He grew up in the Ensley area of Birmingham, Alabama, before moving to Detroit, Michigan, where he was established as a club singer by the late 1950s.
[3] He was named "Singin' Sammy Ward" by Berry Gordy's wife Raynoma, "Miss Ray", and first recorded for Motown in 1960, on a duet with Sherri Taylor, "Lover" / "That's Why I Love You So Much".
The original B-side, "What Makes You Love Him", was changed to another song, Robinson's "Who's The Fool", which became Ward's only chart success, reaching no.
[6] A bluesy singer who drew comparisons with Bobby Bland, Ward released several more singles on Tamla, including "Big Joe Moe" written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Brian Holland, and "Someday Pretty Baby" featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica, both in 1962, and then one on the subsidiary Soul label.
[3][6] Credited as Sam Ward, he recorded Richard "Popcorn" Wylie's "Stone Broke" and "Sister Lee" for the Groove City label in 1968.