Jim Ward (musician)
American musician
James David Ward (born September 19, 1976) is an American musician. A self-taught guitarist and pianist, he is the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative rock band Sparta, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. Ward is also a co-founder of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, which he formed in 1994 with Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
Between 1996 and 2000, At the Drive-In released three studio albums and several EPs to widespread critical acclaim and an increasing cult fanbase. The band dissolved at the peak of its popularity in 2001, while touring in support of its third studio album, Relationship of Command. Following the band's break-up, Ward formed Sparta with At the Drive-In members Paul Hinojos and Tony Hajjar, releasing three studio albums between 2002 and 2006.
After putting Sparta on hiatus, Ward focused on his alternative country project Sleepercar, releasing one studio album, West Texas, in 2008 and supporting Coldplay and City & Colour on their respective tours. Ward reunited Sparta in 2011 and returned to At the Drive-In in 2012 for a short-lived reunion tour.
Early life
Jim Ward's early musical interests included Billy Joel, Benny Goodman, Subhumans, Pixies, Minor Threat, and Dead Kennedys. Ward started playing guitar and bass, and by age 14 began to be influenced by the Clash, U2, Fugazi, Jawbox, and the Dischord Records roster.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Jim Ward (musician)” is american musician. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Ward, musician and American, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “american musician” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3398790. VIAF identifies the subject as 85878010. The Library of Congress control number is no2009114879. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1976, 1994, 1996 and 2000.
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This entry incorporates text from “Jim Ward (musician)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.