Thomas Jefferson Edwards (February 17, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song " It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Career

Born in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, Virginia, Edwards had his own radio show in Richmond the 1940s. In 1946, Edwards wrote "That Chick's Too Young to Fry", which was a sizable hit for

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

. Edwards began recording for the music label in 1949. He moved to New York in 1950, and recorded a few demos. When MGM heard his demos, they gave him a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...

, but more for his voice rather than his compositions. Edwards first recorded four songs for MGM, including his own song "All Over Again". Edwards was a singer most remembered for his 1958 hit " It's All in the Game", which appeared in the list of ''Billboard'' number-one singles of 1958. He sang his hit song on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'', on September 14, 1958. The song was composed by then-future U.S. Vice-President Charles G. Dawes in 1911 as "Melody in

A Major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

" with

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

written in 1951 by Carl Sigman. Edwards originally recorded and charted the song in 1951, but it climbed to only no. 18. The better-known 1958 version was on the same record label (

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

) and was backed by the same orchestra

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

( Leroy Holmes), but with a different arrangement more suited to the

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

-influenced style of the time. As well as topping the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the song also got to number one on the R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart. The single sold over 3.5 million copies globally, earning

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

status. The gold disc was presented in November 1958. His second biggest hit was his 1959 re-recording of " Please, Mr. Sun" (written by Ramon Martin Getzov and Sid Frank), which reached No. 11. Another of Edwards' hits was "Love Is All We Need" which reached No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Although Edwards recorded a number of other songs, none came close to achieving the same level of success, though several of his songs later became hits for other artists, such as " A Fool Such as I" by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, "It's All in the Game" by

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

and the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The ...

( Eddie Holman's version of it was the B-side of his hit " Hey There Lonely Girl"), " Please Love Me Forever" by Cathy Jean and the Roommates (1961) and by

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer and actor, who hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One ...

(1967), and " Morning Side of the Mountain" recorded by

Donny Donnie or Donny is a familiar form (hypocorism) of the masculine given name Donald, Donal, Don, or Donovan. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Donny Baldwin, American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship and Starsh ...

and

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and businesswoman. She is known for her girl next door, girl-next-door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. Her musi ...

. On October 23, 1969, Edwards died at the age of 47 from massive internal hemorrhaging due to esophageal varices linked to

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

of the liver, per his death certificate.''Commonwealth of Virginia - Certificate of Death'' number 69-030829 dated 23 October 1969. He is interred at the Quioccasin Baptist Church Cemetery in Henrico, Virginia. His headstone says he was born on October 15, 1922, but his death certificate says he was born October 12, 1926. The 1930 census indicates that his correct birth year is 1922. The informant was his sister, Buena. Edwards received a Virginia Highway Marker in 2008, erected near Pemberton Elementary School, off Quioccasin Road, in Henrico County. In July 2008, Richmond mayor L. Douglas Wilder signed a proclamation declaring October 15, 2008 "Tommy Edwards Day". In September 2012,

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

label Shout issued a 2-CD collection of Edwards's work, entitled ''It's All in the Game (The MGM Recordings 1958–1960)'', which comprised his first four MGM albums and singles from the two years following that single's huge success.

Country and western crossover album

In 1961, Edwards broke new ground by releasing a studio album entitled ''Golden Country Hits''. His album of country interpretations predated

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and featured covers of some of the same song choices, including "You Don't Know Me", a popular crossover ballad by country songwriter

Cindy Walker Cindy Walker (July 20, 1917 – March 23, 2006) was an American songwriter, country music singer, and dancer. She wrote many popular and enduring songs recorded by many artists. She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwriting, ofte ...

Partial discography

Albums

*''Tommy Edwards Sings''—Regent MG 6096 (Mono only) -- 1958 *''It's All in the Game''—MGM E (Mono)/SE (Stereo) 3732–1958 *''For Young Lovers''—MGM E/SE 3670–1959 *''You Started Me Dreaming''—MGM E/SE 3805–1959 *''Tommy Edwards''—Lion L 70120 (Mono only) -- 1959 *''Tommy Edwards in Hawaii''—MGM E/SE 3838–1960 *''Stardust''—MGM E/SE 4020–1960 *''Step Out Singing''—MEM E/SE 3822–1960 *''Tommy Edwards' Greatest Hits''—MGM E/SE 3884–1961 *''Tommy Edwards Sings Golden Country Hits''—MGM E/SE 3959–1961 *''Soft Strings and Two Guitars''—MGM E/SE 4060–1962 *''The Very Best of Tommy Edwards''—MGM E/SE 4141–1963 *''Tommy Edwards''—Metro M (Mono)/MS (Stereo) 511–1965

Singles

Production notes

The recording "Honestly and Truly" is only heard on compact disc in mono, because the original stereo master tape was either lost or destroyed. The recording " Take These Chains from My Heart" is heard on compact disc in re-channeled stereo because, as with the above song, the original stereo master was lost or destroyed. These recordings were issued on the

record label unless otherwise noted. "It's All in the Game" (1958 version) was produced by Harry Myerson. He is assumed to be the producer for all tracks from this point forward, although this cannot be confirmed. The orchestra was conducted and the arrangements were made on all records by LeRoy Holmes.

Television appearances

*''Sing It Again'' (1951) *''Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall'' (1951–1952) *''Songs for Sale'' (1952) *''

'' (1958) *''

The Arthur Murray Party ''The Arthur Murray Party'' is an American television variety show that ran from July 1950 until September 1960. The show was hosted by dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray, the show featured various acts and celebrity guests and acted as adverti ...

'' (1958)

References

External links

Biography
at Encyclopedia Virginia
Oldies.com biography of Tommy Edwards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Tommy 1922 births 1969 deaths American rhythm and blues singers American male pop singers Musicians from Richmond, Virginia MGM Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers