Anita Ward, a renowned American singer and musician, was born on December 20, 1956, in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to embarking on her professional music career in the late 1970s, Ward pursued a degree in psychology from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She then ventured into a career as a schoolteacher before securing a recording contract.
Ward's debut album, Songs of Love, released in 1979, featured the iconic million-selling chart-topper "Ring My Bell," which topped the United States Hot 100, R&B, Dance, and United Kingdom charts. This disco-infused hit was originally written for Stacy Lattisaw, but Ward relented to record it after the record label owner, Frederick Knight, insisted that a dance track was necessary to capitalize on the current disco trend.
The song's success led to the release of her second album, Sweet Surrender, which featured the minor hit "Don't Drop My Love," peaking at No. 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, due to contractual issues between Knight and Ward, a third disco album was canceled after three songs had been recorded, and these songs were later included on low-budget compilations featuring her first album.
The disputes with Knight, a severe car accident Ward later suffered, and the fading appeal of disco music halted Ward's career, ultimately leading to her being regarded as a one-hit wonder, a fate she initially feared. Many years later, Ward recorded another album, 1989's Wherever There's Love, which was a departure from her disco past and featured mostly fast-tempo 1980s pop songs, including a re-recorded version of "Ring My Bell." The album was released internationally but did not chart in the United States, and after the failure of the single "Be My Baby," Ward took another hiatus from the music industry to focus on her family.
