Joan Edwards (February 13, 1919 – August 27, 1981)[1] was an American film actress and singer-songwriter in the old-time radio era.[2] She was perhaps best known for her work on the radio version of Your Hit Parade.[3]: 778 She also was a vocalist for Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra.
Early years
Edwards' father was Ben Edwards, a music publisher and talent agent. Music ran in her family; uncle Gus Edwards was a vaudeville entertainer, uncle Leo Edwards wrote music, and aunt Dorothy Edwards was a vocal teacher.[4] Despite the family's show business background, she was urged to go in a different direction. In fact, Gus Edwards told her, "Stay out of show business."[5]
As a child, Edwards had a heart murmur, and doctors advised her to start playing the piano "to keep her busy outside of school hours."[6] She graduated from George Washington High School in Manhattan,[7] where she directed the glee club. She went on to major in music at Hunter College,[8] planning to be a teacher. However, her interest in singing and playing the piano won out, leading to a career in music.[7]
Radio
Edwards' early appearances on radio came "via small stations in New York City."[2] Her first network appearance was on Fred Allen's program.[9]
Beginning March 3, 1941, Edwards had her own program, Girl About Town, on CBS. The 15-minute show was broadcast Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time. Although her singing was featured, she played the piano for one song in each episode.[10]
In December 1941, Edwards was selected as the new female soloist on Your Hit Parade.[11] Three years later, an article in Tune In magazine observed, "Joan Edwards sets something of a record, lasting through the regimes of three male singers -- Barry Wood, [Frank] Sinatra, [Lawrence] Tibbett -- in a three-year period."[12] Her tenure on the program eventually reached five years,[8] and the list of male singers' names grew to include Dick Todd and Johnny Mercer.[13] She was dropped from Your Hit Parade in 1947 when the sponsor, American Tobacco Company, changed format, using guest stars rather than regular soloists.
On March 3, 1952, Edwards began a morning disc jockey program on WCBS-AM in New York City.[16]
Television
Edwards had her own program, The Joan Edwards Show, on the DuMont Television Network in 1950. The 15-minute program was broadcast on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:45 p.m. A review in the trade publication Variety called Edwards "a capable singer" with "a well-tailored presentation backed by good camera work."[17] She also was seen in a TV version of her Girl About Town radio program from 1941 to 1942, which was broadcast by CBS on its New York station WCBW.[18]
Personal appearances
Edwards' first job after finishing at Hunter College was performing with Rudy Vallee.[4] Her guest appearance on his radio program was so successful that she toured the United States with Vallee and his orchestra for eight months.[5] She also appeared with bandleader Paul Whiteman and with her uncle, vaudevillian Gus Edwards.[2] A December 6, 1941, newspaper article reported that she had "played the leading vaudeville theaters in the country."[11] In the early 1940s, she also was "appearing at one of Broadway's top night clubs."[10]
In 1942, Edwards performed at the Copley-Plaza hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, with what one newspaper columnist called "the year's most unusual night-club contract."[19] The time off was reserved so that she could fly to New York City to perform on Your Hit Parade on Saturdays.[19] In 1950, she appeared on stage at the Capitol Theatre in a show with bandleader Russ Morgan and others.[20]
Jingle writers Edwards and Lyn Duddy at work in 1960.
Edwards was co-composer of the Broadway musical Tickets, Please! (1950).[8][21] She also "wrote scores for nightclub revues as well as many successful advertising jingles."[8] Edwards and Lyn Duddy wrote the songs for Arthur Godfrey's songbook Arthur Godfrey's TV Calendar Songs, published 1953.
Personal life
Edwards was married to Julius Schachter, a violinist who died in 1976. They had three daughters and one son.[8]
Death
Edwards died in Manhattan, New York, of an apparent heart attack, August 27, 1981.[8]
^ abcGrunwald, Edgard A., Ed. (1940). Variety Radio Directory 1940-1941(PDF). New York City, New York: Variety, Inc. p. 927. Retrieved 1 May 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abSies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 177.