WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 Welcome back to another deep dive. Today, I want 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:05.320 to start with a specific image. Okay, play it 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:07.839 on me. So I want you to picture a group of women. 00:00:08.089 --> 00:00:10.710 And they are dressed to the nines. Like full 00:00:10.710 --> 00:00:13.429 glamour. Oh, full glamour. I'm talking towering 00:00:13.429 --> 00:00:17.550 wigs, sequined gowns, the absolute works. And 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:20.390 they are stepping out of a luxury Cadillac. Right. 00:00:20.609 --> 00:00:22.789 And this is in the 1950s. They look like they're 00:00:22.789 --> 00:00:26.250 about to headline a sold -out show in Las Vegas. 00:00:26.429 --> 00:00:28.690 Which, spoiler alert, they eventually did. Exactly, 00:00:28.750 --> 00:00:31.309 they did. But these women weren't singing jazz. 00:00:31.629 --> 00:00:33.270 And they weren't simming the blues. They were 00:00:33.270 --> 00:00:36.289 singing gospel. It's such a striking image, really, 00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:39.369 because it captures the, well, the central tension 00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:42.090 of today's topic perfectly. Yeah. We are looking 00:00:42.090 --> 00:00:46.929 at a figure who essentially invented the modern 00:00:46.929 --> 00:00:49.329 template for the diva, but she did it within 00:00:49.329 --> 00:00:52.049 the strict, you know, very conservative confines 00:00:52.049 --> 00:00:53.530 of the black church. We are, of course, talking 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:55.509 about the one and only Clara Ward. And the famous 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:58.429 Ward singers. Right. And looking at the research 00:00:58.429 --> 00:01:01.109 for this, which is based largely on the Wikipedia 00:01:01.109 --> 00:01:03.530 biography of Clara Ward, this isn't just a story 00:01:03.530 --> 00:01:06.870 about religion or even just music. No, not at 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:09.209 all. It's a story about business, family drama, 00:01:09.430 --> 00:01:12.290 and that really blurred line between saving souls 00:01:12.290 --> 00:01:14.629 and selling records. That right there is the 00:01:14.629 --> 00:01:17.010 mission for this deep dive. Because we aren't 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:19.030 just looking at a singer, we're looking at a 00:01:19.030 --> 00:01:21.530 bridge. A bridge between two worlds. Exactly. 00:01:21.950 --> 00:01:25.730 Clara Ward, who lived from 1924 to 1973, was 00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:27.969 the vehicle that moved gospel music from the 00:01:27.969 --> 00:01:30.689 church sanctuary directly into the commercial 00:01:30.689 --> 00:01:33.310 stratosphere. We're talking about millions selling 00:01:33.310 --> 00:01:36.920 records. In the 1940s, which was completely unheard 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:39.019 of for this genre at the time. And it was a life 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:41.379 just full of contradictions. You have the purity 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:43.560 of the message mixed with the glitz of the performance. 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.599 You have this divine, untouchable talent mixed 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.060 with cutthroat, almost brutal business practices. 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:52.140 It's a wild ride. It really is. But before we 00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:54.659 get to the family feuds and the Las Vegas residency, 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.180 we have to understand the product. Like, why 00:01:57.180 --> 00:01:59.340 did people lose their minds over the Ward singers? 00:01:59.739 --> 00:02:02.700 Well, it comes down to the sound. Specifically, 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:05.659 an innovation that Claire Ward popularized called 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:08.460 Lead switching. Lead switching. Explain how that 00:02:08.460 --> 00:02:10.879 worked before Clara. So if you listen to gospel 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.900 quartets from the 30s, these are usually male 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:16.300 groups, you hear them passing the lead vocal 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:19.199 around. Like a relay race. Exactly like a relay 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:21.680 race. One guy sings a verse, steps back, and 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.620 then the next guy steps up. So nobody gets too 00:02:23.620 --> 00:02:26.360 tired. Right. But in female groups, that just 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:28.439 wasn't the standard. Usually you had one star, 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:31.439 a single front person. And everyone else is just 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:33.659 standing there. Pretty much. Everyone else was 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:35.599 just backing wallpaper. They stood there and 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.360 hummed. But Clara changed that. She applied that 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.300 male quartet style to her female group. Which 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:44.639 changes the energy entirely. Because instead 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.879 of watching one person, you're watching a team. 