James David Ward is an American musician. A self-taught guitarist and pianist, he is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Sparta; he is also a co-founder of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, which he formed in 1994.

Sparta is an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Jim Ward and Matt Miller (bass), who are touring as a three-piece with rotating session drummers. Founding members Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar were members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, forming Sparta in 2001 after the break-up of their former band. The band entered a hiatus from 2008 onwards for Ward to focus on his solo career and side projects, reuniting from 2011 to 2013 for a series of shows and permanently reuniting in 2017. The band has released five studio albums to date; their fourth, Trust the River, was released in 2020 after a 14-year break between releases.