Bernice Edwards

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"Moanin '" Bernice Edwards (* approx. 1910; † February 26, 1969 in Houston ) was an American blues musician ( vocals , piano ).

Live and act

Bernice Edwards grew up in Houston in a musical family (to which she was not related); these were Sippie Wallace , the brothers George W. Thomas, Jr .; a pianist, bandleader and composer, and Hersal Thomas , who was about her age, and her niece, Hociel Thomas , who were all well-known musicians of the early blues and boogie-woogie . She learned to play the piano from Hociel Thomas; around 1923 George and Hersal moved to Chicago; During two recording sessions for Paramount Records in February 1928 in Chicago, Edwards had the opportunity to record twelve songs in which she accompanied herself on the piano (including "Hard Hustling Blues" / "High Powered Mama" (P 12766) and "Long Tall Mama" , P 12633). Her piano playing included ragtime and blues ; her singing was influenced by vaudeville alongside the blues . Edwards 'song "Moanin' Blues" became her trademark; other titles were "Mean Man Blues", "Jack of All Trades", "Two-Way Kind of Mind Blues", "Low Down Dirty Shame Blues" and "Hard Hustling Blues".

Edwards took part in the last recordings of JT Smith , made for the American Record Corporation in Fort Worth in April 1935 with Black Boy Shine (piano), but these (including the instrumental numbers "Hot Mattress Stomp" and "Ninth Street Stomp") remained unpublished. One day after this trio session she recorded "Ninth Street Stomp" under her own name for Vocalion Records (# 03168). After this session, Edwards is said to have married; In 1937 she recorded the tracks "Gamblin 'Jinx Blues" and "Business Woman Blues" with Black Boy Shine for Vocalion. After that, no further recordings were made.

Discographic notes

  • Texas Piano Vol. 1 (1923-1935) ( Document Records , ed. 1993).
  • Blues, Volume 4: The Thomas Family 1925-1929 (Magpie)
  • The Complete Recorded Works of George and Hersal Thomas, Moanin 'Bernice Edwards (1923-1935).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc: Blues: A Regional Experience , 2013.
  2. ^ Paramount Race series
  3. ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed January 4, 2014)
  4. ↑ Discography by JT Smith
  5. ^ Alan Govenar and Jay Brakefield: The Dallas Music Scene: 1920s-1960s , 2014, 72.
personal data
SURNAME Edwards, Bernice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1910
DATE OF DEATH 26th February 1969
Place of death Houston