Sherman Edwards

From Wind Repertory Project
Sherman Edwards

Biography

Sherman Edwards (4 April 1919, New York City – 30 March 1981, Parsippany, N.J.) was an American songwriter. . Edwards was raised in Weequahic, New Jersey, where he attended Weequahic High School. He lived in Parsippany, New Jersey from 1919 to 1981. He attended New York University, where he majored in history. Throughout college, Edwards moonlighted, playing jazz piano for late night radio and music shows. After serving in World War II, Edwards taught high school history for a brief period before continuing his career as a pianist, playing with some of history's most famous swing bands and artists, including Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman.

After a few years as a band leader and arranger for artist Mindy Carson, Edwards started writing pop songs at the famous Brill Building with writers including Hal David, Burt Bacharach, Sid Wayne, Earl Shuman and others. He turned out numerous hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As rock n' roll caught on, he found himself still at the Brill Building writing songs for Elvis Presley, including the well known Presley number Flaming Star.

According to collaborator Earl Shuman, one day while collaborating with Edwards in the Brill building, where publishers provided music rooms for the songwriters, Edwards left mid-song saying something to the effect that he "wasn't into the rock songs any more" and that he had an idea for a show and was going home to write it. his began the evolution of 1776.

Prior to 1776, Edwards had written the incidental music for the stage comedy A Mighty Man Is He, which closed after five performances.


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