Clarence Edwards, a veteran of Louisiana swamp blues, emerged from decades away from the studio during the 1990s and began receiving overdue attention shortly before his death cut short the momentum. Born on March 25, 1933, in Lindsay, Louisiana, as one of fourteen children, Edwards relocated with his family to Baton Rouge, where at age twelve he taught himself guitar by studying old Charley Patton recordings. In his twenties he entered the regional blues circuit, first as a member of the Boogie Beats alongside his brother Cornelius, Landry Buggs, and drummer Jackson Acox, and later with the Bluebird Kings; one memorable night outside the Silver Moon Club in Alsen he was shot in the leg during a confrontation. Between gigs he earned a living through farm labor before securing steady employment at Thomas Scrap, a position he held for more than three decades. His earliest studio work occurred between 1959 and 1961, when he, Cornelius, and violinist James “Butch” Cage cut material for folklorist Harry Oster that later appeared on the album Country Negro Jam Sessions. By contrast, sessions he recorded in 1970 for producer Mike Vernon reflected current stylistic currents and eventually surfaced on the compilations Louisiana Blues and Swamp Blues. Edwards stayed largely inactive until the mid-1980s, when Tabby Thomas’s Blues Box helped rejuvenate the Baton Rouge scene; with Thomas’s support he resumed regular performances both locally and at festivals. His debut full-length release, the acoustic-electric Swamp’s the Word, arrived in 1990 on Sidetrack and was later remastered and reissued on CD by Red Lightnin’. The following year New Rose issued Swampin’, and in 1992 Louisiana Swamp Blues, Vol. 4 collected mostly Edwards tracks recorded both solo and with a small ensemble. Although blues critics responded favorably, Edwards passed away in 1993 at age sixty in his longtime home of Scotlandville, Louisiana, just as wider recognition was beginning to develop.
