Dave Edmunds Remains Ageless at 80

Few contemporary artists remained as committed to classic rock ‘n’ roll as Dave Edmunds. 

His hits “I Hear You Knocking,” “Queen of Hearts” and “I Knew The Bride” are, in every sense, a throwback through the early essential days of the rock revolution when artist like Elvis, Jerry Lee, Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers took command of the charts with simple, direct, engaging words and melodies that left no doubt as to an effortless accessibility.

The fact that Edmunds, who turns 80 on April 15th, had an affinity for that seminal sound was clearly no accident. It was developed early on following years of paying his dues in such early and admittedly obscure pre-and immediately post ‘60s ensembles such as the Stompers, the Heartbeats, the 99ers, the Hill-Bills, and the Raiders, all of which effectively replicated and mimic the music of a bygone era. None of those early combos achieved any degree of notoriety beyond their local environs, and in fact, it wasn’t until Edmunds formed the band eventually called Love Sculpture, and initiated an intriguing combination of rudimentary rockabilly, and semi-psychedelia that he made kind of effective imprint on the charts and gained some star stature of his own. 

AUDIO: Love Sculpture “Sabre Dance”

Love Sculpture made its most profound impact with a song called “Sabre Dance,” a track that clearly affirmed their progressive posture, and so enticed famed DJ John Peel that he played it twice within a single show. Nevertheless Love Sculpture, which itself had evolved out of a short-lived outfit with the unfortunate name the Human Beans, had a relatively brief tenure. Following the band’s break-up, Edmunds returned to his original Welsh environs and bought a house near the famed Rockfield recording studio where he would typically ensconce himself from early evening until just past dawn while conceiving the initial offerings that would eventually form the basis of his subsequent solo career.

His efforts began in earnest with a cover of the Smiley Lewis standard “I Hear You Knocking,” which went on to conquer the worldwide charts and make Edmunds a household name among rock ‘n’ roll aficionados. A series of singular solo albums followed, beginning with Rockpile, the title of which prefigured the pub rock super group that would come along several years later.

That said, the title of his sophomore set, Subtle As a Flying Mallet, effectively reflected his unabashed allegiance to pure rock ‘n’ roll revelry and was further evidenced by the albums that followed throughout the ‘70s— Get  It, Tracks on Wax 4 and Repeat When Necessary — as well as the pair of songs that further ingrained him in the rock ‘n’ roll ethos, “Girls Talk,” “I Knew the Bride,” “Crawling From the Wreckage and “Queen of Hearts.”

VIDEO: Dave Edmunds “Girls Talk”

The aforementioned band Rockpile would not release an actual album until 1980 due to the contractual constraints of its individual members, but in fact many of those aforementioned albums were Rockpile efforts given the fact that they included drummer Terry Williams, bassist Nick Lowe and second guitarist Billy Bremmer. 

Nevertheless, despite having established a singular imprint, Rockpile was sadly short-lived. Fortunately though, that didn’t inhibit Edmunds productivity and proficiency. A striking series of solo albums followed throughout the ‘80s, including Twangin’, D.E. 7, Information, Riff Raff and Closer to the Flame. In addition, Edmunds found time to work with a number of other artists, including Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Status Quo and the fledgling Stray Cats for whom he acted as overseer and producer. He also served as musical director for a televised tribute to Carl Perkins featuring George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Roseanne Cash. The Beatles connection continued when Edmunds was asked to join Ringo’s All Starr Band, which gave him ample opportunity to revisit his early hits. 

Sadly, Edmunds’ efforts suffered a setback of sorts when he was named as a defendant in a suit that alleged he and singer Shakin’ Stevens didn’t pay the required royalties for certain songs they released on an ‘80s reissued compilation album titled A Legend and originally recorded by a band called The Sunsets. The judgment cost Edmunds and Stevens more than half a million pounds even though the actual delinquent sums involved amounted to less than £70,000.

The intervening years have been relatively quiet and uneventful, although Edmunds has made occasional television appearances which found him revisiting his greatest hits. His last album of note, other than the aforementioned Again — basically a greatest collection featuring a handful of new tracks — was 2015’s aptly-titled On Guitar… Dave Edmunds Rags and Classics, an all instrumental album that found him covering a number of rock standards including the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” and Elton John’s “Your Song.” 

Following a final live performance in 2017, Edmunds was said to have retired — hardly surprising considering that he’s clearly entitled to enjoy the comforts of his age, music and memories.

Nevertheless, his lingering legacy not only serves his early rock roots quite well, but enhances and enforces that trajectory as well.  

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Lee Zimmerman

Lee Zimmerman is a writer and columnist based in beautiful Maryville, Tennessee. Over the past 20 years, his work has appeared in dozens of leading music publications. He is also the author of Americana Music: Voice, Visionaries, and Pioneers of an Honest Sound, which will be published by Texas A&M University Press early next year.

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