WARD, CLARA

WARD, CLARA. Gospel singer (21 April 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 16 January 1973 in Los Angeles, California). She came from a musical family: her mother, Gertrude Mae Murphy Ward, and her sister, Willa Ward Moultrie , were professional gospel musicians. Her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from South Carolina in the early 1920s. In 1931 Mother Ward began singing professionally, and within a short time she formed a family trio with her two daughters. Clara began piano study...