12/13/2025
Lakewood - East Dallas Advocate feature on Ward Richmond and his new album BIG ADDICT ENERGY
When an injury prematurely ended Ward Richmond’s college football career, he turned to music — but also to alcohol. The Lakewood native’s relationship to both coping mechanisms inspired his latest album, "Big Addict Energy," which came out in November on his two-year sobriety date. Richmond has explored addiction in his music before, but the new album and its lead single, “The Non-Alcoholic Beer Drinkin’ Man,” delve into the chaos.
A lot of what informs Richmond’s music career started in East Dallas. In addition to playing football, he was also involved in musicals and show choir at Woodrow Wilson High School (Class of 1996). Being in theater arts led Richmond to write his first song as a sophomore and to meet classmate John Pedigo, who also went into music and produced "Big Addict Energy."
After high school, Richmond was recruited to play football at Brown University in Rhode Island, but he got hurt his freshman year. After that, music shifted from “side project to (his) main hobby.” Being the rocker at the bar became his new persona. Around 1998, Richmond joined Pedigo as a member of Slick 57. “I started writing songs a lot more and pouring myself into music." Returning to Dallas after graduation, he worked in commercial real estate, but two years later, stepped away to tour with Slick 57. He says, “So that was enough vans and couches as my bed for four years and not really making money." He returned to real estate around age 27 and hasn’t toured since.
https://lakewood.advocatemag.com/lakewood-rocker-ward-richmond/
📷️: Steven Muns
