Eddie Floyd
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Eddie Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the
Stax Stax can refer to: * StAX, (Computer Programming) Streaming API for reading and writing XML in Java * Stax Ltd, a Japanese brand of electrostatic headphones * Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, ...
record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood".


Early life and education

Floyd was born in Montgomery, Alabama, to Florence Floyd, a nurse, and Prince Edward, a steelworker. He had four siblings: Joe, Benny, Dave, and Louise. In 1950, at age 13, Floyd was sent to Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children at Mount Meigs, a juvenile correctional facility, after fighting with the principal. He began his formal music studies there, learning theory and singing in a choir. After three years at Mount Meigs, Floyd moved to
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, where he lived with his aunt and uncle, Robert and Catherine West. Robert West was an impresario of the Detroit music scene and the founder of Lu Pine Records.


Career

At age 16, Floyd founded The Falcons, which also featured Mack Rice. They were forerunners to future Detroit vocal groups such as
The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...
and
The Four Tops ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
. Their most successful songs included "You're So Fine" and later, when
Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...
was recruited into the group as the lead singer, "I Found a Love." Pickett then embarked on a solo career, and The Falcons disbanded. Floyd signed a contract with the Memphis-based
Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...
as a songwriter in 1965. He wrote a
hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
, "Comfort Me," recorded by Carla Thomas. He then teamed with Stax's guitarist
Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...
to write songs for Wilson Pickett, now signed to
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. Atlantic distributed Stax and
Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
brought Pickett from New York City to work with Booker T. & the MGs. The Pickett sessions were successful, yielding several pop and R&B hits, including the Floyd co-written "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" and " 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.).” In 1966, Floyd recorded a song initially written for
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
. Wexler convinced Stax president Jim Stewart to release Floyd's version. The Steve Cropper-Eddie Floyd " Knock on Wood" launched Floyd's solo career, and has been
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...
by over a hundred different artists from
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
to
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
. Eventually, Redding would cut an R&B hit version of the song in 1967 as a duet with Carla Thomas. It became a
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
hit for Amii Stewart in 1979. Floyd was one of Stax's most consistent and versatile artists. He scored several more hits on his own, including " I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)" and " Raise Your Hand,” which was covered by both
Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
and
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
. The song "Big Bird" (featuring Booker T. Jones on organ and guitar, Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, and Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass) was written while Floyd waited in a London airport for a plane back to the United States for Otis Redding's funeral. Floyd's career did not keep him from being one of the label's most productive writers. Almost every Stax artist recorded Floyd material, often co-written with either Cropper or Jones, including
Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (1935–2025) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", " ...
("You Don't Know What You Mean to Me"),
Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...
("The Breakdown"), Otis Redding ("I Love You More Than Words Can Say"), and Johnnie Taylor's "Just the One (I've Been Looking For).” The latter played during the opening credits of director Harold Ramis's film '' Bedazzled''. In 1980, Floyd released material on the UK record label I-Spy Records, owned and created by the UK band Secret Affair. He joined old Stax collaborators Cropper and Dunn, and fronted The Blues Brothers Band on a series of world tours, and in 1998, Floyd and former Falcon Wilson Pickett appeared on screen dueting on "634-5789" in '' Blues Brothers 2000''. As well as singing with The Blues Brothers Band, Floyd has been the special guest with former
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
Bill Wyman William George Wyman ( né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who was the bass guitarist with the rock band the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on their first 19 ...
's Rhythm Kings on several dates in the US and the UK. In 2008, Floyd returned to Stax Records, which was owned by
Concord Music Group Concord Music Group was an American independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, with worldwide (including the U.S.) distribution through Universal Music Group. The company specialized in recordings and music publishing. On Apri ...
since 2004. His first new album in six years, ''Eddie Loves You So'', was released in July 2008. In November 2012, Floyd was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame as a Pioneer Award Recipient. In December 2012, Floyd released a new album at Christmas time. Eddie's son, Anthony Floyd, sings with him in the single, Don’t Forget About James Brown, and the album, Tonight’s The Night. In 2016 he was inducted into the
National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is an independent organization whose mission is to educate and to celebrate, preserve, promote, and present rhythm and blues music globally. History The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founde ...
Eddie Floyd was named to the
Memphis Music Hall of Fame The Memphis Music Hall of Fame, located in Memphis, Tennessee, honors Memphis musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert is held each year in Memphis. Since its establishment in 2012, the Hall of Fame has ...
in 2018. On 1 September 2017, at age 80, Floyd performed live at the Royal Albert Hall BBC Proms with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, in a tribute concert to 50 years of Stax Records synonymous with Southern soul music. On February 28, 2020, Rock House Records released Eddie Floyd's 1979 recording "Guess It Wasn't Meant to Be."


Discography


Albums

* '' Knock on Wood'' – (1967) –
Stax Stax can refer to: * StAX, (Computer Programming) Streaming API for reading and writing XML in Java * Stax Ltd, a Japanese brand of electrostatic headphones * Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, ...
* ''Looking Back'' – (1968) – Ember Records * ''I've Never Found a Girl'' – (1969) – Stax * ''Rare Stamps'' – (1969) – Stax * ''You've Got to Have Eddie'' – (1969) – Stax * ''California Girl'' – (1970) – Stax * ''Down to Earth'' – (1971) – Stax * ''Baby Lay Your Head Down'' – (1973) – Stax * ''Soul Street'' – (1974) – Stax * ''Experience'' – (1978) – Malaco Records * ''Flashback'' – (1988) – Ichiban Records * ''Red, White & Blues'' (The Blues Brothers Band) – (1992) – Turnstyle Records * ''Gotta Make a Comeback'' – (1999) – Plane Records * ''To the Bone'' – (2002) – Rock House Records * ''Eddie Loves You So'' – (2008) – Stax * ''At Christmas Time'' – (2012) – Stax * ''Down by the Sea'' – (2013) – Stax


Singles


References


External links

* – official site *
Eddie Floyd
interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' magazine, July 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Eddie 1937 births Living people African-American male singers American soul singers American male singers Songwriters from Alabama Musicians from Montgomery, Alabama Atlantic Records artists Malaco Records artists Stax Records artists Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings members The Blues Brothers members African-American songwriters Concord Records artists Bellaphon Records artists