Stoney Edwards (1929-1997) was a very compelling, very distinctive performer. Signed in the wake of Charley Pride's phenomenal success, Edwards was seen as Capitol's attempt at fielding an African-American country artist, and while he wasn't a great commercial success he sure had a knack for recording memorable music. Too few albums came out back then, or are available even today... But here's a quick look at his career...
Stoney Edwards "Poor Folks Stick Together: The Best Of Stoney Edwards" (Razor & Tie Records, 1998)
This is a great 20-song collection, well worth searching for, with a rough-hewn, rootsy vibe that's sort of a mix between Merle Haggard and Jerry Reed, but with many original songs that drew on Edwards' own background as a rural black man who grew up around sharecroppers and bootleggers, and later became an industrial worker out West. As his singles faded out of the lower rungs of the Top 50, Edwards released his swan song, a remarkably frank tune about his racial identity, "Blackbird (Hold Your Head Up High)", which was hardly likely to get much airplay, given that it used the N-word in the chorus... But if you like country music with real character and real grit, then these lost gems of the 1970s are well worth looking for. Highly recommended!
Stoney Edwards "Stoney Edwards/She's My Rock" (Hux Records, 2005)
A straight reissue of two early Stoney Edwards albums, 1971's Stoney Edwards and She's My Rock, from '73.
Stoney Edwards "Stoney Edwards, A Country Singer" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "Down Home In The Country" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "Stoney Edwards" (Capitol Records, 1972) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "She's My Rock" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "Mississippi, You're On My Mind" (Capitol Records, 1975) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "Blackbird" (Capitol Records, 1976) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "No Way To Back Down A Memory" (Music America, 1981) (LP)
Stoney Edwards "Just For Old Time's Sake" (RBR Records, 1991)
