Archie L. Edwards (September 4, 1918 – June 18, 1998) was an American

Piedmont blues Piedmont blues (also known as East Coast, or Southeastern blues) refers primarily to a guitar style, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melo ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

, who in a sporadic career spanning several decades worked with

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

, and

John Jackson John or Johnny Jackson may refer to: Entertainment Art * John Baptist Jackson (1701–1780), British artist * John Jackson (painter) (1778–1831), British painter * John Jackson (engraver) (1801–1848), English wood engraver * John Richardson ...

. His best-known recordings are "Saturday Night Hop", "The Road Is Rough and Rocky", and "I Called My Baby Long Distance". In the late 1950s he owned a barbershop that attracted blues musicians who helped to start his musical career. Describing his musical style, Edwards said, "I play what they call the old Piedmont style, but I call it East Virginia blues 'cause that's where I learned it".

Biography

Edwards was born on a farm near

Union Hall, Virginia Union Hall is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population estimate was approximately 1,091 according to a census in 2018. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Union Ha ...

. His early work left some time to engage with local musicians, but he had to share his first guitar with his two brothers. Inspired by recordings of

Blind Boy Fuller Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen, July 10, 1904February 13, 1941) was an American blues guitarist and singer. Fuller was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists, rural African Americans, along with Blind Blake, Josh Wh ...

and

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929)Some sources indicate Jefferson was born on October 26, 1894. was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular blues sing ...

, he played locally and found employment in a sawmill. In 1937, he relocated to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, where he worked as a chauffeur, He later worked in a hotel in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. Edwards served in the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He struggled to settle in the postwar years and eventually found work as a barber. He opened his own barbershop in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1959. It was frequented by

, and the duo formed a loose working relationship with

, which endured for several years before Hurt's death in 1966. After mourning his friend, Edwards wrote the song "The Road Is Rough and Rocky". Edwards found more regular work at

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

s and in local

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

. He also joined

, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins,

Flora Molton Flora E. Molton (née Rollins; March 12, 1908 – May 31, 1990) was a street singer and slide guitar player who performed gospel and blues music in Washington, D.C., from the 1940s to shortly before her death. She played slide guitar in the "b ...

and Mother Scott, who performed around Washington billed as the Travelling Blues Workshop. In 1982, Edwards joined the

American Folk Blues Festival The American Folk Blues Festival was a music festival that toured Europe as an annual event for several years beginning in 1962. It introduced audiences in Europe, including the UK, to leading blues performers of the day such as Muddy Waters, Howl ...

in a tour of Europe. L & R Records subsequently released ''Living Country Blues USA, Vol. 6: The Road Is Rough'' (1982). After returning from touring continental Europe, Edwards teamed up with Eleanor Ellis and Flora Molton. The threesome toured across the United States, Canada and Europe, including

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

in the entourage in 1987. Edwards then recorded for

Mapleshade Records Mapleshade Records is an American jazz record company and independent record label founded by Pierre Sprey in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, United States, in 1990. Mapleshade's catalogue includes Bobby Battle, Gary Bartz, Walter Davis, Clifford J ...

, releasing ''Blues 'n Bones'' in 1989. Edwards died in

Seat Pleasant, Maryland Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located immediately east of Washington. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,522. Two state highways pass through the community — Maryland routes 704 ...

, in June 1998, at the age of 79. The posthumous album ''The Toronto Sessions'' is based on work he recorded in Canada in 1986.

Discography

References

External links

Illustrated discography at Wirz.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Archie 1918 births 1998 deaths American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Piedmont blues musicians Singers from Virginia Songwriters from Virginia People from Franklin County, Virginia 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Virginia 20th-century American male singers Northern Blues Music artists Mapleshade Records artists American military personnel of World War II American military police officers American male songwriters

Biography

Discography

See also

References

External links