Bobby Edwards (born Robert Edward Moncrief; January 18, 1926 – July 31, 2012) was an American

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, ...

singer who recorded between 1959 and 1969. At the beginning of his career he performed and recorded under the name Bobby Moncrief. Then, having completed his service in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, he started recording as Bobby Edwards.

Biography

Edwards was born in

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acco ...

, United States, to a preacher, George Thomas Moncrief and Ila Eva Murray Moncrief. As Bobby Moncrief, he first recorded for Pappy Daily at 'D' Records in 1958. His first recording was called "Long Gone Daddy". In 1959, he revived Tex Ritter's 1945 hit, written by

Jenny Lou Carson Jenny Lou Carson, (January 13, 1915 – December 16, 1978), born Virginia Lucille Overstake, was an American country music singer-songwriter and the first woman to write a No. 1 country music hit. From 1945 to 1955 she was one of the most prolifi ...

, "Jealous Heart"; the record was issued on the Bluebonnet label. Then Edwards went out west, working shows on his own in southern California before songwriter Terry Fell placed him on Crest Records, and helped produce and arrange "You're the Reason." Though Edwards wrote the song, his manager and financier Fred Henley and Terry Fell received writing credits. Darrell Cotton,

Gib Guilbeau Floyd August "Gib" Guilbeau (September 26, 1937 – April 12, 2016) was an American Cajun country rock musician and songwriter. As a member of Nashville West, Swampwater, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and later The Burrito Brothers, Guilbeau h ...

, and Ernie Williams had formed a trio, Darrell, Gib & Ernie. Then, the trio released the singles "I Goof" and "Just or Unjust", which became local hits. After adding Wayne Moore, they became The Four Young Men, which Edwards then joined to become Bobby Edwards & The Four Young Men. Their first record together was the

Crest Records Crest Records is a now defunct subsidiary record label of music publisher American Music owned by Sylvester Cross. History Crest Records started operating in 1954, released its first records in 1955. Its offices were located at 9109 Sunset Boul ...

single " You're the Reason". In 1961, the song became a nationwide U.S. hit, peaking at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' country chart and No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The tune was later covered by

Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...

and

Hank Locklin Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...

. Edwards then transferred to

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 ...

and released the sound-alike "What's the Reason", which peaked at No. 71 the following year. In 1963, his single "Don't Pretend" made the Billboard country chart (No. 23), being his last single to enter the country chart. In the late 1960s, he operated a small recording studio. In the early 1970s, he also recorded several gospel albums. Edwards completely retired from the music industry in 1972 and returned to Anniston to raise a family. Edwards lived in

Smyrna, Tennessee Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Smyrna's population was 53,070 at the 2020 census. In 2007, '' U.S. News & World Report'' listed Smyrna as one of the best places in the United States to retire. Smyrna is part of the Nashville ...

from 2000 until his death. He died on July 31, 2012, at the

Middle Tennessee Medical Center Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, formerly Middle Tennessee Medical Center, is a 286-bed private, not-for-profit hospital located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States. Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital is a member of Saint Thomas Health. Th ...

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

. He was 86.

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Bobby 1926 births 2012 deaths American country singer-songwriters Crest Records artists Columbia Records artists People from Anniston, Alabama People from Smyrna, Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Tennessee