Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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EDWARDS, Don

(b 30 March '30, Boonton NJ) A modern cowboy troubadour, performing authentic cowboy songs and writing modern classics of the west. Inspired by singing cowboys, he left his eastern home at 16 and settled in Texas, working on oilfields and ranching. Landed a job as singer, stuntman and actor at the Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park in Dallas '61. Tried his luck in Nashville '66, recorded one- off album for Stop Records, then moved back to Fort Worth and launched a semi-professional career as a singing cowboy. Recorded self-financed Happy Cowboy album with guests Roy Rogers, Stuart Hamblen and Jimmy Wakeley '80, then came Songs Of The Cowboy, a double album tribute to Jack Thorpe, the cowboy minstrel. Chant Of The Wanderer '91 won the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Western Heritage Wrangler Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Music. Guested on Michael Martin Murphey's Cowboy Songs on Warner Western and gained a contract there, then Song Of The West readers' poll for Album of the Year for Songs Of The Trail '92. A regular at Western and Cowboy Festivals, also praised for his Western poetry. Other albums: Guitars And Saddle Songs '88 and Desert Nights And Cowtown Blues '90 on Sevenhoux; Going Back To Texas '93 and West Of Yesterday '96 on Warners.