Matthew Ward (born February 15, 1958) is one of the pioneers of the

Jesus music Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movemen ...

genre, later to be called

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

. He is best known as a member of the trio 2nd Chapter of Acts, in which he sang and performed with his sisters Annie Herring and Nellie (Ward) Greisen. During his musical career with the 2nd Chapter of Acts from 1973 to 1988, he also recorded solo albums.

Early history

Matthew's music and ministry was in no small part forged from personal family tragedy. In 1968 his mother, Elizabeth Ward, died of a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

; two years later his father, Walter, died of leukemia leaving him and his sister, Nellie orphaned. The Ward siblings all decided that Matthew's older sister, Annie, and her new husband record producer Buck Herring should take in the two younger Ward siblings. Matthew's older sister, Annie was a self-styled (and self-taught) singer and song writer who wrote and played her songs around the family piano. Matthew and sister, Nelly would often join in as Annie played and eventually they developed extremely tight and intricate harmonies. As the trio gradually started singing for local coffee houses and small gatherings, they eventually gained the notice of

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

who arranged a contract to record and release two singles with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

, "Jesus Is" (1972), recorded on Matthew's 13th birthday, and "I'm So Happy" (1973). The fledgling trio also came to the attention of 1960s folk singer

Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in O ...

, who had recently become a Christian and was preparing to record his first

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

album, produced by Buck Herring. The siblings provided

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

for ''Seeds'' and McGuire's 1974 follow-up ''Lighten Up''. Ward and his sister Nellie were enrolled in the

Hollywood Professional School Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California. Initially established as a music conservatory by pianist Gladys T. Littell in 1921 under the name Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts, the school quickly expanded its ...

in 1972, and he attended that school for two years.

Recent history

Following his career with the 2nd Chapter of Acts, Matthew Ward has recorded many more solo works and also works in the music industry as a background & jingle vocalist. He has worked with other such artists as

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Dennis Jernigan Dennis Jernigan is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. He is native to Oklahoma, and headquarters a music-based Christian ministry from there. Jernigan now lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with his wife and their nine children. ...

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and many others. The book, ''My 2nd Chapter: The Matthew Ward Story'' was released in February 2005. The autobiography includes how Ward battled his own bout with cancer—and won. Matthew qualified as a Certified Nurse's Aide in 2013.Wooding, D. Matthew Ward and Annie Herring ‘Hear the Bells Ringing…’For A New Chapter in Their Lives

Discography

2nd Chapter of Acts

See 2nd Chapter of Acts Discography

Solo recordings

*1979: ''Toward Eternity'' (Sparrow) *1986: ''Armed & Dangerous'' (Live Oak) *1988: ''Fade To White'' (Live Oak) *1990: ''Fortress'' (Live Oak) *1992: ''Matthew Ward Collection'' (a.k.a. The Best of Matthew Ward) (Benson) *1992: ''Point of View'' (Benson) *1997: ''My Redeemer'' (Newport) *2000: ''Even Now'' (Discovery House) *2006: ''Christmas with Matthew Ward'' (independent) *2011: ''Easter Song – A New Arrangement'' (single – independent)

Collaborations and guest appearances

*1974: ''Come Together: A Musical Experience In Love'' various artists *1975: ''Growing Pains'' Jamie Owens (Light Records) *1976: ''Firewind: A Contemporary Dramatic Musical'' various artists *1976: ''Love Broke Thru'' Phil Keaggy (NewSong) (background vocals) *1978: ''First Class'' The Boones (Lamb & Lion) "I Love You More Than My Rock And Roll" *1980: ''So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt''

Keith Green Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter in the contemporary Christian music genre, who was originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. His most notable songs are " There ...