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:49.939 It makes the performance dynamic unpredictable. 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.860 But more importantly, it allowed for vamping. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:57.379 vamping which is a term you hear a lot in gospel 00:02:57.379 --> 00:02:59.740 but Clara weaponized it and just so we're all 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:01.860 on the same page vamping is when they take a 00:03:01.860 --> 00:03:04.139 single phrase like maybe just God is able and 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:06.400 they loop it over and over again but it's not 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:09.300 just repetition it's elevation right they build 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.240 on it yes they repeat the phrase yeah but every 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:14.639 time they do they raise the key or they add a 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.319 growl or they syncopate the rhythm they build 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.580 this pressure cooker of intensity until the audience 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:23.560 is practically in a trance Wow. And because of 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:26.080 lead switching, every single member of the group 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.360 could take a turn driving that vamp. But to pull 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.800 that off, you need serious talent. You can't 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.080 have any weak links in that chain. Not a single 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:37.560 one. And this brings us to Marion Williams. I 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:39.840 was reading about her contribution and the descriptions 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:42.800 of her voice are just, they're physics -defying. 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:45.800 Marion Williams is arguably the secret weapon 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:48.800 of the Ward singers. The sources describe her 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.259 range as preternaturally broad. What does that 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:53.379 actually sound like in practice? It means she 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:56.219 could hit these piercing high soprano notes, 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:58.620 notes that could shatter glass, and she could 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:00.800 do it without losing any power or volume. But 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.580 then in the very next breath, she drops down. 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:07.000 Right into this low growling register. The text 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.520 actually compares it to a country preacher. That 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:13.699 is wild. That combination, the operatic high 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:17.160 and the guttural low, it created a sound that 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:20.569 was impossible to ignore. It's what drove their 00:04:20.569 --> 00:04:24.209 biggest hits. Like, surely, God is Able. Yes. 00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:28.730 Recorded in 1950. That track was historic. It 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:31.649 was among the first million selling gospel hits. 00:04:31.910 --> 00:04:34.930 A million copies. For a gospel record in 1950, 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:37.610 I mean, that is pop star territory. It absolutely 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:40.529 is. And the album of the same name... was the 00:04:40.529 --> 00:04:43.350 first by a gospel group to sell 500 ,000 units. 00:04:43.649 --> 00:04:46.069 Incredible. Then you have How I Got Over and 00:04:46.069 --> 00:04:48.490 Packin' Up. These weren't just songs. They were 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:50.649 cultural phenomena in the black community. But 00:04:50.649 --> 00:04:52.810 packing up is where we start to see some friction, 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:54.730 isn't it? Because the ward singers weren't just 00:04:54.730 --> 00:04:57.110 standing behind microphones looking stoic. No, 00:04:57.149 --> 00:04:59.290 they were putting on a show. Tell me about the 00:04:59.290 --> 00:05:01.750 claining controversy. So for Packin' Up, the 00:05:01.750 --> 00:05:04.370 group would actually mime packing suitcases on 00:05:04.370 --> 00:05:07.000 stage. Like acting it out. Exactly. They were 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:08.959 acting out the lyrics, engaging with the audience, 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.680 making it highly theatrical. Which sounds great 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:13.980 to me. If I'm buying a ticket, I want to be entertained. 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:16.379 Well, the audience has completely agreed with 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:19.860 you. They loved it. But the gospel purists, the 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.100 church elders... Oh, I bet they had thoughts. 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:24.500 They hated it. They called it clowning. Just 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:27.500 because it wasn't dignified. Precisely. You have 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:29.860 to remember the context of the time. The Black 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.639 Church was a space of immense dignity and reverence. 