Ward Archer
A man of many interests, Archer grew an advertising agency into one of the largest in the region, opened a recording studio that has become a magnet for the Mid-South’s brightest stars, and has recently embarked on a campaign to save our drinking water. In 1990 he engineered the merger of two long-time agencies to form Archer Malmo, now Tennessee’s largest ad agency, where he served as CEO. He is the founder of Archer Records and Music+Arts Studio. Archer Records also manages the Blue Barrel Records imprint; combined artists include Amy LaVere, Sid Selvidge, John Kilzer, Lily Afshar, Motel Mirrors, the Mighty Souls Brass Band, The Memphis Ukulele Band, The Love Light Orchestra Feat. John Nemeth, and the band Summer Avenue. Recent studio projects include Where’s Joe?, a new album from Memphis guitar legend Joe Restivo, Matt Ross-Spang mixing the Allman Betts Band’s new hit album Down To The River, Capitol recording artist Mickey Guyton, Victor Wainwright, the North Mississippi Allstars, Blind Mississippi Morris, Americana artist Eric Lewis, and Bruce Newman. Film sound projects include the score mix for Craig Brewer’s Dolemite Is My Name, Morgan Jon Fox’s short film The One You Never Forget, and surround-sound mixing of the 2019 Blues Music Awards show. In 2017, Archer founded the nonprofit Protect Our Aquifer to protect water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer. TVA has since been ordered not to use their wells and Protect Our Aquifer is working to establish active management of the Memphis Sand Aquifer within Shelby County.
