Bernice Edwards (c. 1907 – February 26, 1969) was an American

classic female blues Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by ...

singer, pianist and songwriter. She recorded a total of 21 tracks between 1926 and 1935. Unusually for a female blues performer at the time, Edwards composed some of her songs. Details of her life outside the recording studio are sketchy.

Life and career

Edwards was probably born in

Katy, Texas Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city o ...

, and raised in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

. Although Edwards was not directly related to them, she grew up with a musical family, which included Beulah Belle,

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Pres ...

, Hociel and

Hersal Thomas Hersal Thomas (September 9, 1906 – June 2, 1926) was an American blues pianist and composer. He recorded a number of sides for Okeh Records in 1925 and 1926. Thomas was born in Houston, Texas, United States, and displayed an early talen ...

. During her time with them she learned to play the piano. In 1923, she relocated along with George and Hersal Thomas to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. Five years later, at two separate recording sessions in February and November 1928, Edwards recorded twelve songs for

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramount Records was formed in ...

, which included "Moaning Blues". This title may have led to her being sometimes billed as "Moanin' Bernice (Edwards)". She accompanied herself while singing the mainly slow blues songs, which also included her version of "Long Tall Mama." Her common theme was of the "lowlife" and mean men, typified by the aforementioned plus "Mean Man Blues" and "Hard Hustling Blues." Some of her early recordings were released under the name Bernice Duke. In 1935, Edwards returned to the recording studio, this time in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

for

American Record Corporation American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company. Overview ARC was created in January 1929 by Louis G. Sylvester, president of Scra ...

. Alongside

Black Boy Shine Black Boy Shine (c. September 12, 1908 – March 28, 1952) was an American Texas blues pianist, singer and songwriter. Little is known of his life outside of his recording career. He was part of the 'Santa Fe Group', a loose ensemble of black ...

, she recorded piano duets including one entitled "Hot Mattress Stomp". The recording included some guitar playing by J. T. "Funny Papa" Smith. Her own piano playing had also gained in dynamics since her first visit to a recording studio. Her self-penned track "Butcher Shop Blues" (1935), extended the analogy of meat for sexual innuendo, although her vocals on it appeared to be less strong and expressive. Following the Fort Worth session, Edwards apparently got married and joined the church, after which nothing much more is known of her life. According to researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc, she died in

Hermann Hospital Memorial Hermann Health System is the largest not-for-profit health system in southeast Texas and consists of 17 hospitals, 8 Cancer Centers, 3 Heart & Vascular Institutes, and 27 sports medicine and rehabilitation centers, in addition to other ...

in Houston in 1969, aged about 62. Her work is included on various compilation albums.

Other sources

*Evans, David (1993). Liner notes, ''Texas Piano Vol. 1 (1923–1935)''.

Document Records Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the B ...

DOCD-5224. *Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' (3rd ed.). New York: Muze. .

References

External links

Discogs.com entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Bernice 1900s births 1969 deaths American blues singers 20th-century African-American women singers Classic female blues singers American blues pianists Paramount Records artists Vocalion Records artists Songwriters from Texas Singers from Texas People from Katy, Texas 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American singers African-American songwriters African-American pianists

Life and career

See also

Other sources

References

External links