00:05:32.829 --> 00:05:36.029 To the purists, turning a hymn into a vaudeville 00:05:36.029 --> 00:05:38.829 routine felt like a degradation of the message. 00:05:38.990 --> 00:05:41.410 They felt Clara was turning the Holy Spirit into 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:44.290 a prop. That's exactly how they saw it. But Clara 00:05:44.290 --> 00:05:46.490 didn't seem to care about the critics. She cared 00:05:46.490 --> 00:05:48.329 about the crowd. She cared about the market. 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:50.949 And she understood that to reach the biggest 00:05:50.949 --> 00:05:53.470 audience possible, you had to entertain them. 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:55.540 You had to give them something they couldn't 00:05:55.540 --> 00:05:58.139 get just by sitting in a pew on Sunday morning. 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:00.379 And speaking of understanding the market, we 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:02.420 really have to talk about the mastermind behind 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:05.759 this entire operation. Oh, yes. The momager before 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.480 the term even existed. Clara's mother, Gertrude 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.339 May Ward. Gertrude is a fascinating character. 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:14.800 She founded the group as a family affair back 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:18.500 in 1931. Originally, it was just her, Clara, 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:21.379 and Clara's sister, Willa. But Gertrude wasn't 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:23.970 just a mother with a dream. She was a shark. 00:06:24.170 --> 00:06:27.149 A total shark. The list of things she built is 00:06:27.149 --> 00:06:30.610 incredible. She didn't just book gigs, she created 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:33.490 her own booking agency. Right. She started a 00:06:33.490 --> 00:06:36.129 publishing house to own the rights to their music. 00:06:36.269 --> 00:06:38.410 And my favorite detail from the source material, 00:06:38.709 --> 00:06:41.050 she wrote an instructional manual for churches. 00:06:41.350 --> 00:06:44.500 Yes. a guide on how to promote gospel programs. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.259 She was literally teaching the venue owners how 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:50.519 to market her product effectively. She left absolutely 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:52.759 nothing to chance. And she understood branding 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:54.899 better than anyone. We mentioned that Cadillac 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:58.120 earlier. In the 1940s and 50s, for a group of 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:00.560 black women to be touring the South and a luxury 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.899 Cadillac? That is a massive statement. Right. 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:05.740 It's a symbol of arrival. It says we are successful, 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.000 we are professionals, and you will respect us. 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:10.279 It was a huge part of the allure. People came 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:12.189 to see the singing shore. but they also came 00:07:12.189 --> 00:07:15.069 to see the glamour. But, and here is where the 00:07:15.069 --> 00:07:17.930 story takes a really dark turn. That glamour 00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:21.009 was expensive. And based on the biography written 00:07:21.009 --> 00:07:24.230 by Willa Ward, Clara's own sister, the financial 00:07:24.230 --> 00:07:27.250 reality for the singers was, well, let's just 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:29.790 say less than glamorous. It was exploitative. 00:07:30.069 --> 00:07:32.490 There's no other word for it. So we have this 00:07:32.490 --> 00:07:34.470 source material that basically spills all the 00:07:34.470 --> 00:07:37.959 tea. Gertrude and Clara were bringing in massive 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.000 amounts of money from these million selling records. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:44.000 And sold out tours. Right. But the group members, 00:07:44.699 --> 00:07:47.019 the women like Marion Williams who are actually 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:49.120 up there singing the notes. They were grossly 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.100 underpaid. Grossly underpaid. It creates this 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:53.720 very uncomfortable dynamic. You have these women 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:56.939 generating immense wealth, but they aren't sharing 00:07:56.939 --> 00:07:59.939 in it. And it actually gets worse. The housing 00:07:59.939 --> 00:08:02.670 situation? Yeah. This part completely blew my 00:08:02.670 --> 00:08:04.970 mind. So Gertrude and Clara provided housing 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:07.209 for the group members in Philadelphia. Which, 00:08:07.370 --> 00:08:10.350 on the surface, sounds generous. Like, come sing 00:08:10.350 --> 00:08:12.569 for us, we'll give you a place to stay. But it 00:08:12.569 --> 00:08:16.329 wasn't a gift? No. They charged the singers rent. 00:08:16.490 --> 00:08:18.589 Out of their own paychecks? They charged them 00:08:18.589 --> 00:08:20.870 rent, they were paying them peanuts, and then 00:08:20.870 --> 00:08:23.810 taking a chunk of those peanuts right back. It's 00:08:23.810 --> 00:08:26.509 the classic company store model. You work for 00:08:26.509 --> 00:08:28.850 the company, you live in company housing, and 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:32.230 you pay the company back. It keeps the workers 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:35.409 in a cycle of dependency. It's brilliant in an 00:08:35.409 --> 00:08:38.049 evil way, because where are they gonna go? Nowhere. 