Bobby Edwards (born Robert Edward Moncrief (January 18, 1926 – July 31, 2012) was an
American country music singer who recorded between 1958 and 1968. At the
beginning of his career he performed and recorded under the name Bobby
Moncrief. Then, having completed his service in the US Navy, he started
recording as Bobby Edwards.
Born the son of a preacher in Anniston, Alabama, Edwards
first recorded for Pappy Daily at 'D' Records in 1958, under the name Bobby
Moncrief. In 1959 he revived Tex Ritter's "Jealous Heart" on
Bluebonnet ; the record was reissued on the Manco label in 1962. Then Edwards
went out west, working shows on his own in southern California before song-
writer Terry Fell placed him on Crest Records, and helped produce and arrange
"You're the Reason". Though Bobby wrote all of the song, his manager
(Fred Henley), his financier and Terry Fell all got a quarter share. Cover
versions by Joe South and Hank Locklin hurt Edwards' sales a little.
On "You're the Reason", Edwards is backed by
the Four Young Men, a vocal group that recorded a series of non-hits for Crest,
Dore and Delta between 1961 and 1963. Eddie Cochran is alleged 
to play guitar
on some of their Crest sides. On the
heels of that breakthrough hit he had Groovy b/w Tomorrow released on the
United Artists subsidiary Ascot 2104 in January 1962 (and also on United
Artists 402), to no avail, even as his first release at Capitol, a cover of the
Fats Domino 1957 hit What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasing You? topping out at #
71 Hot 100 as simply What's The Reason? on Capitol 4674 b/w Walk Away Slowly.
to play guitar
on some of their Crest sides. On the
heels of that breakthrough hit he had Groovy b/w Tomorrow released on the
United Artists subsidiary Ascot 2104 in January 1962 (and also on United
Artists 402), to no avail, even as his first release at Capitol, a cover of the
Fats Domino 1957 hit What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasing You? topping out at #
71 Hot 100 as simply What's The Reason? on Capitol 4674 b/w Walk Away Slowly.
That was followed by three straight failed 1962 singles -
Singing The Blues/What''ll I Do Without You? (Capitol 4726 in April); Someone
New/Here's My Heart (Capitol 4789 in July); and Remember Who Brought You
Here/The Way I Am (Capitol 4874 in November) - before scoring his third and
final national hit with the September 1963 # 23 Country - Don't Pretend b/w Help
Me on Capitol 5006.
Edwards had high hopes when Capitol signed him. He swears
that Capitol bought him a house in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, and
tried to make him the kingpin of their eastern roster. He appeared on the Grand
Old Opry and toured often with Cowboy Copas. Also, he returned to the song that
had been his debut on 'D' Records, "Here's My Heart"; the Capitol
version has just been reissued on "The Drugstore's Rockin' , Vol. 3"
(Bear Family BCD 16608).
At the end of the Capitol deal he would have sporadic
singles come out from 1964 to 1970 for Musicor, Polaris and Chart without
success. He stayed in the Nashville area, then returned home to Alabama as a
gospel singer. He retired from singing towards the end of the 1960s before
moving to the Nashville suburb of Smyrna in 2000 where he lived until his
death. He died on July 31, 2012, at the Middle Tennessee Medical Centre in
Murfreesboro. He was 86.
