1998 32c Gospel Singers: Clara Ward

US #3218
1998 Clara Ward

• Part of set of 4 featuring Gospel Singers
• 12th installment in Legends of American Music series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Legends of American Music (Gospel Singers)
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  July 15, 1998
First Day City:  New Orleans, Louisiana
Quantity Issued:  11,250,000
Printed by:  Sennett Security products
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  10.1 X 10.2

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of four issued to honor Gospel Singers Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

About the stamp design:  Gary Kelley, a graphic designer and free-lance illustrator, was the talent behind these stamps.  He was asked to show the performers in active poses, rather than sitting still.  Kelley used pastels for the portraits, which is a medium rarely used for stamp art.

First Day City:  The stamps were issued as part of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship’s Conference 98, held at the Superdome in New Orleans.

About the Legends of American Music Series:  The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999.  More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music:  rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk.  In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more.  The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
Four of the most influential early gospel artists were honored on a se-tenant - the twelfth issue in the Legends of American Music Series.  Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe all performed this spiritual music with reverence and love.  They popularized gospel music for those who weren’t part of churches that sang in that style.  Many musicians added secular themes to their songs to appeal to more People.

History the stamp represents: Clara Ward, leader of one of the most popular female gospel groups in the 1950s, was born in 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Her mother, Gertrude Mae Ward, was instrumental in helping Clara become successful.  When the singer was young, her mother formed a family group with Clara and her sister Willa, who provided piano accompaniment.
Early in Clara’s career, her mother helped organize the Ward Singers, and in 1943, they appeared at the National Gospel Convention.  They soon became headline attractions around the country.  A group characterized by flamboyance and energy, their biggest hit was “Surely God is Ale.”  Singing was just part of the group’s appeal.  Tired of the plain choir robes, Clara designed extravagant outfits for members to wear during performances.  Sometimes they also wore wigs.
The group was one of the few to accept offers to perform in nightclubs and theaters.  They wanted to spread their musical message to those outside the church.  At one point, Savoy Records offered Clara $10,000 to become a blues singer, but she declined.  In 1954, Ward’s House of Music was organized in Clara’s hometown to publish her songs.  In 1967, she suffered a stroke while performing.  Clara Ward died in 1973.