Bernard Edwards | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1952-10-31)October 31, 1952 Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | April 18, 1996(1996-04-18) (aged 43) Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1972–1996 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitaristNile Rodgers, with whom he co-foundedChic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the 53rd greatest bassist of all time byBass Player magazine.[1]
Edwards was born inGreenville, North Carolina, and grew up inBrooklyn, New York, where he metNile Rodgers in the early 1970s. At the time, Edwards was working at a post office with the mother of Rodgers's girlfriend.[2] The two formed the Big Apple Band (active 1972–1976) and then united with drummerTony Thompson to eventually form Chic together with singerNorma Jean Wright.
With Chic (active 1976–1983), Edwards created era-defining hits such as "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Everybody Dance", "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love" and "Good Times". Edwards also worked with Nile Rodgers to produce and write for other artists, using Chic to perform everything musically and vocally except lead vocals. Those productions withNorma Jean Wright,Sister Sledge,Sheila and B. Devotion,Diana Ross,Johnny Mathis,Debbie Harry andFonzi Thornton led to more hits such as "Saturday", "He's The Greatest Dancer", "We Are Family", "Spacer", "Upside Down", "I'm Coming Out" and "Backfired". In the song "We Are Family," Kathy Sledge gives Edwards a brief shout-out, singing "Yeah, come on Bernard, play...play your funky bass, boy!". As a lone songwriter/producer, he gaveDiana Ross her Top 15 hit, "Telephone" from her 1985 platinum "Swept Away" album released onRCA and Ross' international label,Capitol-EMI.
Edwards released a solo album,Glad to Be Here in 1983, and in 1985 he was instrumental in the formation of thesupergroupthe Power Station. The band's first album was produced by Edwards and featured Chic drummerTony Thompson, andDuran Duran membersJohn andAndy Taylor as well as singerRobert Palmer. Edwards followed this by producing Robert Palmer's hit albumRiptide. He continued to produce artists throughout the 1980s and 90s, including Diana Ross,Adam Ant,Rod Stewart,Jody Watley,Grayson Hugh,Air Supply,ABC and Duran Duran.
Edwards was the father of multi-platinum record producerBernard "Focus..." Edwards, Jr. who has produced songs forJennifer Lopez,Beyoncé,Busta Rhymes,Bishop Lamont,Tony Yayo and more.
Edwards teamed up with Nile Rodgers again for the Chic reunion in the early 1990s and released the albumChic-Ism in 1992.
In 1996, Edwards and Nile Rodgers were in Japan participating in "J.T. Super Producers '96," a concert series sponsored byJapan Tobacco.[3] Just before the concert at theBudokan Arena in Tokyo, Edwards fell ill, but despite Rodgers' insistence, refused to cancel the gig. He managed to perform but had to be helped at times. At one point, Edwards blacked out for a few seconds before resuming his playing. Rodgers assumed the absence of bass was a deliberate improvisation and did not learn the truth until after the show. After the concert, Rodgers went to check on Edwards and asked how he was doing, to which he replied "I'm fine, I just need to rest." This was the last time Rodgers spoke to Edwards.[4] Edwards retired to his hotel room where he was later found dead by Rodgers.[5] The medical examiner determined the cause of death waspneumonia.[6] Edwards's final performance was issued in 1999 as the albumLive at the Budokan.
His bass line from the Chic hit "Good Times" has become one of the most copied pieces of music in history, and had a huge influence on musicians of manygenres when released and was the inspiration for "Another One Bites the Dust" byQueen.[7]
"Good Times" was credited onSugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" in 1979 (the vinyl label reads "based on the music from the song 'Good Times' N. Rogers / B. Edwards") – the firstrap song to become a mainstream hit. The following decades saw it sampled by artists of diverse genres, from rap topunk andtechno topop.Duran Duran bassistJohn Taylor often played the song in homage during his solo performances and cited Edwards as his primary influence.
Edwards was nominated for fourGrammy Awards for his work with Chic, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and Robert Palmer.[8]
On September 19, 2005, Edwards was honored posthumously for his outstanding achievement as a producer, when he was inducted into theDance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York.[9]
