Clarence Edwards | |
---|---|
Born | Lindsay, Louisiana, United States | March 25, 1933
Died | May 20, 1993 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States | (aged 60)
Genres | Swamp blues, Louisiana blues, electric blues |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | Mid 1950s–1993 |
Labels | Various |
Clarence Edwards (March 25, 1933 – May 20, 1993) was an American blues musician from Louisiana, best known for his recordings of "Lonesome Bedroom Blues" and "I Want Somebody". [1] It was not until the late 1980s that Edwards was able to establish his reputation as a blues performer, assisted by his producer and manager Stephen Coleridge. [2]
Edwards was born in Lindsay, Louisiana, one of fourteen children, and relocated with his family at the age of twelve to Baton Rouge. He joined the Boogie Beats, a local blues band, along with one of his brothers, Cornelius, in the mid-1950s, and later played in the Bluebird Kings. Edwards was shot in the leg in a fracas outside a club in Alsen. [3]
Initially, Edwards found full-time employment on a farm, but he later worked for thirty years at Thomas Scrap. [3] Dr. Harry Oster recorded Edwards between 1959 and 1961, with Cornelius and the violin player Butch Cage. [2] By 1970, when he next recorded, for the producer Mike Vernon, Edwards had moved from an older styling to a more contemporary approach. [4] He was not widely known until the late 1980s, when he performed on the national blues festival circuit. [3]
Swampin' (1991) and Louisiana Swamp Blues, Vol. 4 (1993) showcased the range of Edwards's style, which gained appreciation among blues aficionados.
Edwards died in May 1993, in Louisiana, at the age of 60. [3]
His earlier work was posthumously remastered and issued on the CD Swamps the Word. [3] The compilation album I Looked Down That Railroad was released in 2003. [4]