Music Diary – 21st January

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 21st January!

Edwin Starr (21st January 1942 – 2nd April 2003)

Happy birthday to Charles Edwin Hatcher aka Edwin Starr, who was born on the 21st January 1942 in Nashville Tennessee!

Before becoming a famous Soul singer, Edwin moved with his cousins Roger and Willie Hatcher to Cleveland, Ohio and later to Detroit (Michigan), where he formed his own group called „The Future Tones“ in 1957. In the sixties he began recording for the small label Ric-Tic and later for the famous Motown Records. Some of Starr’s hits were „Headline News“, „Back Street“ (cover versin of The Miracles‚ „Way Over There„) and „S.O.S. (Stop Her on Sight)“. And he wrote the song, „Oh How Happy“ for The Shades of Blue – this tune reached No. 12 at the US chart in 1966. Two years later, Edwin recorded with „25 Miles“ his first international success – the single peaked at No. 6 in the USA.

Edwin Starr’s biggest hit was the Vietnam War protest song „War“ (1970), which topped the Billboard charts for three weeks and sold over three million copies. This song is also featured on Starr’s fourth studio album „War & Peace„.

In 1973, the Soul singer moved to England, where he continued recording. During the Disoc era he released with „(Eye-to-Eye) Contact“ another hit, which went to No. 6 in the UK. Edwin continued recording during the eighties and nineties and in 1987 he joined the charity project Ferry Aid for recording the Beatles classic „Let it be„.

On 2nd April 2003, Edwin Starr suffered a heart attack – he died at his home in Bramcote (near Nottingham) at the age of 61 years.

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