shifts which mucks could easily up the stereo imaging, its probably great for pop tracks but may not work so well for pure tones like Jeans, so I'm afraid its the long winded approach. But thanks for the thought.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Aug 12 - 04:12 PM

i can remember listenin to jean and mandy well over 30yrs ago,they played at walsall 18plus group what happy momories i have of those days,but one thing that stuck in my mind was mandy singing ,there is no peace when you are growing old,ican still remember the tune even though i only heard it once,maybe mandy still sings it,thanks paul cooksey,newark notts

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 12:02 PM

Jean is currently sitting in my work place having her hair done.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 Mar 13 - 10:43 AM

You can still get aphex aural exciters. Basically, it a 1980's solution to a nineteen eighties problem. On the narrow format multi tracks of the time there was often noise redution on the basic recording. Drawmer compressers, to fish the vocal out to the top of the mix, and then noise suppression on top of that no wonder it sometims sounded like the village pump was in there in the background pumping away!

I think it was all the way to 1992, before Roland brought their first digital multi track machine. I paid two grand for eight trax. You can buy twenty four tracks now for less that £500. CD mastering. better outboard than we would have dreamed possible.

Any way the exciter is still available - according to e bay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=aural+exciter&_sacat=0&_from=R40

It used to work like a graphic equaliser taking lots of pinpricks of HF in the mix boosting them and compressing them , I believe. The result was pretty good - we used to think!

Nice to hear Jeans well.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,John C
Date: 05 Apr 13 - 06:28 PM

Hello Al,

It's been a long project, and finding time to work on it has difficult. But I think I can now see an end to it. The quality of the tracks on each donor LP was extremely variable, ranging from near perfectly clean tracks to those that sound like listening to the track inside an old tin hut hut with heavy hail pounding on the roof.

Of the three copies of the LP I have available the similarity of the distortion points to pressing problems, rather than just wear. In fact one of the LPs appears to be absolutely pristine, yet the same tracks are affected. Also the the using a wave form display, the distortions and clicks are often on only one side of the stereo image, which points away from scratches across the LP, which would appear as clicks on both channels. In general the outer tracks are the best quality and the inner tracks are worst.

Of all the copies of the Stay Not Late album I have been able to try, two tracks have been very problematical with massive amounts of distortion, clicks and pops.

None of the one-pass systems filter systems managed to remove all the problems, and any the got close dulled the sound so much it was unpleasant to listen to. I have tried software implemented aural exciters, which couldn't really work as the HF information was so suppressed by the filters it produced some rather unnatural effects.

I have had to resort to a combination of automatic filtering and second and third passes using manual techniques from a variety of fairly high end software packages that allowed me to audition the track down to sample level, identify the artifacts and apply one or more algorithms to reduce the distortion, and rebuild the wanted audio.

Track 7 - It's Over Now, (Side one last track) was by far the worst affected track. A spectral analyser identified over 38000 possible distortions where the a click signal was above -40 dBm and thus in theory audible. In practice a one pass click reduction software package reduced this but still left about 3500 very audible clicks and crackles on the track. These I had to tackle individually on a click by click basis.

It has been a judgment call as to the trade off between freedom of noise, and audible distortion of the wanted signal. I have deliberately erred on the side of keeping Jean's vocals as clean as possible perhaps at the expense of the guitar accompaniment.

The results are far from perfect, but to my ears far better than source LPS I have.

Anyone interested in more information and availability please contact me on.

[e-mail]

In other news about Jean. She has settled in to her new home. We are working to build up her stamina and voice. We have started to put together some new songs - ones she has often been requested to sing, from a wide range of styles;. Some folky, some jazz and some classics/hymns. She is keen to get some recorded with a view to a new CD.

She has recently returned to the stage for a short support spot at the Chase Folk Club (at the Foresters Tavern, in Burntwood). I'm certain more will follow as she gets stronger.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jul 13 - 09:55 AM

I was very lucky to recently find a copy of both 'Stay not Late' and 'Kate of Coalbrookdale' in a charity shop in Bournemouth. Both albums have been autographed by Jean. The autographs were 'To Joe'. There was also a signed photo (from the mid 70's) with 'Cannock Chase Post' stamped on the back (so perhaps Joe worked there).

Anyhow, the records are truly amazing. Wow! Jean's voice makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, everytime! I have been playing the records to some of my friends and they are all equally astounded.

Anyone still in contact with her....please be sure to let her know that the music she made back then is still affecting new listeners. Please wish her all the best.

