Rich Ward
| Rich Ward | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Park Ward |
| Also known as | The Duke Duke LaRüe |
| Born | January 16, 1969 |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, Guitarist, Composer |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Century Media, Megaforce, Spitfire, Psalms of the Ward, Napalm |
| Associated acts | Stuck Mojo, Fozzy, Sick Speed, Adrenaline Mob |
| Website | TheDukeOfMetal.com |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Gibson Les Paul Laney Ironheart IRT120H with Laney 4x12 Cabinets |
|
Richard Park "Rich" Ward (born January 16, 1969) is an American guitarist, also known by his stage name, "The Duke". Ward is best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo, but he is also known as lead guitarist of heavy metal band, Fozzy.
Ward grew up listening to many Indie style soundtracks as that was all that was available to him. After his parents' divorce, Ward's mother's work schedule was hectic, resulting in her hiring a college student to look after him and his sister.
According to Ward, the student would often bring over heavy metal and hard rock albums from bands such as AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, to name a few. From that point, Ward had a new outlook on music, having found the genre of music that "clicked" with him. Ward has also said in interviews that his favorite band growing up was Journey, and he's also cited bands like Bad Company and Foreigner as influences.
Ward began learning guitar at age 12, borrowing weekends from a friend's guitar, practicing different chords he picked up from his friends.
In 1989, Ward formed Stuck Mojo along with bassist Duane Fowler and front man, Bonz. The first six years of the band consisted of touring clubs on the East Coast of the United States. When recalling this time of his life, Ward speaks of sleeping in his rehearsal space to save money.
After finally receiving a recording contract with Century Media Records, Mojo released its debut album, Snappin' Necks in 1995. Although the album found little mainstream success, it went on to influence many popular Nu metal bands of today, such as Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit. In 1996, in preparation for their first overseas tour, the band released the European-only EP, Violated. That same year, Stuck Mojo released its second album, Pigwalk. While the band's second full-length album sold in similar numbers as the previous one, however, many critics and musicians consider this album to be a defining milestone of rap-metal. In 1998, Mojo released Rising, its most commercially successful release.
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