Meet the Bill Ward Band

Bill Ward - Vocals
 Email: bward@billward.com

Click here to see a picture of the layout of Bill Ward's 2005 drum kit
Click here to see a picture of the layout of Bill Ward's 1998 drum kit

Birthdate: May 5th, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, England.
Height: 5ft 10 in
Weight: 190 lbs.
Resident Of: USA

Kids: 3, one girl, 2 boys / men

Married: 4 Times

Talents: Hard rock drummer, percussionist, Songwriter, Vocalist, Producer, Arranger, Owner of his albums and record company.

Most Successful Band: Black Sabbath 1968 to 1980, 1983 to 1984, Winter of 1997-?

Other Bands:

Started Playing:

Special Dates:

First Hits: 1970 "Black Sabbath" the album, & 1970 "Paranoid".

Bill's Discography:

Musical Influences: Big band jazz, all early rock 'n' roll, rythym and blues, blues, British blues.

Favourite Artists: There are thousands of them!

Most Influential Drummers:

Goals/Desires:

Greatest Love: Music

Keith Lynch - Guitar
 Email: klynch@billward.com
[ Visit Keith's Website ]

Keith began playing guitar at the age of 14, and has been non-stop ever since. After years of extensive club and studio sessions, Keith met Bill Ward, former drummer and founder of Black Sabbath in 1986, and began collaborating on Bill's first solo CD, "Along The Way". Keith was a co-writer on at least 30% of the CD which included hits such as "Bombers (Can Open Bomb Bays)", featuring Ozzy Osbourne on lead vocals, and "Tall Stories", featuring Jack Bruce on lead vocals. "Bombers", received major radio air play and was showcased on MTV's "Headbangers Ball", in 1991.

Keith soon became Bill's musical director as well as Bill's "right hand man". With a wide variety of musical styles to draw from, Keith delivers again on the recent release of "When The Bough Breaks". Keith blends blues, rock and even some of his jazz guitar touches into this diverse, powerful sounding CD.

Keith is creating a unique sound for himself and for the band, spending as much time developing his tone as he does mastering his style. Keith is totally committed to his guitar, as well as the Bill Ward Band and looks forward to sharing his tone with you.

Keith has his own web site with further information about him, as well as an offer for guitar lessons, and other info about Keith and his projects. To visit Keith's site, point your web browser at http://www.keithlynch.com.

Paul Ill - Bass
 Email: pill@billward.com

I was 12 when I played my first professional gig. It was in front of my seventh grade classmates at the Munich American Junior high School, and I will be the first to cop to the fact that, although this world is a very different place now, as far as I'm concerned, not much has changed since then! I still play bass. I still manipulate tape recorders (only difference in that department is they're my own and not my Dad's...) And instead of filling my sister's piano with little balls of tin foil to make it sound weird, I own a few synthesizers.

I love playing with Bill Ward; I absolutely love it. The music we create is deeply rooted in the heavy rock of Bill's previous band (I often ask him, "So Bill, what's it like to have been one of the two or three bands that invented an entire idiom?), and as the bassist and electronic musician / synthesist, I get to play in a way that's not only perfectly suited to my playing style, but my philosophical bent as well.

Let's talk about the playing first - as a bassist, I believe first and foremost in the groove and nothing but the groove, so help me groove. Whether it's Donald "Duck" Dunn with Booker T. And the MG's or Jerry Jemmott on all those amazing Atlantic sides {(check out King Curtis Live at Fillmore West) p.s. - Jerry ... RIP and God Bless...}, the bass groove will just floor you. And what about Berry Oakley (another RIP and God Bless...), with the Allman Brothers Band. John Paul Jones laying it down serious like on The Lemon Song or the refrain in the Immigrant Song. Sir Paul McCartney circa Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's, or the great James Jamerson's (RIP and God Bless again...), bass concertos that drive all those Motown classics? As far as the bass goes, it's the groove and nothing but the groove, so help me groove!

Let's not forget the contemporary masters - Tony Levin is my favorite right up there with Doug Wimbush, Manny Yanes, Neil Stubenhaus and Will Lee. Levin's a phenomenon in his own right in that he's got such a distinctive musical voice on a variety of instruments and his groove is just so deep in it. Wimbush reminds me of Hendrix: Neil and Will are masterfully musical and Manny is an unsung hero. He's a monster grooveologist and very aggressive as well. And I owe great debts to Billy Sheehan, Chris Squire, Jack Bruce, Jack Casady, Bootsy Collins, Jaco Pastorious, Doug Pinnick, Stanley Clarke, Miroslav Vitous, Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, Paul Jackson, and Alphonso Johnson for lots of grooves, licks and riffs copped along the way. And just as important to my bass playing as anything or anyone else is John Wetton for his playing in King Crimson from 1972 through `74. I owe a huge debt to Wetton for the approach, feel, sound, and musical language he developed during that phase of his career.