00:08:38.370 --> 00:08:40.269 Gertrude controls the booking, the publishing, 00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:43.330 the car, and the house. She had total control 00:08:43.330 --> 00:08:45.850 over their lives. And remember, this is mixed 00:08:45.850 --> 00:08:49.169 with family dynamics. Clara is the star, but 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:52.309 Gertrude is the matriarch. It's hard enough to 00:08:52.309 --> 00:08:54.789 ask your boss for a raise. Imagine trying to 00:08:54.789 --> 00:08:56.750 negotiate when your boss is the lead singer's 00:08:56.750 --> 00:08:59.289 mother. And your landlord. Exactly. But eventually, 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:02.169 talent realizes its worth. And that brings us 00:09:02.169 --> 00:09:05.990 to 1958. The Great Split. It was inevitable, 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:08.289 really. You can only squeeze people for so long. 00:09:08.849 --> 00:09:10.870 Marion Williams, the voice of the group, finally 00:09:10.870 --> 00:09:12.950 had enough. She went to Gertrude and Clara with 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:15.850 two demands. She wanted a raise and she wanted 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:18.129 reimbursement for her hotel expenses. Which, 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:19.870 considering she's the one hitting the high notes 00:09:19.870 --> 00:09:22.210 on a million selling record, seems like the bare 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:24.950 minimum. It was completely reasonable. But Gertrude 00:09:24.950 --> 00:09:27.950 and Clara said no. They flat out rejected her. 00:09:28.169 --> 00:09:30.470 That feels like such a massive miscalculation 00:09:30.470 --> 00:09:32.409 on their part. Did they think she wouldn't actually 00:09:32.409 --> 00:09:34.529 leave? They probably saw she couldn't leave. 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:37.340 They thought the brand... the famous Ward singers, 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:40.279 was bigger than any individual member. But they 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:44.779 were wrong. Very wrong. In 1958, Mary and Williams 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:48.320 walked. And she didn't walk alone. It triggered 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:51.799 a mass exodus. Henrietta Waddy, Esther Ford, 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:54.980 Frances Stedman, Kitty Parham. Basically, the 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:58.379 entire core group quit shortly after. They formed 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:00.679 their own group called the Stars of Faith. But 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:03.779 for the Ward singers, the damage was done. That 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:06.080 classic lineup, the very sound that made them 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:08.659 legends, was just gone overnight. And when a 00:10:08.659 --> 00:10:11.740 giant falls, it leaves room for others. The sources 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.000 mentioned that this split paved the way for groups 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.259 like the Caravans to take the top spot. Right. 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:18.600 Albertina Walker and the Caravans swooped right 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:21.259 in. But this is where Clara Ward's story gets 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:23.539 really interesting. Because most people, after 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:25.539 losing their entire band in their market position, 00:10:25.899 --> 00:10:28.980 would fold. But Clara pivoted. And what a pivot 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:32.559 it was. She decided that if the church folks 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:34.480 were going to criticize her for clowning, she 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.139 might as well go where the clowning pays better. 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.480 She went to Vegas. She moved from the church 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:41.279 directly to the nightclub. And we really have 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:44.840 to pause on how radical this was. Huge. In the 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.899 early 1960s, the line between sacred and secular 00:10:47.899 --> 00:10:51.080 was an iron curtain. You did not cross it. But 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:53.279 she drove that Cadillac right through the curtain. 00:10:53.639 --> 00:10:56.360 After the split, the Ord singers started performing 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.419 in Las Vegas casinos. They played secular clubs. 00:10:59.620 --> 00:11:02.700 And they alienated a huge portion of their base. 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:05.679 The churchgoers saw this as the ultimate betrayal. 