Tommy Edwards

"It's All in the Game"

 

 

Biography

 

b. 17 February 1922, Richmond, Virginia, USA, d. 22 October 1969, (Cause of Death: Aneurysm) Richmond, Virginia, USA. This jazz/pop/R&B singer-songwriter began his professional career in 1931. He wrote the hit "That Chick's Too Young To Fry" for Louis Jordan in 1946. A demo recording of his own "All Over Again" later won Edwards an MGM Records contract. Early releases included "It's All In The Game" (US number 18 in 1951), a tune based on a 1912 melody by future US Vice-President Charles Gates Dawes. Edwards re-recorded the song in 1958 in a "beat-ballad' arrangement, hitting number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic and eventually selling 3.5 million. The song was an indisputable classic of its era, highlighted by Edwards" strong, masterful vocal. The song was covered many times and provided hits for Cliff Richard (1963-64) and the Four Tops (1970) and was a notable album track by Van Morrison (1979). Edwards himself enjoyed five more hits during the next two years, including "Love Is All We Need" and remakes of earlier successes "Please Mr. Sun" and "Morning Side Of The Mountain".

Vocalist, pianist, and composer Tommy Edwards began performing in Richmond when he was nine. He made his first impact in R&B circles in 1946, writing "That Chick's Too Young to Fry." He began recording for Top in 1949 and had his first hit in 1951 with "All Over Again" for MGM, a song that made it to number ten on the R&B charts. Nearly seven years later, a song that Edwards originally recorded in 1951 became his biggest hit and an R&B and pop staple. "It's All in the Game" was issued on MGM in a slightly different version. The 1958 edition topped both R&B and pop charts. Edwards later had another hit with a reworked song he had released in 1952, as "Please Mr. Sun" reached number 18 R&B and number 11 pop as the follow-up single. His last chart tune was "My Melancholy Baby" in 1959. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

The only #1 hit ever written by a US Vice President. It was composed in 1912 as "Melody in A Major" by then-banker Charles Gates Dawes, who became VP under Calvin Coolidge in 1925. Lyrics were added in 1951 by Carl Sigman, who also changed the song's name to "It's All in the Game."
Also in 1951, Sammy Kaye, Carmen Cavallaro, Dinah Shore, and Tommy Edwards each had sizable hits with this -- Edwards' reached #18 as his followup to another 1951 hit, "Morning Side of the Mountain."

After "It's All in the Game" hit, Edwards' fortunes declined to the point of MGM Records getting ready to drop him in 1958. As a last-ditch effort to save his career, he agreed to re-record this as one of the first stereo singles ever released. He kept the vocal style of the 1951 hit, but gave the new version a rock'n'roll arrangement. The single quickly took the top position on the charts.

As a followup, Edwards re-recorded "Morning Side of the Mountain" and his minor 1952 hit "Please Mr. Sun" in the same stereo/rock'n'roll vein and released them as a single. "Please Mr. Sun" (the A-side) hit #11 and "Morning Side of the Mountain" (the B-side) reached #27.

"It's All in the Game" was also a #25 hit for Cliff Richard in 1964 and a #24 hit for the Four Tops in 1970, six months after Edwards' death. (thanks, Brad Wind - Miami, FL, for all above) This song was # 1 for Tommy Edwards in 1958.
- mickey , ocala, FL longplay45@hotmail.com

From: "Dik de Heer"
Date: Mon Feb 17, 2003 1:23 am
Subject: Born To Be With You : Tommy Edwards (By Phil Davies)

Born Thomas Edwards, 17 February 1922, Richmond, Virginia Died 22 October 1969, Henrico County, Virginia Edwards was a singer-pianist with a velvety smooth vocal style in the Nat King Cole/Ivory Joe Hunter mode. He started entertaining around Richmond at age nine, and eventually played piano and sang on his own radio program. After writing Louis Jordan's hit "That Chick's Too Young to Fry," (r & b #3 ) Edwards moved to New York City in 1949, where he worked performing demos of other writers' songs and cut his first unsuccessful sides for the Top label. His move to MGM in 1950 yielded his first R&B chart entries, "All Over Again" and "The Morning Side of the Mountain." He even had a hit in 52 with a cover of You Win Again (#13). He was partial to country music long before Ray Charles, he even covered Hank Snow's great A Fool Such As I.

Seven years passed without a hit, but then Edwards and producer Harry Myerson added a rock arrangement to a song he had first recorded in 1951, "It's All in the Game." Besides being the only #1 hit ever co-written by a former U.S. Vice President (Charles Dawes, who served under Calvin Coolidge), the 1958 easy-listening single "It's All in the Game" was one of the few records of the rock 'n' roll era that both kids and parents could agree on. MGM wanted a stereo lp to promote and Monty Craft asked Tommy to re-record It's All In The Game in the new format. The huge success of the single meant he could repay all the loans that had kept him going in the hard times in the mid 50s, when he was reduced to playing piano in cocktail lounges to make ends meet. He travelled around music offices on Broadway and the Brill Building paying back debts to friends in the music biz after his biggest hit ( 6 weeks at #1) eventually sold 3.5 million copies. Both Cliff and the Four Tops had later chart success with the song.

Edwards followed up with a series of lesser hits such as "Please Love Me Forever" (which Bobby Vinton later covered), "Love Is All We Need," "Please Mr. Sun," and "New in the Ways of Love." Then he turned to country: 1960's "I Really Don't Want to Know," "Don't Fence Me In," and "It's Not the End of Everything" were as smooth and affecting as anything he had ever done, but subsequent releases faltered. Experimental LPs, featuring Hawaiian and string-oriented sounds, did nothing to reverse his downward career spiral.

