Born on April 15: Dave Edmunds, British rock's quiet gentleman

He was born in 1944 in Cardiff, Wales and has now, in his own words, taken a well-deserved retirement.

Mainly influenced by the rock'n roll of the 50s as well as pub rock, he always had an undeniable talent for composing (or making his own) memorable choruses. Barely knee-high in the mid-50s, he followed his older brother into each of his fleeting local bands. Too numerous to mention, these experiences gradually inspired him to pick up a guitar, of course, but also to take on vocals. Like several generations of English musicians, he owes a lot to John Peel, the legendary BBC DJ with a keen ear. It was notably him who lent a hand to that energised cover of "Sabre Dance." This was at the end of the 70s, and his first group, with real professional ambitions, was called Love Sculpture. They released two albums.

Even though he has always taken care to surround himself with partners rather than mere accompanists, Dave Edmunds was now ready to perform under his own name. On his first album entitled "Rockpile" in 1971, there lies "I Hear You Knocking", a cover of Smiley Lewis that gave him his first number 1 with a timeless rock that has therefore not aged a bit.

Although he recorded about fifteen studio albums under his name, his career is far from confined to a small string of hits like "Girl's Talk" (a track written by Elvis Costello in 1978), "Queen of Hearts" (penned by a musician from Emmylou Harris's circle), the cover of the classic "Singing The Blues" or "The Race Is On" with The Stray Cats (1981).

He also left his mark on British rock by producing notably for Brinsley Schwarz, Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Foghat, Ducks Deluxe as well as Americans The Flamin’ Groovies and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The Stray Cats' first album in 1981 would probably not have been such a success without his legendary touch.

Since the early 90s, Dave Edmunds has mostly been enjoying the wild beauty of his native region. Nevertheless, he has emerged from his den to accompany Ringo Starr on tour twice, to exceptionally join the Stray Cats for a London concert in 2008, but also to count his savings. In 1993, he was indeed dragged to court by the musicians of Shakin’ Stevens over murky issues of unpaid rights related to the reissue of the album "A Legend" in the 80s. We're talking about a judgment of half a million Pounds Sterling with legal costs...

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Dave Edmunds with Rockpile at the Rocking Europe festival at Palais des Expos in Charleroi (Belgium) on 26 April 1980