Early life and education Ward was born in
Memphis, Tennessee, United States. in
Holly Springs, Mississippi.
Career Ward was a
schoolteacher before signing a
recording contract. While
recording her debut album,
record label owner
Frederick Knight presented her with a song he had written the previous year for
Stacy Lattisaw. Her accompanying debut album,
Songs of Love was released that same year. "Ring My Bell" has been remixed and released several times since its original release. After the huge success of "Ring My Bell", "Make Believe Lovers", which was the B-side on most 12" singles for "Ring My Bell", was released, but it failed to chart. Ward released a second album later in the year; it was common in the 1970s to release albums several months apart. The album, entitled
Sweet Surrender, featured the minor hit "Don't Drop My Love", which peaked at No. 87 on the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart. On New Year's Eve 2005 she performed on
Beale Street in
Memphis, Tennessee, singing "Ring My Bell" and several other disco songs. Ward appeared in
Zagreb,
Croatia, on January 4, 2006, the night before the
FIS World Cup slalom race on nearby
Sljeme, with some other groups and singers from
disco era (
Nile Rodgers and
Chic,
Village People,
Thelma Houston and
Rose Royce). In early 2011, it was announced that Ward was back in the studio and released a new single, "It's My Night". ==Discography==