Jonathan Edwards

Born on July 28, 1946, in Aitkin, Minnesota, and raised in Virginia, Jonathan Edwards first gained widespread attention through his crossover single "Sunshine." During his time at military school he picked up the guitar and started writing original material. After relocating to Ohio for art studies, he became a regular presence on area club circuits, performing with assorted rock, folk, and blues groups alongside fellow students Malcolm McKinney and Joe Dolce.

The ensemble moved to Boston in 1967, adopted the permanent name Sugar Creek, and committed fully to blues, releasing the 1969 album Please Tell a Friend. Seeking a return to solo acoustic work, Edwards departed to cut his own record. Late in the 1970 sessions an already completed track titled "Please Find Me" was erased by mistake, prompting him to write and record the new song "Sunshine" in its place. Issued as a single the next year, the track climbed to a Top Five pop position.

Edwards shifted toward straightforward country on 1972’s Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy, yet his label struggled to position the album and subsequent sales fell across 1973’s Have a Good Time for Me and the 1974 live set Lucky Day. He soon withdrew from performing, purchasing a farm in Nova Scotia.

Emmylou Harris called on him in 1976 to add backing vocals to her album Elite Hotel, an appearance that led to a fresh contract and the 1977 release Rockin’ Chair, recorded with her Hot Band. Sail Boat, made with largely the same musicians, followed the next year. Another hiatus ensued until Edwards reappeared in 1982 with an eponymous live album issued on his own Chronic imprint.

After touring in the musical Pumping Boys and Dinettes, he joined the bluegrass ensemble the Seldom Scene and delivered the 1983 album Blue Ridge. Following the 1987 children’s recording Little Hands, Edwards settled in Nashville. His 1989 effort The Natural Thing yielded the country hit "We Need to Be Locked Away," and One Day Closer arrived in 1994. Two years afterward came Man in the Moon. During this period he also issued the concert sets Live in Massachusetts in 2007 and Rollin’ Along: Live in Holland in 2010. Edwards returned to the studio in 2011 with My Love Will Keep.