1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards
Written by admin on July 14, 2011 – 8:54 am - |
Between 1955 and 1960, deejay Tommy Edwards photographed some of the biggest names in popular music as they passed through Cleveland to play shows and promote their latest musical offerings.
The recently published “1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards” brings together over 200 of the best photographs from this collection for the first time, with many of the biggest and brightest stars of the rock ‘n’ roll era represented, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Bill Haley, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash and Connie Francis. |
The collection has been compiled by writer and musician, Chris Kennedy, who told Classic Pop Icons:
| “In 2006, I discovered the lost, never before published color photo collection of popular 1950s Cleveland radio deejay Tommy Edwards. The collection consists of over 1,700 Ektachrome slides of practically everyone who passed through his radio station from 1955-60. Elvis, Chuck Berry, country music superstars such as Kitty Wells, the Louvin Brothers, Sonny James, Hollywood celebrities and hopeful unknowns.
I believe the photographs are works of art and capture something magical.” |
One of the most important of these photographs features a handshake between established hitmaker Bill Haley and the soon to be international superstar Elvis Presley. The pair were captured backstage at Brooklyn High School on October 20, 1955. Elvis had been booked by Edwards to play at the Circle Theater in Cleveland the previous night and was now taking part in a movie short about Edwards’ colleague and fellow deejay, Bill Randle. This “Pied Piper of Cleveland” film has never surfaced, but is reported to contain on-stage footage of Elvis, Bill Haley, Pat Boone and the Four Lads. Author, Chris Kennedy, was in fact researching the movie when he discovered the haul of Edwards’ photographs.
Another Sun Records legend, Johnny Cash, was captured by Edwards’ lens in January 1958 when the star dropped by the studio to promote his single “Ballad of a Teenage Queen.”
In 1981, Edwards told Goldmine editor, Rick Whitesell:
| “I’ve got pictures of almost everybody that came through Cleveland. The reason I was taking these color slides was I was taking them along to the record hops and I was showing them at an intermission. I brought my own screen along or if it was in a nice place where they had a big blank wall I’d project them on the wall, 12 feet high. Can you imagine? At that time color TV wasn’t here, these kids had never seen pictures of their favorite artists in color. But could you imagine, when I showed the pictures of Presley or when I showed the pictures of Pat Boone or any of the other current top pop favorites? Why, they’d go crazy. There’d be a lot of mumbling by the kids when I’d say we’re gonna have a little intermission here, we’re gonna show you some slides, have a big slideshow. They’d say nah, we don’t want to see any damn slides, we wanna go on dancing, ya know. The minute I flashed that first picture on the screen, they were mine.” |
For fans of the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, these photographs retain the appeal that Edwards describes. His work in chronicling this revolutionary period didn’t stop there though. From 1953 to 1960, Edwards self-published a weekly newsletter titled “T.E. Newsletter” which included Cleveland radio and record news for music business insiders. In 2009, Kennedy located the only surviving collection of these newsletters and so has included text from these vintage publications in the book, along with his own modern commentary. A nice touch.
“1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards” is available now from:
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Tags: 1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards, Bill Haley, Bill Randle, Johnny Cash, Pied Piper of Cleveland, Tommy Edwards
Posted in Books, Elvis, Rock 'n' roll |
One Comment to “1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards”
July 18th, 2011 at 3:53 am
Bill Haley “The King” and Elvis “The Prince”. In 1955 Bill Haley was the star. Elvis later became Haley´s collaborator on rock and roll!