Now there's a term for you - musical language. My musical language is determined by my musical philosophies which in turn challenge me to develop in all areas of my life. So for me it's about body, mind and spirit - their mutual and cohesive health and development. I believe that musicians, like all people, are conduits for love, and love is the will to nurture one's own or another's growth. So for me to groove like "Duck" Dunn, improvise like Tony Levin and exhibit original funkification like Doug Wimbush I've got to do what's best for myself and the world around me in all areas of my life. Looking at things this way, I try to honor the aspirations of Bob Marley ("... judge not...) John Coltrane, Miles Davis ("... sound comes first ... never finish a phrase...), Jimi Hendrix, Oliver Messian, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Kristoph Penderescki, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. It's through these masters, who I believe to be divinely inspired, that I aspire to develop my own musical language. I have been deeply influenced by many of the lesser known artists I've worked with along the way. Just about everybody I've been in a band with has somehow left their mark on me - most particularly the late, great, Kevin Gilbert. R.I.P. and God Bless - he was one of the greatest musical talents of his (or any other for that matter) generation.

I had the great fortune of growing up in a very nurturing household under the tutelage of my older sister, Paula, (RIP and God Bless, I miss you so much and I know your light shines down upon me...), and the empowering love of my Mom and Dad. Paula was a prenatal pianist. She was born knowing how to play and I grew up listening to her practice her ass off. My Mom and Dad bought me a Marshall half stack when I was fourteen so I could sound like Jack Bruce. They let my bands practice in the basement and my Dad would requisition military vehicles to get our gear to gigs! My Dad let me mess (and I mean mess!), with his tape recorders and my Mom was always there to help with lyrics and provide inspiration. So, I am a product of all these experiences. At the age of eight, my folks sent me (along with my sister), to Baltimore's Peabody Prepatory Conservatory where, since I was too hyper-kinetic to play an instrument, I studied ear training, music theory and conducting. That sure was a fun way for a third grader to spend his Saturdays! Eventually I ended up at the Berklee College of Music where I somehow earned a Bachelor of Music Composition and fell deeply under the influence of the great contemporary composer, Michael Gibbs. I also studied electric and upright bass with John Repucci, Rich Appleman and Neil Stubenhaus. But it was Michael Gibbs who really blasted my skull open to realms of musical possibilities. He really freed up my head via my ears, for which I am forever indebted.

It was during this time that I also developed my sort of "punk rock" approach to synthesis and tape looping. In this respect, I am influenced by the avant garde tradition (Xannakis, Stockhausen, Messian, Zappa, Varese, etc...), as the rock tradition, and fortunately, Bill Ward lets me have free reign in this idiom and transpose my electronic and musique concrete compositions into our songs. If you ever attend one of our shows, listen carefully as the lights go down - that's one of my musique concrete tape experiments made from Bill's interview excerpts and other found or created sounds you'll hear opening the show.

In addition to Bill Ward, I've worked with other bands and artists including Mick Taylor (x Rolling Stones), Wayne Kramer (x MC5), Earl Slick (x David Bowie), and Julian Lennon. I guess for one reason or another these guys from cool, older bands really like me! But it's Bill Ward that really takes the cake. What a drummer! Mega cool songwriter and a quintessential English rock vocalist. I'm honored to work with him. Bill lets me do all sorts of stuff - he calls my area of the stage or studio "the science lab", but in all actuality, my approach is pretty intuitive, and therefore unscientific. I recently got my first sampler, the fantastic E-Mu E4 to be exact, so rest assured, pretty soon all hell's gonna break loose!

Ronnie Ciago - Drums
 Email: pill@billward.com
[ Visit Ronnie's Website ]

Ronnie Ciago was born in Long Island, New York. He began playing drums at age 5. With a lot of dedicated practising, Ronnie started playing live performances with local rock and funk bands when he was 12.

Growing up, Ronnie's parents were completely supportive in his quest for becoming a musician. His father made it possible for him to watch, listen and learn from some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world' artists such as Buddy Rich, Louie Belson, Mel Lewis, the list goes on and on. At age 15, Ronnie was already playing jazz gigs with his father. Following high school, Ronnie conntinued his studies at Berklee School of Music. After college, Ronnie began recording and touring with many artists and playing an assortment of styles such as Progressive, Rock, Pop, Funk, Jazz-Fusion, Heavy Metal, Latin Jazz, Middle Eastern, Country, Blues, African and Island music.

He also is the author of two drum books, "Ambidexterity" and "The Ultimate Study In Independence". From 1991 through 1997, Ronnie has toured and recorded with many known artists in the business including, Patrick Moraz (Yes, Moody Blues) Ricky Lee Jones, Riverdogs, Rob Lamothe, Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones) Brand X and many others. Presently, he is playing with Bill and can be heard on the latest album, When The Bough Breaks."

Former Members

Spencer Sercombe - Keyboards
 Email: ssercombe@billward.com

I was born August 2, 1959, the youngest of five. By age 8 I was playing piano and violin. My older sisters were nearly virtuosoes on these instruments and I was frustrated playing in their shadows. At 10 I discovered guitar - my sisters taught me a few chords and then I hid the guitar from them and worked the rest out on my own.

I began playing in bands at about age 12 and I haven't managed to stop as of yet. At 20, I formed the group, "Sharks," with my friend Richard Czerny - Black and played in different incarnations of that band for about 12 years. "Sharks" released several independent records in the early 80's. We later "expanded" the name to "Shark Island" and had our first major label release on Epic Records in 1989.

I have also played live and on record with a large cross section of musical talents including War, Sparks, MSG, Riverdogs, and many other great writers, bands and players. I've toured all over the world and even have my own signature series guitar, built by Todd Krause at the Fender Custom shop.

I'm a southern California native. I like reptiles. I don't eat mammals. I still drive the same car I had in high school. I've been way up and way down, but all in all I'd say I've been one lucky bastard.