Dave Edmunds

David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having produced hits in these genres during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Edmunds first played in a band with his older brother Geoff when he was 10. This led to a succession of bands with other musicians. In 1968, he was a member of Love Sculpture, which had a Top 5 hit with Sabre Dance. Edmunds embarked on a solo career after Love Sculpture. His 1970 Christmas single "I Hear You Knocking" was certified gold and sold more than three million copies.

In 1976, Edmunds formed the group Rockpile with Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. Due to contractual arrangements, the group did not record as Rockpile until 1980. Between 1976 and 1980, Edmunds enjoyed success with Nick Lowe's "I Knew the Bride", Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk", Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts", Graham Parker's "Crawling from the Wreckage", and Melvin Endsley's "Singing the Blues". After Rockpile released their first LP under their own name, Seconds of Pleasure (1980), the band split. Edmunds spent the 1980s collaborating with and producing an assortment of artists, including Paul McCartney, King Kurt, Stray Cats, Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Status Quo. His 1983 release, Information produced a US Top 40 hit with "Slipping Away". It was followed in 1984 by the album Riff Raff.

Edmunds recorded less frequently after the mid-1980s. In 2013, he released a compilation album "…Again" followed, in 2015, with an instrumental album On Guitar… Dave Edmunds: Rags & Classics. After playing a final show in July 2017, he was reported to have retired from the music business.

Edmunds was born 15 April 1944 in Cardiff, Wales. As a ten-year-old, he first played in 1954 with a band called the Edmunds Bros Duo with his older brother Geoff (born 5 December 1939, Cardiff); this was a piano duo. Then the brothers were in the Stompers, later called the Heartbeats, formed around 1957 with Geoff Edmunds and Allan Goldsworty on rhythm guitars, Dave on lead guitar, Denny Driscoll on lead vocals, Johnny Stark on drums, and Tom Edwards on bass. Then Dave and Geoff were in the 99ers along with scientist and writer Brian J. Ford. After that Dave Edmunds was in Crick Feathers' Hill-Bills formed in about 1960, with Edmunds ("Feathers") on lead guitar, Zee Dolan on bass, Tennessee Tony on lead vocals, Tony Kees on piano and Hank Two Sticks on drums. The first group that Edmunds fronted was the Cardiff-based 1950s style rockabilly trio the Raiders formed in 1961, along with Brian 'Rockhouse' Davies on bass (born 15 January 1943, Cardiff) and Ken Collier on drums. Edmunds was the only constant member of the group, which later included bassist Mick Still, Bob 'Congo' Jones on drums (b. 13 August 1946, Barry, South Wales) and John Williams (stage name John David) on bass. The Raiders worked almost exclusively in the South Wales area.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.