For singer
Laurel Ward, a member of ‘70s hit making
ensemble Dr. Music as well as with husband
Terry Black, being a survivor is nothing
new. “I went to Toronto all by
myself when I was 17 not knowing anyone,”
she states from her father’s home near
Delta, Manitoba. “I went through the
hippy phase and survived all that so young
while trying to make it in the music
business. So I definitely feel I’m a
survivor.”
Born and raised in Delta, Laurel’s father
Peter was director of the wetlands
research station as well as a noted
wildlife artist. While still in high
school at Portage Collegiate Institute in
the mid 60s, Laurel was spotted singing
and invited to guest on Oscar Brand’s
nationally-televised Let’s Sing Out.
“I was so impressed with Oscar Brand
because in the folk days he was one of the
biggies.” In Toronto, she connected
with Sid Dolgay of folk group The
Travellers as well as record producer Bill
Gilliland of Arc Records. Completing
high school, Laurel promptly returned to
Toronto in 1967 to launch her singing
career.
While appearing in the Toronto production
of Hair, Laurel met former teen idol Terry
Black as well as band leader Doug
Riley. At age 16, Terry had enjoyed
a 1964 hit with “Unless You Care” and
moved to Hollywood. By 1968 he was
back in Canada. Bill Gilliland
suggested Laurel and Terry work as a
duo. The two married in 1973.
Prior to that, Gilliland took Laurel and
Terry to London to record a song written
by leading UK songwriters Cook and
Greenaway (“You’ve Got Your Troubles”,
“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”).
“He met us in London a Rolls Royce and
took us to the studio.” Recorded at
George Martin’s Air Studios, “Goin' Down
(On The Road To L.A.)” became a major
Canadian hit in 1972. However by
that time, Laurel and Terry had joined
Doug Riley’s 16-member gospel-inspired
group Dr. Music.
“We didn’t even do our hit with Dr. Music
which was really strange. We should
have toured on our own. Doug told me
later that he didn’t realize at the time
how big a hit it was or we would have play
it. That was the dumbest move we
ever made.”
Nonetheless, Laurel enjoyed being in the
group whose hits included “Sun Goes By”
and “One More Mountain to Climb.”
“Those were good times. People’s
mouths would drop open when they heard
that we could sound just like the
records. We had beautiful
harmonies.”
Travelling with the group was also an
experience. “They thought I was such
a goody two shoes. I got protected
from all the goings-on at the back of the
bus.”
Laurel sang on numerous commercial jingles
and toured with Anne Murray. “That
was great travelling with Anne and being
shepherded around in limousines.
That was my taste of the big time.”
Black & Ward released further singles
but by the end of the 70s the music scene
was changing so they relocated to
Vancouver. In 1993 their marriage
ended and Laurel and their two boys Scott
and Alex moved to Calgary to start
fresh. “It was pretty scary having
to find a place to live on my own and
apply for a job at a supermarket.
But a lot of people do it.” Going from
being a Canadian star to clerking at a
supermarket was humbling.
“I had to provide for my family.
Family comes first. But I would
still go off to do music.” She
gigged, taught voice lessons, and in 2003
released a solo CD of her own songs.
“I was moving into a soft jazz
style.” Unfortunately, distribution
was slim. “The Toronto days were
long gone.” The album also featured
contributions from her sons.
In the fall of 2009 Laurel was diagnosed
with Parkinson’s Disease and returned to
her father’s home to focus on dealing with
the debilitating illness.
“The first thing to go was my voice so I
knew I wasn’t going to be singing
anymore. I can’t play guitar or
piano either because you lose the
dexterity in your fingers.” Despite
her situation, Laurel remains
optimistic. She is, after all, a
survivor.
“I don’t really dwell on the
negative. That’s not me to sit
around feeling sorry for myself. My
only regret is that Terry and I didn’t
tour behind our hit single. Things
might have turned out differently.
Dr. Music was a great learning experience
but with so many people you tended to get
lost in the crowd.”
Recently in hospital for an operation,
Laurel met an old high school
friend. “I heard him afterwards
going down the hall singing ‘Going down,
down, down on the road to L.A.’.
That was sweet.”