Madisen Ward is a Kansas City musician and songwriter. Hailing from Independence, Madisen was raised with a feeling that anything was possible, watching his mother Ruth playing shows at coffee shops and his uncle, actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., on the big screen. 

Madisen started writing in high school, and after taking the stage with his mother a few times and writing some originals, the two formed “Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear”. The Americana/roots duo went from the kitchen to Letterman almost overnight, with live videos from their debut album, Skeleton Crew, catching on like wildfire.

Now, Madisen has taken off on his own and lets us inside his creative process as he continues the Ward legacy. Hear the mantras and motivations that have brought him here, what lies ahead, and how Kansas City encourages artists to lean into warmth and their own unique style.

Madisen Ward is a Kansas City musician and songwriter. Hailing from Independence, Madisen was raised with a feeling that anything was possible, watching his mother Ruth playing shows at coffee shops and his uncle, actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., on the big screen. Madisen started writing in high school, and after taking the stage with his mother a few times and writing some originals, the two formed “Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear”. The Americana/roots duo went from the kitchen to Letterman almost overnight, with live videos from their debut album, Skeleton Crew, catching on like wildfire.
Now, Madisen has taken off on his own and lets us inside his creative process as he continues the Ward legacy. Hear the mantras and motivations that have brought him here, what lies ahead, and how Kansas City encourages artists to lean into warmth and their own unique style.

“There’s just something about Kansas City.”™ It may be the most-heard phrase from those who are from here, those who have come here, & those who have chosen to stay. It’s a sense of pride, of camaraderie, of community and comfort. A sense of small-town, back-patio warmth brimming with growth, innovation and potential. A sense of zero degrees of separation in a city of champions.

For each of us, that “something” is a story crafted through years of experiences, big and small, that have planted the Heart of America so deeply in our own.

Join legendary Kansas City sports broadcaster Frank Boal each week for deep, down-to-earth conversations with some of this town’s most legendary residents, both natives and transplants, and hear what it is about Kansas City that just keeps calling them home.

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