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,John C
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 08:01 PM

Hi,

Jean thanks everyone who has enquired about her hear on Mudcat and else where. She has been through the wars, with her hip replacement and moving house last year, and in August this year a knee replacement. She currently has to use crutches for short distances and a wheel chair for longer trips, but her mobility is improving, all be it slowly.

I have been encouraging her to sing a bit more, as this is both enjoyable but also good excersize, and motivation.

About a year ago Jean was contacted by a producer from Britain's Got Talent to see if she would audition for the show. As he was still recovering from her hip replacement etc she felt she could not do it in 2012.

The producer from BGT contacted her again a few days ago, and this time she said yes.

Yesterday (30th October) I took Jean and her daughter to the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, where as a trio we auditioned. We got through the first round, and along with all the other successful acts were asked to repeat the audition but this time in front of a camera. All these second round films will be sent to London, where a panel of producers will view them, and then decide if they want to ask a limited number of acts for the televised live auditions. We wont know the outcome of this round until the end of February 2014.

So watch that TV in 2014.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,John C
Date: 15 Nov 13 - 10:03 AM

Can I just confirm that Lewys Martin who posted earlier in the thread is Jeans grandson.

And a small miracle! as a result Of Jeans move to her new home last year, a box of items has come out of storage and a box of unused copies of Stay not Late, on vinyl has been found. These are very rare, and I'm hoping one or more may provide less noisy version of some of the tracks for conversion to CD.

Jean May be open to offers if you want to purchase one. Please ask via this web site.

John C

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Daniel Laws
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 12:05 AM

I have known Jean and her family a long time. Her daughter Mandy plays and sings in our folk group BRENIG. Jean is organising a concert in Lichfield Staffordshire for the 10th of May 2014 and we shall be supporting her. Email [e-mail] for more details.

Jeans in good health looking forward to her concert and recording an album with Mandy and her guitarist John Carver..

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Daniel
Date: 02 Apr 14 - 12:18 AM

Hi my info was wrong regarding where Jeans concert will be held. It's to be held in Brownhills on the 10th of May at 7.15 pm it, at the church hall in Silver St. Next to the Tesco store.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,George Finch. Algorfa. Spain
Date: 04 Aug 14 - 06:10 AM

Hi, I often wondered what happened to Jean. I first met her at the Galleon Folk Club in Stourport on Severn when she and Michael Raven did a guest evening. I still have the album that they put out at that time called `The lass from the low country´. Once I had heard her I was captured by her voice and went to see them play in a number of other clubs.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,Rachael
Date: 07 May 15 - 11:59 AM

I saw her last night at a folk festival in Lampeter, Wales. She performed with her daughter! She's 81 now.

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,paul onions
Date: 22 May 15 - 03:22 PM

Jean performed at my wedding some 30 odd years ago if anybody can contact her and give my e-mail [e-mail] tell her i'm the son of charlie and barbara

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,christie
Date: 31 Jul 16 - 10:09 AM

wow, how about jean now and any chance to hear her classics?

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,John Carver
Date: 08 Oct 16 - 03:38 PM

To Christie,

Jean is still around, and I regularly see and practice with her. We don't do many bookings any more, because she has been unwell, However the singing practice is good for both spirit and health.

We do have some copies of her last LP Stay Not Late both on Vinyl and CD. The Vinyl one's were discovered during a recent house move.

Please contact [e-mail] if your interested. Please be patient because this is not my regular address and I only visit it s about once a month.

Kind Regards John Carver

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jean Ward
From: GUEST,phillip.subkow
Date: 12 Mar 18 - 11:29 AM

Hi,
    I used to go to Hazel Slade Folk Club, where Jean & Laurie Ward used to Host!
My Mom, Kath Subkow, got to being friends with Jean, and would save us some seats when packed out, especially when Colin Scott (Scotty), appeared!
Mom had a signed copy of Stay Not Late, but I can't find it? Maybe it's in my collection!
I'm hoping to get my hands on a Cd version sometime in the future!
Regards

Phil Subkow

Subject: RE: Whatever happened to: Jerry Birks (Stafford)
From: GUEST,John Carver
Date: 04 Apr 18 - 09:11 AM

Back in the early 1970s I was working at Hospital Radio Stafford, based at the old St Gorge's Hospital. Around 1973, I ran a recording session for a singer song writer whom I knew as Jerry Birks, but I suspect I may have miss remembered the spelling of his name.

Does anyone one know any one who sings or claims to have written songs like

Old Driftin' friend,
Show me the way,
Its not my time,
Assmembly line blues