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.320 Selling out for money. But if you look at the 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.580 sources, Clara wasn't just chasing a check. She 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:13.419 was breaking barriers. Absolutely. She was the 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:15.940 first gospel singer to perform with a hundred 00:11:15.940 --> 00:11:18.220 -piece symphony orchestra. That's a level of 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:20.720 prestige that gospel performers had been denied 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:23.509 for decades. She was validating the genre. She 00:11:23.509 --> 00:11:25.730 was saying, this music belongs in the concert 00:11:25.730 --> 00:11:28.149 hall just as much as it belongs in the storefront 00:11:28.149 --> 00:11:30.309 church. She was also popping up in the strangest 00:11:30.309 --> 00:11:32.370 places. Did you see the bit in the notes about 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:36.110 Dee Dee Sharp? Mashed potato time. Yes. A pop 00:11:36.110 --> 00:11:38.850 dance craze song about mashed potatoes. Yeah. 00:11:39.110 --> 00:11:42.070 Clara Ward, this gospel legend, is singing backup 00:11:42.070 --> 00:11:45.070 vocals on it. And it went to number two on Billboard. 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:47.690 It's amazing. It shows her versatility, but maybe 00:11:47.690 --> 00:11:50.049 also a bit of desperation to stay relevant. She 00:11:50.049 --> 00:11:52.860 was throwing everything at the wall. She went 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:56.440 to Broadway in 1963. She was the musical director 00:11:56.440 --> 00:11:59.080 and a performer in Langston Hughes' play Tambourines 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:02.289 to Glory. and the pop covers. Oh, yeah. She started 00:12:02.289 --> 00:12:04.809 covering The Beatles Help, Bill Withers Lean 00:12:04.809 --> 00:12:08.049 On Me, even California Dreaming. She was trying 00:12:08.049 --> 00:12:11.409 to fit into the 60s pop landscape. And honestly, 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:13.450 it feels like she was setting the blueprint for 00:12:13.450 --> 00:12:15.309 the modern crossover artist. Without a doubt. 00:12:15.610 --> 00:12:17.730 But there is one tour mentioned in the source 00:12:17.730 --> 00:12:20.110 material that just stops me in my tracks. It 00:12:20.110 --> 00:12:22.950 wasn't Vegas and it wasn't Broadway. It was Vietnam. 00:12:23.070 --> 00:12:26.009 The 1968 tour. This is a part of the story that 00:12:26.009 --> 00:12:28.470 so often gets forgotten. At the height of the 00:12:28.470 --> 00:12:31.019 Vietnam War, The U .S. State Department and the 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:34.539 USO asked the Clara Ward singers to tour Vietnam 00:12:34.539 --> 00:12:36.700 to entertain the troops. And this wasn't some 00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:39.200 safe green zone photo op where they waved from 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.320 a distance. They were in it. They were right 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:44.279 in the danger zone. The source details a terrifying 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:46.200 incident where the hotel they were staying in 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.899 was actually bombed. Imagine that. You're a gospel 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:51.139 singer from Philly. You're in your gown and wig 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:54.500 and the building literally shakes from a bomb 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:57.990 blast. People in the hotel died. The Ward singers 00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:01.470 narrowly missed being killed. And here is the 00:13:01.470 --> 00:13:04.529 true testament to their grit. Most people would 00:13:04.529 --> 00:13:07.409 have been on the very first plane home, but Clara 00:13:07.409 --> 00:13:10.149 Ward. She finished the tour. And not only that, 00:13:10.250 --> 00:13:14.769 they went back. They went back in 1969 for several 00:13:14.769 --> 00:13:17.250 more months. That is a level of toughness I can't 00:13:17.250 --> 00:13:19.889 even comprehend. They actually received special 00:13:19.889 --> 00:13:22.049 certificates of recognition from the U .S. Army 00:13:22.049 --> 00:13:24.889 for that. It completely changes your perception 00:13:24.889 --> 00:13:27.009 of them. Yeah, they weren't just divas in the 00:13:27.009 --> 00:13:29.490 high -maintenance sense. They were tough, resilient 00:13:29.490 --> 00:13:33.210 women doing a job in a literal war zone. But 00:13:33.210 --> 00:13:36.149 that level of stress, the touring, the business 00:13:36.149 --> 00:13:38.690 fights, the war zones, it takes a heavy toll. 00:13:39.029 --> 00:13:41.549 And as we get into the late 60s and early 70s, 00:13:41.769 --> 00:13:44.470 you can see Clara starting to fade. It's a tragic 00:13:44.470 --> 00:13:48.580 decline. The body keeps the score right. In 1966, 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:51.399 she collapsed on stage at the Castaways Lounge 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.600 in Miami Beach. That was the first major warning 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.639 sign. And then the stroke started. Yes. In 1967, 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:58.980 she suffered a massive stroke. Now, this should 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:00.519 have been the end of her career. Her doctors 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:03.159 probably told her to stop. But the machine Gertrude 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.840 Bill, it didn't have an off switch. No, it didn't. 00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:08.360 She kept working. She had another minor stroke 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:10.820 during a recording session at her home in 1972. 