Stoney Edwards was an American country singer. He was one of the first African-American singers to have a significant presence in

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

. He is best known for the song, " She's My Rock," a Top 20 country hit that was later a hit song for

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only ...

and then for

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

Biography

Born Frenchie (or Frenchy) Edwards on December 24, 1929 He was one of the youngest of seven children born to Rescue Edwards (known as "Bub"), a farmer from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

and his wife, Ollie (known as "Red"). From an early age, Edwards dreamed of performing at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...

. After moving to the San Francisco area and raising a family there, Edwards would play music in his spare time. However, in 1968, a job-related accident would change his life forever. While working as a forklift operator in a steel refinery, Edwards got trapped in a sealed-up tank and suffered severe carbon dioxide poisoning. He was sidelined for the next two years in either a coma, a near-coma, or in a state bordering on insanity. As his condition improved, Edwards found work in odd jobs while at the same time devoting more of his energy to music. He sang in a

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

style reminiscent of

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...

and

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled ...

. In 1970, while performing at a benefit for his hero,

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, Stoney was spotted by a local attorney, Ray Sweeney. In the wake of

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Re ...

's breakthrough success, the attorney knew that most labels were looking for a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

country singer. Just six months after recovering from his accident, Edwards signed a contract with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Backed by a then little-known Wills tribute band called

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted mor ...

, Edwards entered the studio to record some songs. "A Two Dollar Toy," his first single at Capitol, was inspired by an incident in which his plans to leave his family were aborted by the sound of a child's toy. Having refused to sue the steel company, Edwards would also not allow his wife to accept welfare. Unable to support his family due to his disability, Edwards planned to sneak out of the house so that there would be one less mouth to feed. However, as he was leaving, he stepped on a toy, waking his daughter, Janice. Edwards released five albums at

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

which included two singles to make the Top 20. While his chart success never reached the heights of

, Edwards had a devoted following. One of his biggest hits, " She's My Rock," which peaked at No. 20 in 1973, was a No. 6 single for

in 1975 (as "He's My Rock") and a No. 2 hit for

in 1984. On at least one occasion, Jones invited Edwards on stage to sing it. Another one of his popular songs was "Hank and Lefty Raised My Country Soul," a tribute to

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and

. It hit the Top 40 in 1973. In 1976, one of his last chart singles created the most controversy. Many stations would not play, "Blackbird (Hold Your Head High)" because it contained the line "just a couple of country niggers" despite the song's affirmative message. By the early 1980s, both his health and his career began to decline. He died on April 5, 1997, of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenoca ...

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

*
Hillbilly-Music.com Bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Stoney 1929 births 1997 deaths People from Seminole County, Oklahoma African-American country musicians African-American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Oklahoma Deaths from stomach cancer Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Capitol Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers