[Day 48] Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear

General Info

Members: Madisen Ward, Ruth Ward.

Genre: Folk, Acoustic, Blues, Soul

Biography:
Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear is a mother/son duo from Kansas City, MO. Ruth Ward began playing guitar at the age of 19, and has been performing in local coffeehouses ever since. She managed to record two albums over the years, but raising her family quickly took priority over establishing a career in music. Madisen, the youngest of Ruth's children, first picked up the guitar in high school and began joining his mother for coffeehouse performances around 2010. It wasn't long before music became his passion. He began writing original songs, intended to blend their two unique voices.

In spring of 2013 the duo released a five-song EP titled We Burned the Cane Fields which helped to introduce their music to a wider audience. However, it was their performance at the Americana Music Fest in Nashville which garnered praise from national media, including Rolling Stone and Bob Boilen of NPR Music. Upon returning to Kansas City, they delighted to preform in front of their largest crowd when they opened for B.B. King at the Midland theater. In October 2014 the duo signed with Glassnote records, and began recording their debut album in January. They made their network television debut on The Late Show February 11th with their first single "Silent Movies" being released the very next day.



Major Discography: Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear's debut album, Skeleton Crew, will be released on May 19th.



Suggested Listening









Personal Notes:
Being a Kansas Citian myself, I couldn't be more proud of Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. Their music is authentic and powerful. It seems every performance earns them more attention from national media. I'm excited to see how the Bonnaroo crowd reacts to their show.