Authority control databases
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
Jackie Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilfred Gerald Edwards |
| Born | 1938 Jamaica |
| Died | 15 August 1992 (aged 53–54) |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 1950–1992 |
| Labels | Island |
Wilfred Gerald Edwards (1938 – 15 August 1992),[1] known as Jackie Edwards, was a Jamaican musician, songwriter and record producer, whose career took in ska, R&B, soul, rocksteady, reggae, and ballads.[2]
Edwards was born in Jamaica in 1938 where he was raised with fourteen siblings. Strongly influenced by Nat King Cole, he began performing at the age of 14.[3] He came to the attention of Chris Blackwell in 1959. Edwards had four number one singles in Jamaica between 1960 and 1961, all self-written ballads with Latin-influenced music.[3]
When Blackwell set up Island Records in London in 1962, Edwards travelled with him.[1] Edwards worked as a singer and songwriter for Island, recording as a solo artist and also duets with Millie Small, as well as performing duties such as delivering records.[2][3] He wrote both "Keep On Running" and "Somebody Help Me", that became number one singles in the United Kingdom for The Spencer Davis Group.[1][2] He continued to work as a recording artist himself, with regular album releases through to the mid-1980s. Much of his later work was produced by Bunny Lee. Edwards also worked with The Aggrovators : one of his most renowned songs he produced with that band was the roots sound systems favourite, a recut of Burning Spear's Invasion (Wadada).[1] Dionne Bromfield covered his song "Oh Henry" on her album Introducing Dionne Bromfield in 2009.
Edwards worked as a producer, co-producing the 1977 album Move Up Starsky by The Mexicano.[4] The majority of Edwards' catalogue is published through Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd.
He died in August 1992 from a heart attack.[1]
