Award-winning, Detroit singer-songwriter Mike Ward is known for his lyrically-centric, vocally-charged folk songs. While growing up in Port Huron, Michigan, he listened to the Irish music of his heritage and sang in several choirs before digesting the influential sounds of Simon & Garfunkel, Dylan, Springsteen and Prine. These days, he finds inspiration in the works of Jason Isbell, Sarah Jarosz and Scott Cook. His intimate songwriting echoes through empty city streets, country roads and family portraits. It also resides in the hidden spaces between joy and tragedy, love and loss.
Ward brings a unique perspective to his songwriting after having spent 40 years working in the advertising industry while continuing a lifelong passion for hockey, which resulted in his infamous nickname “PsychoWard.” His debut album, We Wonder, released in 2018, was named “Best Folk Album of 2019” by Phil Maq of 89.3-FM (WHFR).
In 2019, Ward immersed himself into the songwriting community in Detroit as well as Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and several online groups. This led to an association with David Roof of Rooftop Recording as well as collaborations with some of Michigan’s finest songwriters and musicians who would contribute mightily on his future projects.
Ward released his second album in 2021, “The Darkness and The Light”, as a thoughtful way to highlight past struggles, including regret and loss, and champion the need for hope in a changing world. The album landed at #33 on the Folk Alliance International (FAI) folk charts in March 2021.
In Spring 2023, Mike released his fourth album “Love Never Rests”, which features 11 introspective tracks that examine observations about life, love and loss along with relationships of the past, present and future. All stories are told through his emotive viewpoints of wisdom and gratitude. Recently, Mike was named a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Songwriting Contest for the song "Currency of Forgiveness" .
August 2024 Mike has released a new six-song project titled "Still Troubled" containing two new songs and four previously released songs all dedicated to the social fabric of the country.