Ward Thomas (band)

Ward Thomas are an English modern country-pop duo, composed of twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas from Hampshire.[1] The band has been called "Britain's first country stars"..[2] Fellow country singer, Crissie Rhodes of The Shires, describes their music as written "from a British perspective". While people have been able to appreciate the American sound, they can connect with the themes of British lyrics."[3] Cartwheels, their second studio album became the first album by a UK country act to reach number One on the UK Albums Chart surpassing the previous record by The Shires. It has since gone silver in the UK.

Ward Thomas
OriginHampshire, England
GenresCountry
Years active2014–present
Labels
Members
  • Catherine Ward Thomas
  • Lizzy Ward Thomas

Early life

Catherine and Lizzy are twins, born 10 minutes apart,[4] who grew up on a farm in rural Hampshire, England, and were educated at Alton Convent, a local Roman Catholic day school, where they acquired the nicknames "Scruff 1" and "Scruff 2" because they were "so bad at being neat and tidy".[5] Their brother Tom Ward-Thomas is an actor and playwright.[6] Their father is Anthony Ward-Thomas (born 1958), who in 1985 founded his own eponymous removals business[7][8] now with an annual turnover of £22 million (2015), also an amateur jockey and racehorse owner,[9] the eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Anthony (1926-2018) (Mrs Evelyn Ward-Thomas),[10] High Sheriff of Essex in 1994.

Career

2014–15: From Where We Stand
Main article: From Where We Stand

They co-wrote the songs for their debut album From Where We Stand, which was released on 20 July 2014. It peaked at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, number 1 on the UK Country Chart, number 7 on the UK Indie Chart and number 36 in Scotland. The album won UK Album of the Year at the British Country Music Awards and sold over 25,000 copies.[1] They have toured the UK multiple times, with shows at venues including Islington Assembly Hall and The New Adelphi Club in Hull, East Yorkshire.[11] In 2014, they performed on the BBC Introducing stage at the BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park festival,[12] returning to the festival in 2015 to perform on the main stage alongside The Shires; a performance which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2.[13]

2016–2017: Cartwheels and A Shorter Story
Main article: Cartwheels (Ward Thomas album)

In June 2016, Ward Thomas announced a joint venture with Sony Music and that their second album, Cartwheels, would be released in September 2016.[14] Lead single "Carry You Home", described by The Times as "chirpy country pop" was released in June, followed by the singles "Guilty Flowers" and "Cartwheels", all of which were added to the Radio 2 playlist. Cartwheels reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart, making Ward Thomas the first UK country act to top the charts and officially making them the most successful UK country act. It has since gone silver in the UK.[15] In September 2016, Ward Thomas were confirmed to play at the 31st edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag in Groningen[16] and in March 2017, Ward Thomas were announced as the official opening act for the Country to Country 2017 festival.

On 28 October 2016, Ward Thomas released the single version of "Cartwheels", featuring a cover of Lenny Kravitz's song "Fly Away" which was also featured on the TV show "Countrywise".[17] On 31 March 2017, Ward Thomas released their first EP, A Shorter Story, which features the duo covering five of their favourite songs.[18] In 2017, they supported American country superstar Miranda Lambert on the UK leg of her Highway Vagabond Tour.

2017–present: Restless Minds

In July 2018, Ward Thomas announced that they will release their third album, Restless Minds. The announcement coincided with the release of lead single "Lie Like Me", a biting indictment of lives faked online. During the 2019 C2C: Country to Country festival, the duo were surprised by Cam at the CMA Songwriter's Event with the Jeff Walker Global Achievement Award from the Country Music Association, making them only the second UK country act to receive the award.[19]

Discography

Albums
Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[20]		 UK
Country
[21]		 UK
Indie
[22]		 SCO
[23]
From Where We Stand
  • Released: 20 July 2014
  • Label: WTW Music
  • Format: CD, Digital download
 411736
Cartwheels
  • Released: 2 September 2016
  • Label: Sony Music/WTW Music
  • Format: CD, Digital download, vinyl
 11—1
Restless Minds
  • Released: 1 February 2019
  • Label: Sony Music/WTW Music
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 81—5
"—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended Plays
Title Details
A Shorter Story
  • Released: 31 March 2017
  • Label: Sony Music, WTW Music
  • Format: Digital download
The Space Between
  • Released: 12 June 2020
  • Label: WTW Music
  • Format: Digital download

Singles
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
SCO
[24]
2014 "Push for the Stride" — From Where We Stand
"The Good & the Right" —
"Town Called Ugley" —
"Guest List" —
2016 "Carry You Home" 59 Cartwheels
"Guilty Flowers" 88
"Cartwheels" —
2017 "Boomerang" —
"Material" —
2018 "Lie Like Me" — Restless Minds
2019 "No Filter" —
"One More Goodbye" —
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos
Year Video
2014 "Footnotes (Happy Endings)"
"The Good And The Right"
"Push For The Stride"
"Way Back When"
2016 "Carry You Home"
"Guilty Flowers"
"Cartwheels"
2017 "Boomerang"
"Material"
2018 "Lie Like Me"
2020 "Halfway" (with James Blunt)
gollark: ++remind 18:00:00 Start the server.
gollark: [question mark]
gollark: how
gollark: It's never been a concern.
gollark: No.

References
  1. Wilson, Simon (4 February 2015). "Country music stars Ward Thomas head for the Rescue Rooms". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  2. "Ward Thomas export style from our country to USA". The Northern Echo. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  3. "'DOLLY AT GLASTONBURY WAS JUST HUGE.' CRISSIE RHODES TALKS TO SO SO GAY". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/15/catherine-ward-thomas-mum-told-us-dont-swear-or-talk-politics-or-religion
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/15/catherine-ward-thomas-mum-told-us-dont-swear-or-talk-politics-or-religion
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/15/catherine-ward-thomas-mum-told-us-dont-swear-or-talk-politics-or-religion
  7. Ward-Thomas, Anthony. https://ward-thomas.co.uk/who-we-are. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. https://ward-thomas.co.uk/who-we-are
  9. Natalie Graham, Financial Times, February 20 2015, My First Million — Anthony Ward Thomas, A moving story of success from small beginnings
  10. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/evelyn-anthony-obituary-essex-s-first-female-high-sheriff-in-700-years-1.3660494
  11. "Under The Influence presents Ward Thomas". Facebook. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  12. "Ward Thomas – Push For the Stride at Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park 2014". 15 September 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  13. "The Shires & Ward Thomas – Everywhere (Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park 2015)". 13 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  14. "Ward Thomas on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  15. "Country duo Ward Thomas top UK album chart".
  16. "First European Artists Confirmed for Eurosonic Noorderslag – Eurosonic Noorderslag". Eurosonic Noorderslag. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  17. "Ward Thomas Release Lenny Kravitz's 'Fly Away' Cover". 28 October 2016.
  18. "A Shorter Story - EP by Ward Thomas on Apple Music". 31 March 2017.
  19. Ward Thomas Receive Prestigious CMA Jeff Walker Global Artist Award, Music News, March 7, 2019, by Laura Klonowski
  20. "Ward Thomas". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.
  21. Peak positions for albums on the UK Country Chart:
  22. Peak positions for albums on the UK Indie Chart:
  23. Peak positions for albums in Scotland:
  24. Peak positions for singles in Scotland:


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