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.159 She was literally singing. until her body gait 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:17.840 out. And it finally did in January 1973. She 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:19.940 suffered another stroke that put her into a coma. 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:23.799 She passed away on January 16th, 1973. She was 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:27.399 only 48 years old. 48. That is incredibly young. 00:14:27.779 --> 00:14:30.179 She had lived 10 lifetimes in those 48 years, 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:33.179 but she was gone far too soon. The funeral, though, 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.039 it was fit for royalty. It was. It was held in 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:38.580 Philadelphia, and it was a who's who of music. 00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:41.289 Aretha Franklin sang. The Reverend Seal Franklin 00:14:41.289 --> 00:14:43.570 Aretha's father sang. And here is the moment 00:14:43.570 --> 00:14:46.549 that gets me. Marion Williams sang. The woman 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:49.470 who walked out. The woman who was underpaid and 00:14:49.470 --> 00:14:52.610 charged rent. She flew to the memorial service 00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:55.769 in Los Angeles to honor Clara. That says everything, 00:14:55.809 --> 00:14:58.289 doesn't it? Despite the business, despite the 00:14:58.289 --> 00:15:01.289 exploitation, despite the bitter split, the respect 00:15:01.289 --> 00:15:03.610 for the talent was still there. They had been 00:15:03.610 --> 00:15:05.669 through the trenches together. It brings the 00:15:05.669 --> 00:15:08.649 story full circle. The bond forged by that music 00:15:08.649 --> 00:15:10.830 was stronger than the contracts that broke them 00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:13.750 apart. So when we look back at Clara Ward today, 00:15:13.950 --> 00:15:16.230 beyond the U .S. Postal Service stamps and the 00:15:16.230 --> 00:15:18.129 posthumous Songwriters Hall of Fame inductions, 00:15:18.629 --> 00:15:21.149 what is the real legacy? I think Clara Ward is 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:23.450 the prototype. If you look at the modern pop 00:15:23.450 --> 00:15:26.889 diva, someone who has immense vocal talent, controls 00:15:26.889 --> 00:15:29.570 their business, crosses genres, and commands 00:15:29.570 --> 00:15:32.629 a stage with pure charisma. Clara Ward did it 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:35.009 first. She walks so Aretha could run. She walks 00:15:35.009 --> 00:15:37.950 so Beyonce could run. Exactly. She proved that 00:15:37.950 --> 00:15:40.529 a gospel singer could be a superstar. She proved 00:15:40.529 --> 00:15:42.230 you could take the good news and package it for 00:15:42.230 --> 00:15:44.450 the masses, even if you got your hands a little 00:15:44.450 --> 00:15:47.200 dirty in the process. She showed the world that 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.820 you could be holy and you could be a star, and 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:52.360 she lived right in the center of that contradiction. 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:55.279 It's a complicated legacy, but man, the music 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:58.080 is undeniable. It really is. And, you know, looking 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.340 at all of this, it leaves you with a lingering 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:03.100 thought. We see this dynamic a lot today. The 00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:06.840 family business in music, the parent as the manager. 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:09.679 Right, like the Jacksons. Or the Knowles family. 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:12.440 Exactly. Gertrude and Clara were the pioneers 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.360 of that, too. And it makes you wonder if that 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.940 immense level of success always requires that 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:21.679 specific kind of sacrifice, where the line between 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:25.419 being a daughter and being an employee gets completely 00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:28.139 erased in the pursuit of greatness. It's a heavy 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:30.500 price for stardom. It is. If you've never heard 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:32.500 it, do yourself a favor after the Steve dive. 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:35.340 Go look up Surely God is Able or Packing Up. 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:37.490 Don't just listen to the melody. Listen for the 00:16:37.490 --> 00:16:40.370 lead switching. Listen for Marion Williams growling 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:42.490 low and then hitting the stratosphere. It's the 00:16:42.490 --> 00:16:44.450 sound of history being made. It still gives me 00:16:44.450 --> 00:16:46.809 chills. Thanks for joining us for this deep dive 00:16:46.809 --> 00:16:48.889 into the life of Clara Ward. We'll catch you 00:16:48.889 --> 00:16:49.450 on the next one.