Bernard Edwards

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Bernard Edwards (born October 31, 1952 in Greenville , North Carolina , † April 18, 1996 in Tokyo ) was an American musician and producer. As a bass player and producer he was a member of the group Chic , but also pursued his own projects.

Life

Edwards grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York , where he met Nile Rodgers in the early 1970s . The two founded the Big Apple Band, which was active between 1972 and 1976. Later on, drummer Tony Thompson joined them, and in 1977 the three of them formed the group Chic along with singer Norma Jean Wright.

Between 1977 and 1983 Edwards worked with Chic to create hits such as Dance, Dance, Dance , Everybody Dance , Le Freak , I Want Your Love and Good Times . Together with Nile Rodgers, Edwards also worked as a producer and songwriter for other artists, with Chic always being responsible for the entire music production except for the lead vocals. These productions for musicians like Sister Sledge , Sheila B. Devotion , Diana Ross , Johnny Mathis , Debbie Harry and Fonzi Thornton led to other hits such as Saturday , He's The Greatest Dancer , We Are Family , Spacer , Upside Down , I'm Coming out and backfired . In 1983 Chic broke up after artistic differences between Edwards and Rodgers.

Then Edwards released the solo album Glad To Be Here in the same year and from 1985 was responsible for the instrumentalization and production of the group Power Station , which consists of the chic drummer Tony Thompson, the Duran Duran members John and Andy Taylor and the singer Robert Palmer insisted. Also in 1985 he produced the hit album Riptide for Robert Palmer . During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Edwards was a producer for Diana Ross, Rod Stewart , Air Supply , ABC, and Duran Duran, among others .

In 1992 Edwards and Nile Rodgers were reconciled and released the album Chic-ism on the occasion of the reunification of Chic , which was not very well received by critics.

In 1996 Nile Rodgers received the JT Superproducer of the Year award in Japan and was invited to perform with Chic in Tokyo on the occasion. Edwards fell ill shortly before performing at the Budokan Arena , but despite Rodger's concerns and against the advice of an appointed doctor, Edwards insisted on performing the concert. He was only able to play his set thanks to the help of others, and immediately after the concert he retired to his hotel room, where he was later found dead by Rodgers. Pneumonia was given as the cause of death.

Bernard Edwards is considered one of the most important bass players of the 20th century. The bass run of Chic's hit "Good Times" became one of the most widely used samples in pop music history and had an immense impact on musicians of various genres.

On September 19, 2005, Edwards was recognized for his extraordinary achievements as a musician and producer by being inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City.

Discography (selection)

Chic

  • Chic (1977)
  • C'est Chic (1978)
  • Risqué (1979)
  • Real People (1980)
  • Take It Off (1981)
  • Tongue in Chic (1982)
  • Believer (1983)
  • The Best of Chic, Vol 1 (1991)
  • Chic-ism (1992)
  • The Best of Chic, Vol 2 (1992)
  • Live at the Budokan (1996)

solo

  • Glad To Be Here (1983)

As a producer

  • Norma Jean, Norma Jean (1978)
  • We Are Family, Sister Sledge (1979)
  • King of the World, Sheila B. Devotion (1980)
  • Love Somebody Today, Sister Sledge (1980)
  • Diana, Diana Ross (1980)
  • I Love My Lady, Johnny Mathis (1981) (unreleased)
  • Koo Koo, Debbie Harry (1981)
  • Swept Away, Diana Ross (1984)
  • The Power Station 33 1/3, The Power Station (1985)
  • A View to a Kill (Single), Duran Duran (1985)
  • Heat, Nona Hendryx (1985)
  • Riptide, Robert Palmer (1985)
  • Double or Nothing, Kenny Loggins & Gladys Knight (Rocky IV. OST) (1985)
  • Cocker, Joe Cocker (1986)
  • Color in Your Life, Missing Persons (1986)
  • Hearts in Motion, Air Supply (1986)
  • Alphabet City, ABC (1987)
  • If, Hollywood Beyond (1987)
  • Contact, Platinum Blond (1987)
  • Jody Watley, Jody Watley (1987)
  • Out of Order, Rod Stewart (1988)
  • Under the One Sky, Distance (1989)
  • YUI Orta, Ian Hunter / The Hunter Ronson Band (1990)
  • Break the Silence, The Triplets (1990)
  • Vagabond Heart, Rod Stewart (1991)
  • Living in Fear, The Power Station (1996)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Perrone, Pierre: Obituary: Bernard Edwards. The Independent, April 27, 1996, accessed March 31, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Fischer, Jonathan: The groove of the future. FAZ, July 30, 2013, accessed on March 31, 2014 .
personal data
SURNAME Edwards, Bernard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician and producer
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Greenville , North Carolina , United States
DATE OF DEATH April 18, 1996
Place of death Tokyo