Helen Ward (September 19, 1916 – April 21, 1998) was an American jazz singer. She appeared on radio broadcasts with WOR and

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...

and worked as a staff musician at WNYC.

Early years

Ward came from a musical family and was a native of New York City. As a high school student, she sang with bands, including the one led by

Eddy Duchin Edwin Frank Duchin (April 1, 1909 – February 9, 1951), commonly known as Eddy Duchin or alternatively Eddie Duchin, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. Early career Duchin was born on April 1, 1909 in Cambri ...

Career

Ward began singing with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

in 1934, when she already had two years' professional singing experience. Impresario

Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment, with sh ...

heard her audition for Goodman and booked the combination for the ''Let's Dance'' radio program. In either 1936 or 1937, Ward married Alfred Marx, who in 1938 arranged for Goodman's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

concert to be recorded for her as a souvenir. That recording was released as a dual LP set by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1950 under the title ''

The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert ''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert'' by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, is a two- disc LP of swing and jazz music recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938. First issued in 1950, the landmark ...

''. During the 1940s, Ward worked with the bands of Hal McIntyre and

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

. She became a radio show producer for WMGM in 1946–1947. After her marriage to Marx ended, Ward later married the audio engineer

William Savory William Alcott Savory (June 11, 1916 – February 11, 2004) was an audio engineer known for his extensive private recordings of important jazz musicians in the 1930s, and for his contributions to recording technology. A musician who developed an i ...

. Savory was part of the team that invented the LP."Museum Acquires Storied Trove of Performances by Jazz Greats" New YorkTimes.com
– accessed August 17, 2010 Ward continued to do sporadic studio work and also worked briefly with

Peanuts Hucko Michael Andrew "Peanuts" Hucko (April 7, 1918 – June 19, 2003) was an American big band musician. His primary instrument was the clarinet, but he sometimes played saxophone. Early life and education He was born in Syracuse, New York, United St ...

. Ward did occasional tours with Goodman in the 1950s, but effectively retired by 1960. She made a brief return in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She returned to singing at New York City clubs in 1979. In 1981, she released her final album, ''The Helen Ward Song Book Vol. I.'' In addition to Marx and Savory, Ward was married to Daniel Murphy and Walter Newton.

Discography

As leader

* ''It's Been So Long'' (Columbia, 1953) * ''The Complete Helen Ward on Columbia'' (Collector's Choice, 2000)

As guest

Larry Clinton Larry Clinton (August 17, 1909 – May 2, 1985) was an American musician, best known as a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader and arranger. Biography Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He became a ver ...

, ''Larry Clinton in Hi Fi'' (RCA Victor, 1957) *

, ''Fletcher Henderson Arrangements'' (Columbia, 1953) * Benny Goodman, ''The Golden Age of Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1956) *

, ''With a Little Bit of Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1958) *

, ''The Uncollected Harry James and His Orchestra 1943–1946 Vol. 2'' (Hindsight, 1978)

References

External links

All Music AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

br>Jazz House obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Helen 1916 births 1998 deaths American jazz singers Singers from New York (state) Benny Goodman Orchestra members 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers