Dave Edwards (musician)
| Dave Edwards | |
|---|---|
Dave Edwards
Alto Saxophone The Lawrence Welk Show, 1973 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | David W. Edwards |
| Born | January 11, 1941 |
| Origin | Opelika, Alabama |
| Died | August 12, 2000 (aged 59) Orlando, Florida |
| Genres |
Big Band Cool jazz West Coast jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Multireedist |
| Instruments |
Saxophones Clarinets Flutes |
| Years active | 1958-2000 |
| Labels |
Columbia Concord |
| Associated acts | Lawrence Welk Show |
| Notable instruments | |
| Alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet | |
Dave Edwards (January 11, 1941 – August 12, 2000) was an American big band-style musician who most notably was the lead alto saxophonist and multireedist for the long running weekly television series, The Lawrence Welk Show from 1968 through 1979.
Born in Opelika, Alabama and reared in Tuskegee, he later moved with his family to Fairhope, Alabama. He attended Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where he played the saxophone and reeds (Multireedist) with the Auburn Knights Orchestra; Edwards would later try to complete his education at California State University, Los Angeles during the late-1980s while residing in Burbank. Out of school early from Auburn University (having played with The Auburn Knights Orchestra and singer Toni Tennille) he would play on the road with Richard Maltby and then with the Glenn Miller Orchestra before being drafted into the United States Army and stationed with the NORAD band in Colorado Springs, CO.
While stationed at the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) during the 1960s, Dave Edwards would serve in the United States Army and play in the American/Canadian, joint armed serves NORAD Commanders Jazz Band alongside future Lawrence Welk Show musicians Richard Maloof and Johnny Zell. Stationed in Colorado Springs, CO, this unit became one of the elite musical groups of the armed forces during the Cold War/Vietnam era due to the plethora of talented, young musicians being drafted into military service. Edwards would first meet longtime musical associates Dave Wolpe, Warren Luening, Bob Payne, and Larry Ford while stationed at Colorado Springs. He toured extensively with the NORAD musical groups to include appearances at Carnegie Hall (May 1966), the Hollywood Bowl and Disneyland (September 1966), Expo '67 - Montreal World's Fair, the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (August and September 1967), the CBS The Mike Douglas Show, the Today Show, and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
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