He died on October 22nd 1969 in his hometown of Richmond Virginia. No cause of death was published but friends say that alcoholism took its toll. His star had faded so much that there were no major obituaries in the US press or even Billboard. The trivia question, "Which artist had a number 1 hit co- written by an American Vice president?" is not a bad epitaph though. Many a tear has to fall

- - - Thanks again to Dochoch, All Music Guide and Fred Bronson's cd notes.
Recommended Listening: It's All In The Game -Complete Hits Of Tommy Edwards - Eric Records cd
16 of the 20 tracks are in true stereo from the original master tapes, also includes the two 1951 hits.

Discography

For Young Lovers: My Melancholy Baby, I Looked At Heaven, Once There Lived A Fool, Paradise, Up In A

Don't Fence Me In/i'm Building Castles Again (with Mgm Company Sleeve) 7"

It's All In The Game: Please Mr. Sun, Please Love Me Forever, Love Is All We Need (yellow Label Firs

My Melancholy Baby/it's Only The Good Times (with Original Company Sleeve)

Tommy Edwards: Love Is A Child, Baby Let Me Take You Dreaming, The Things We Did Last Summer, Welcom

Unloved/i Really Don't Want To Know (with Picture Sleeve) 7"

You Started Me Dreaming: Indian Summer, Always, Lost In The Desert Of Love, You're A Heavenly Thing, LP



TheBest of Tommy Edwards (Collectables) 2004

Links

This song has a rolling, moderately slow tempo. This is truly an old song; the music was written in 1912 by Charles G. Dawes, who later served as Vice President under Calvin Coolidge, and the lyrics were written in 1951 by Carl Sigman. The narrator can tell that the girl's boyfriend has hurt her. The narrator tells her that such problems as heartbreaks and teardrops are all in the game called love; he assures her that love also has its positive times--once in a while the boyfriend will come back to kiss her lips and caress her fingertips.

Love Is All We Need
Tommy Edwards

[Words and Music by Ben Raleigh and Don Wolf]

Love is all we need
So won't you take me in your arms
And love me, love me
Love is all we need
So, darling press me to your heart
And love me, love me

Tell me we'll always have each other
'cause that's all I ever want to know
Tell me you'll always be my lover
'cause I will always want you so

Love is all we need
So, darling hold me close to you
And love me, love me
Love is all we need
To make our every dream come true
So love me, love me

All we ever ever need is love
(Love me, love me-be my own)

Tell me we'll always have each other
'cause that's all I ever want to know
Tell me you'll always be my lover
'cause I will always want you so

Love is all we need
To make our every dream come true
So love me, love me

All we ever ever need is love

Peaked Billboard position #15 in 1958
#53 for Vic Dana in 1964
And #50 in 1966 for Mel Carter

Please Mr Sun
Tommy Edwards

[Words by Sid Frank and Music by Ray Getzov]

Talk to her please, Mr Sun
Speak to her, Mr Rainbow
And take her under your branches, Mr Tree

Whisper to her, Mr Wind
Sing to her, Mr Robin
And Mrs. Moonlight, put in a word for me

Tell her how I feel
It shouldn't end this way
Since you are all her friends
She'll listen to whatever you have to say

Babble to her, Mr Brook
Kiss her for me, Miss Raindrop
And watch to see they all do, please Mr Sun

Babble to her, Mr Brook
Kiss her for me, Miss Raindrop
And watch to see they all do, please Mr Sun

Transcribed by Ronald E Hontz
ronhontz@worldnet.att.net

The Morning Side Of the Mountain

Artist: Tommy Edwards (peak Billboard position # 24 by itself in 1951 and # 27 in
1959 when reissued as the flip side of "Please Mr. Sun"

There was a girl, there was a boy
If they had met they might have found a world of joy
But she lived on the morning side of the mountain
And he lived on the twilight side of the hill

They never met, they never kissed
And they will never know what happiness they missed
For she lived on the morning side of the mountain
And he lived on the twilight side of the hill

For love's a rose that never grows
Without the kiss of the morning dew
And every Jack must have a Jill
To know the thrill of a dream that comes true

And you and I are just like they
For all we know our love is just a kiss away
But you are on the morning side of the mountain
And I am on the twilight side of the hill

For love's a rose that never grows
Without the kiss of the morning dew
And every Jack must have a Jill
To know the thrill of a dream that comes true

And you and I are just like they
For all we know our love is just a kiss away
But you are on the morning side of the mountain
And I am on the twilight side of the hill

Transcribed by Ronald E. Hontz
ronhontz@worldnet.att.net

I REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW

How many arms have held you
And hated to let you go
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know.

How many lips have kissed you,
And set your soul aglow
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know.

So always make me wonder,
Always make me guess.
And even if I ask you,
Darlin don't confess.
Just let it remain your secret,
But darlin I love you so.
No Wonder, no wonder I wonder.
Though I really don't want to know.

PLEASE LOVE ME FOREVER

Please love me forever
Don't forget me ever
Just listen to my plea
Please don't stop loving me

You're in my dreams nightly
Don't take my love lightly
Begging on bended knee
Please don't stop loving me

Oh, when I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord your love I'll keep
If I should die before I wake
I'll come back for you
That's no mistake

Oh, I'll love you forever
Can't forget you ever
Our love was meant to be
Please don't stop loving me

I'll love you forever
Can't forget you ever
Our love was meant to be
Please don't stop loving me

Genealogy

 

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