From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Thu Sep 19, 2002  1:17 am - UPDATED 6 JANUARY 2004
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Billy Ward
 
BILLY WARD (By Shaun Mather)

Born 19 September 1921, Los Angeles, California
Died 16 February 2002, Inglewood, CA

Songwriter, arranger and pianist Billy Ward found rock 'n' roll immortality
when he formed the Dominoes, an r&b vocal group who during their time
featured two stunning leads in Clyde McPhatter and his replacement Jackie
Wilson. Ward studied music during his childhood in Los Angeles before
joining the US Army in the early 40's. He discovered an ability for boxing
and continued to box after his discharge. He worked as a sports radio firm
and with a New York advertising agency but it was when he became a vocal
coach in his own studio at Carnegie Hall that he started to lay the foundations
for his fame.

He formed the Dominoes in 1950 which featured himself, Charlie White, Joe
Lamont and Bill Brown with the brilliant Clyde McPhatter on lead duties.
Ward's role was pivotal and he ruled the group with an iron hand, although
he was a minor player in their actual sound. The band changed considerably
in 1952 and a year later McPhatter (who formed his own band The Drifters -
ever heard of them?) was replaced by Jackie Wilson.

Hits for the group on King/Federal over the years included; 'Do Something
For Me' (I love its flip, 'Chicken Blues'), 'Sixty Minute Man' (written by Ward
and one of the pioneering rock records), 'I Am With You', 'Have Mercy Baby',
'I'd Be Satisfied', 'One Mint Julep', 'That's What You're Doing To Me', 'The
Bells',
'Rags To Riches' and 'These Foolish Things'. By the end of the decade they
were working as 'Billy Ward And The Dominoes' and saw a couple more (pop)
successes with 'St. Therese Of The Roses' (# 13), 'Deep Purple' (# 20) and
'Stardust' (# 12, lead by Eugene Mumford). A highlight of their whole existence
must be 'The Bells' which shows McPhatter in stunning form.

Afterwards, the recorded hits dried up, but the Dominoes, regarded as one of
the important, pioneering R & B vocal groups of the 50's, continued to be a
popular US concert attraction throughout the 60's.

A good CD overview of the Federal / King recordings is the 2002 Collectables
release "The Very Best of Billy Ward and the Dominoes" (25 tracks).
The Liberty period is covered by "The Best of the 50's Masters : 1957-1959"
on Varese Sarabande.