Our Conversation with Rich Ward -- The Duke of Metal

Guitarist Rich Ward has enjoyed a wildly successful career in the Rock and Metal world, achieving numerous accolades, including the front cover of Guitar Player magazine. Along with partner and singer Chris Jericho, their band Fozzy is currently experiencing their biggest success to date.

Madison Records recently re-released two of Fozzy’s albums, All That Remains and Chasing the Grail. Recently, Madison Records had the opportunity to sit down with Rich Ward for a one-on-one conversation. We’re excited to share this opportunity to learn a little more about our friend and distributed artist.

Where did the nickname Duke of Metal come from?

In the 90s I was with a band called Stuck Mojo. At that time mainstream rock magazines were still a big thing, especially in Europe. One of the big German magazines did a review on Stuck Mojo’s second album, Pigwalk, in the review they wrote "If Zakk Wylde was The King of modern metal, then Rich Ward certainly deserved the title of The Duke."

As the Stuck Mojo days were winding down, you met Chris Jericho backstage at a WWF event. After bonding over a love of metal, you two co-founded Fozzy. Did you ever envision the success you are currently experiencing with the band?

Absolutely not. The band was formed as a project in which a group of like-minded metalheads could play their favorite classic metal covers. It wasn’t until the excitement and buzz surrounding our first few shows created interest within the music industry that we realized we were building something special.

You’ve been called the creative force behind Stuck Mojo. You’re the co-founder, guitarist, co-producer, and songwriter for Fozzy. You recorded a solo release earlier in your career, and recently started a band called Guardians of the Jukebox. Where do you get the inspiration and drive for all of your creative work?

I’m still that 12-year-old kid who loves music with every fiber of my body. My earliest memories are attached to songs, and some of my favorite moments were standing in the audience watching one of my favorite bands. That’s where it all comes from, my love affair with music. There was never a moment in my life that I questioned what I was going to be when I “grew up.”

You've previously recorded Capturing Judas at Madison Studios, and now two of your early Fozzy albums, All That Remains and Chasing the Grail, were recently re-released via Madison Records. What do you enjoy most about working with Madison?

The studio has a great vibe about it, and that starts with the people who run it. It’s always a rare occurrence when you work with people who are both technically and creatively brilliant, and Madison’s staff tick those boxes with confidence. The studio itself is more of a complex than a studio, as it contains lots of purpose-built rooms and creative spaces to work in. Dinner breaks and late-night snacks take place in an incredible kitchen, the kind you would find in an upscale designer home. Madison is a total package studio facility.

Things are constantly changing as far as what’s popular in music, but there’s been a lasting, strong fan base for heavy metal. Why do you think that is? What attracts you personally to that type of music?

At its peak, heavy metal was home to some of the biggest personalities in popular music. They were culturally dangerous and a voice for those of us who felt like we didn’t fit neatly into the norms of the time. The sound was aggressive and the musicianship was striving to reach new heights of technicality and virtuosity. At 12 years old, I was the target audience, and at 52, I remain so.

What is one surprising thing about you?

I’ve never smoked a cigarette or weed.

What qualities do you feel you bring to the table that has helped you have such a long, successful career in the music industry?

When times get impossibly tough and everyone else says they have had enough, I’m like the Terminator...It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with...it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop. Ever!!!

That’s the key to being successful in the music business, failure is not an option.

Follow Rich Ward on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/officialrichward/