John Ward is a full-time songwriter and musician on the folk and roots music scene, living in Lowestoft, the most Easterly town in the British Isles. He has performed in countless venues all over England as well as overseas and has guested on numerous radio shows and appeared on British television a number of times. He has released 6 albums of original material and had a book published, 'The Iron Bridge', all of which have received positive critical acclaim from reviewers and gig-goers alike (see below). John’s recordings embrace a wonderful collection of his engaging songs, written in a variety of styles. John’s 6th album, 'East of the Sunrise, released in 2011 is a collection of songs inspired by and from John’s home area; the Waveney, Yare and Blyth Valleys. This eastern fringe of England is both naturally beautiful and industrial at the same time and the songs here, mostly original but with some traditional, aim to capture the atmosphere and some of the characters of the area. Probably the most folk rooted of his recent albums, John returns to simpler arrangements on East of the Sunrise, still featuring, of course, the violin excellence of Mario Price and other guest musicians, most notably, Ian Sainsbury on piano. John also plays many of the instruments himself The fourteen tracks include themes as diverse as the migrant Scots fishergirls following the fishing fleet south, 'Stornoway to Lowestoft', the great medieval city lost to the sea, 'Dunwich (The Lost City)', the beauty of the East Anglian Lakes (the Broads), 'So The Seasons Change' and the traditional 'Yarmouth Town', about the prostitutes of Great Yarmouth. 'Stornoway to Lowestoft’, recently won the songwriting competition at the 2011 Ryedale folk festival in the North of England. John has worked with a wide range of musicians over the years and has a highly successful and long-term musical partnership with accomplished violinist, Mario Price. However, John still regularly performs solo, often joined by his wife, Lynne, and also plays in the highly respected Ceilidh band, SkipHire . He has been described as an energetic, passionate and spirited performer who successfully combines humour with thought-provoking songs. From his self-taught musical roots, John has earned a reputation as an excellent and versatile guitarist and his explosive bodhran playing has drawn much attention. He is regularly booked to lead bodhran workshops at folk festivals. John sometimes includes harmonica, mandolin and banjo at live gigs to enhance the variety of instrumental arrangements. His repertoire, which is wide and varied, reflects his musical tastes and his enjoyment in playing in different styles, at large and intimate venues alike, and to different types of audience. As well as John’s original compositions, his live performances can include traditional folk, light jazz and popular standards from the last 50 years of rock and pop. Having performed in many of London's top acoustic venues, John was featured and interviewed by the Times newspaper as a promising talent on the national music scene and has had a major feature in the alternative magazine Wake Up. He also wrote and performed a song for a compilation album featuring, amongst others Billy Bragg, Atilla the Stockbroker and The Men They Couldn’t Hang. John has appeared many times in large concert venues supporting acts such as Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Dick Gaughan, Davey Spillane, Carolyn Hester, Hank Wangford, John Otway, Dave Swarbrick, The Strawbs , Martin Carthy and Alan Styvell. He has also been booked at many festivals over the years. In 1999 John was elected to the national committee of the Folk Roots and Traditional Music Section of the Musicians’ Union, on which he served until 2006, when his increasing writing and gigging commitments resulted in him having to step down. During this time, John actively campaigned for greater representation for acoustic and roots music in the media. In 2004 John had his first book, an epic poem entitled ‘ The Iron Bridge’ published and performed. In the same year, 2 songs that John co-wrote with pianist, Ian Sainsbury, were recorded and released by top Eagles tribute band, ‘Talon’. John continues his writing and is currently planning his 7th album release . John has a reputation as a fine solo performer but often works with outstanding violinist, Mario Price. A talented musician since childhood, Mario’s inventive improvisation and sensitive harmonies are a wonderful accompaniment to John’s songs. The audience adore Mario’s ferocious jigs and reels, stirring Gypsy music, swinging jazz tunes and John's own instrumentals, all played with a mixture of Welsh/Italian passion. Mario features heavily on John’s albums, ‘Water On The Stone’ , ‘Waking Dreams’ ‘ Common Ground’ 'Praying For The Alien' and East Of The Sunrise. SOME REVIEW QUOTES FOR JOHN'S MUSIC “A singer and guitarist to watch out for” – The Times “A Songwriter of maturity and depth” – Time Out “ Excellent”- Folk Roots “Excellent”- Grapevine “Raw honest and intelligent” - Musician magazine “His song writing abilities impress from the word go” – Rock n Reel “ An exciting talent” – Folk On Tap “ Excellent lyrics, beautiful tunes” – Folk Roundabout “One of the most energetic and powerful live performers I have ever seen...a huge and Versatile repertoire of brilliant songs.” - Wake Up Magazine ‘..powerful tales...canny depictions...– Living Tradition ‘Powerful originals - Eastern Daily Press