(Sparrow) (background vocals) *1983: ''Ph'lip Side'' Phil Keaggy (Sparrow) (background vocals) *1983: ''

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(Mercury) "Love Has A Mind of Its Own" *1984: ''Dancing With Danger''

(Myrrh) "By My Spirit" *1986: ''Morning Like This''

(Word) "Hosanna" (with sisters Annie Herring & Nelly Greisen, collectively as 2nd Chapter of Acts) *1986: ''Only the Overcomers''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

(Benson) "Not By Sight" *1986: Greg X. Volz "The River is Rising", track: "Hold On to the Fire" *1987: ''Same Girl'' Twila Paris (Star Song) (background vocals) *1987: ''Voices'' various artists (Word) "Light of the World" *1987: ''Gorillas in the Mix''

Bernie Krause Bernard L. Krause (born December 8, 1938) is an American musician and soundscape ecologist. In 1968, he founded Wild Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to the recording and archiving of natural soundscapes. Krause is an author, a bio-acoustici ...

(Rykodisc) (keyboards, producer) *1989: ''Hosanna: 15 Songs Of Freedom'' The Maranatha Singers (Maranatha Music) *1989: ''It's the Thought''

Twila Paris Twyla (also Twila) is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Twyla * Twyla Hansen (born 1949), American poet, a Nebraska State Poet * Twyla Herbert (1921–2009), American songwriter * Twyla King (1937-2022), American newspaper edito ...

(Star Song) *1989: ''Come and Worship'' (AM-001)Tape CD(AM-001CD) Various Artists (Alleluia! Music) Various Songs *1990: ''Handel's Young Messiah'' various artists (Word) "Comfort Ye" *1990: ''Your Love'' (AM-002)Tape CD(AM-002CD) Various Artists (Alleluia! Music) "Come into His Presence" & "When I See Your Smile" *1991: ''Flying Lessons'' Annie Herring (Sparrow) (background vocals) *1992: ''Master Pieces'' various artists (Benson) "The Warrior Is A Child" *1992: ''Generation 2 Generation'' various artists (Benson) "Who Do You Love The Best" with his daughter *1992: ''There's a Stirring'' Annie Herring (Sparrow) *1993: ''Completely Taken In''

Dallas Holm Dallas Holm (born November 5, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter of Christian music, whose musical ministry has spanned almost four decades. His 1977 live album, with the group Praise, featured his best known song, "Rise Again". The group ...

(Benson) (background vocals) *1994: '' God Is Able''

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(Hosanna!) *1995: ''

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(Integrity) *1996: ''Celebrate Living''

(Heartcry) "The Lord Is My Shepherd" *1996: ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

(Curb) (background vocals) *1996: ''Glimpses'' Annie Herring (Chordant) (background vocals) *1998: ''

First Love First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

'' various artists (Exploration Films) "There is a Redeemer", "To The King" (and 2 with 2nd Chapter of Acts) *1998: '' Sittin' on Top of the World'' LeAnn Rimes (Curb) (background vocals) *1998: ''Wonder'' Annie Herring (Spring Hill) (background vocals) *1999: ''Choose This Day'' Promise Keepers (Maranatha) "To The King" *1999: ''LeAnn Rimes'' LeAnn Rimes (Curb) (background vocals) *1999: ''Praise 16: The Power of Your Love'' Maranatha Singers (Maranatha Music) "The Power of Your Love" *2000: ''Blue Moon'' Steve Holy (Curb) (background vocals) *2002: ''Celtic Cry: The Heart Of A Martyr'' various artists (Acts 26) "Hearts United" *2003: ''For Now''

*2004: ''Hands Lifted High'' Dennis Jernigan (Doxology) "When The Night Is Falling" with Dennis & Annie Herring *2009: ''A Timeless Christmas''

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(Integrity) "Hark", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" *2011: ''Luke: A World Turned Upside Down''

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"A World Turned Upside Down" *2011: ''Testimony 2''

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(background vocals)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Matthew American performers of Christian music 1958 births Living people Performers of contemporary Christian music People from North Dakota 2nd Chapter of Acts members