Although Ward rarely recorded - she released a single in 2011 - she continued to perform into the 2010s. They surfaced on various Ward anthologies released during the following decades. A few songs were recorded during sessions for a third album abandoned prior to completion. A subsequent single, "Don't Drop My Love" - taken from the quick-to-follow second album Sweet Surrender - peaked at only number 87. That summer, it topped Billboard's Hot 100 and remained on that chart for five months. It didn't take long for "Ring My Bell" to scale the charts. It resulted in a recording contract with the T.K.-affiliated Juana label, and the release of Ward's debut album, Songs of Love, in 1979. Recorded over the course of two days, "Ring My Bell" turned out to be the best track of the bunch. Still, she agreed to record it, with Knight providing most of the musical accompaniment. The song's original lyrics dealt with teens chatting away on the phone and even though Knight gave the track a quick lyrical overhaul, Ward was less than enthusiastic about the song.
![anita ward ring my bell live anita ward ring my bell live](http://www.70disco.com/images/anitaward2.jpg)
Knight signed on to help produce a three-song demo session with Ward, but once the tape was rolling, Knight became so taken by Ward's singing ability that the sessions soon produced an album's worth of material.Īfter listening to what they'd recorded, both agreed that they were still one song short, which resulted in Knight digging up an old track titled "Ring My Bell," which he had originally penned for a younger singer, Stacy Lattisaw (who would later score several hits in the early '80s). It wasn't long before Ward realized music was too much a part of her life to ignore, and her manager put her in contact with singer/songwriter Frederick Knight (who had scored a substantial hit in the summer of 1972 with "I've Been Lonely for So Long"). After graduation, however, Ward didn't set out to pursue a career in music and instead became a substitute teacher in the Memphis elementary school system. She went on to sing with the Rust College A Cappella Choir (which included recording alongside renowned Metropolitan Opera vocalist Leontyne Price), and recorded an obscure album with her own gospel quartet. Born on Decemin Memphis, Tennessee, Ward developed an interest in music - particularly gospel - at an early age. It is quite possible that Anita made no further recordings.Singer Anita Ward is most well-known for her 1979 disco single "Ring My Bell," a number one pop hit in the U.S. Only the single, “Don’t Drop My Love” (#87, 1979), sparked a mild interest. Before year’s end, one more single and another, tamer LP were issued.
![anita ward ring my bell live anita ward ring my bell live](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BlIrab7jK2w/hqdefault.jpg)
![anita ward ring my bell live anita ward ring my bell live](https://www.mylistpad.com/wp-content/uploads/Top-hits-of-1979.jpg)
Ward’s first album, Songs of Love (1979), was a huge seller. I don’t smoke and I don’t drink.” Ward had never even been to a disco when her bell-ringer was reverberating off the walls of countless dance halls. “You see, I’m basically just a naive, shy little church girl. “I am not really a disco queen,” she told Blues & Soul. We were down to our last number in the studio, and we realized that we needed something up tempo.” Anita was not even enthusiastic about her hit.
![anita ward ring my bell live anita ward ring my bell live](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yzjbAxCnt7U/maxresdefault.jpg)
“When we went into the studio, we had no intention whatsoever of cutting a disco number. ‘”Ring My Bell’ was almost an accident,” Ward recalled to Cashbox. “Ring My Bell” had to be rewritten, but once Freddie did so, and once Anita moved her way through the suggestive romp–which featured Knight playing a synthesized drum–the record became a stone-cold smash, topping both Billboard’s pop and R & B charts. “It was then a teenybopper type of song, about kids talking on the telephone,” Knight told Bob Gilbert and Gary Theroux in The Top T e n. Fred had a tune in his head that he had hoped to place with 11-year-old Stacy Lattisaw. FREDERICK KNIGHT, president of Juana Records, agreed to record some tunes with Ward. While Anita worked days as a substitute elementary-school teacher, her manager sent photos, bio sheets, and demo tapes out to record companies. While attending Rush College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, she sang in their a cappe lla choir and with the Rush Singers, who appeared on an album with Metropolitan Opera star Leontyne Price. 20, 1957, Memphis, TN) was always interested in music. ANITA WARD “RING MY BELL” (FREDERICK KNIGHT) Juana 3422 No. PLACE_LINK_HERE?wmode=transparent” width=”” height=”350″ > Live: Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song: 13:07: Anita Ward - Ring My Bell: 13:03: Def Leppard - Hysteria: 12:56: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl: 12:52: Peter Cetera - Glory Of Love: 12:43: Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real: 12:40: George Michael - Faith: 12:32: The Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle: 12:28: Band Aid - Do They Know.