RIP Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer

Gregory Gay passed along the sad news of the passing of Bishop Dr. Barbara Ward Farmer today, April 5, 2025.

Gregory writes: “Barbara Ward Farmer was the genuine article. She invested in the lives of countless numbers of young people through the Wagner alumni choir, which recorded for Sweet Rain in its heyday, and through the music ministry of her church and denomination. Her earliest recordings can be found among the records of Pastor Rosie Wallace. She is a gospel treasure, and the world is a better place because of her.”

JGM adds that Bishop Farmer recorded her very first single in the early Sixties as “Little Barbara Ann Ward” for the Revelation imprint, run by John Bowden, Bobby Robinson, and Clarence “Fats” Lewis. We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and many fans of Bishop Farmer. May her legacy live on in the work she did and the lives she touched.