Piedmont Blues guitarist Archie Edwards was born on this day in 1918 in Union Hall, VA. Edwards grew up around Blues. His father Roy played slide guitar, harmonica and banjo, often playing with travelling Bluesmen passing through Union Hall. By the age of 12, Edwards was working in a sawmill and playing house parties on Saturday nights. He served in WW2 and learned several trades, including masonry, barbering and truck driving. Edwards eventually settled in Washington, DC and opened a barbershop in the 60s. The shop became a gathering place for Blues musicians, including Mississippi John Hurt, who had setlled there during his re-discovery, and Edwards and Hurt became fast friends. Upon Hurts death in 1966 Edwards, too grief-stricken to play, gave up music for a time. He slowly returned to the Blues, performing at festivals and local nightspots. He then joined an ensemble called The Travelling Blues Workshop, consisting of Flora Molten, Mother Scott, John Jackson, John Cephas, and Phil Wiggins. Edwards recordings can be a little hard to find. There is a great out-of-print album called The Road is Rough and Rocky: Living Country Blues, Vol 6 on L&R Records. Rumor has it that Evidence has bought L&Rs catalog. Hopefully, they will release this wonderful album on CD. Two other CDs, again, hard to find, are Toronto Sessions and Blues and Bones
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:36:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015