ANDY WARD – DRUMMER

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL ANDY WARD WEBSITE!

When Andy left Camel in 1983, (or fell off, as he describes it in Camel’s Curriculum Vitae DVD) many fans were devastated and saw his leaving as the final straw that broke the Camel’s back.

But the Camel picked itself up and continued its long journey and Andy was free to explore the far reaches of progressive rock through playing with other musicians with fresh ideas.

Andy’s own journey was both musical and emotional. He had already began suffering from what was much later diagnosed as bipolar disorder and had to grapple with this illness for many of the years which followed.

Yet Andy’s superlative drumming skills, skills which put him up there with the world’s drumming greats, coupled with his unbounded enthusiasm and masterly technique meant that he was much in demand from musicians and writers working hard to push their musical boundaries. If you just want to keep time – get a drum machine. If you want to get every last creative drop out of your music – get Andy Ward on drums!

With their kind permission, Andy has put together a selection of tracks from the work of some of the many musicians he has had the privilege of recording with. This includes members of the legendary Canterbury Scene as well as musicians far distant from Kent, in the US and Europe. Called Sticking Around, this CD is in answer to the very many enquiries Andy has had about what he has been doing in the two decades since leaving Camel, Andy hopes you will enjoy listening to it as much as he has enjoyed playing this selection of music.

As a bonus Sticking Around includes a never-before-released drum solo, the eponymous ‘Sticking Around’, from an extended version of ‘Never Let Go’ performed during Camel’s 1979 tour of Germany.