GLORIA EDWARDS' TRIBUTE TO DINAH WASHINGTON
• ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO GLORIA EDWARDS, FEATURED VOCALIST, SONG STYLIST, EXTRODINAIRE WITH SONG AND STYLE CREDITS COVERING OVER 40 YEARS AS AN ENTERTAINER AND RECORDING ARTIST. MS. EDWARDS WAS BORN IN HOUSTON FIFTH WARD, TEXAS, NOVEMBER 1, 1936.
• GLORIA IS A GRADUATE OF PHILLIS WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOL. THEOLOGY MAJOR @ MARY ALLEN BAPTIST COLLEGE AND MUSIC MINOR IN CROCKETT, TEXAS.
• GLORIA'S FIRST SINGLE, "I WANT TO BE JUST ENOUGH WOMAN," RELEASED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND HER FOLLOW UP SINGLE, "I DON'T NEED NOBODY TO HELP ME KEEP UP WITH MY MAN, SOLD OVER 650,000 COPIES ON THE NOW EXTINCT KING RECORDS. EDWARDS' FIRST ALBUM, "ANYTHING YOU WANT," WAS RELEASED IN JAPAN IN 1978. THIS IS NOW ON CD AVAILABLE ON THE EDSEL LABEL IN LONDON, UK, “THE TEXAS QUEEN OF SOUL, GLORIA EDWARDS."(SEE AMAZON. COM, CD NOW & BARNES & NOBLES) FOR AVAILABILITY IN NORTH AMERICA.
• BEFORE LEAVING HOUSTON TO TOUR, EDWARDS APPEARED AT THE UPSTAIRS ON THE SQUARE, WITH I. J. GOOSEY, THE DOME SHADOWS, WITH ROY HEAD, B.J. THOMAS, C. L. WELDON AS WELL AS JOHNNY WINTERS AND THE NEW CREATIONS. EDWARDS WAS ALSO FEATURED WITH BOBBY BLAND AND LITTLE JR. PARKER, PLUMMER DAVIS, LITTLE RICHARD AND TEXAS JOHNNY BROWN.
• EDWARDS JOINED ALLISON & SOUTH FUNK BLVD WHEN THEY OPENED FOR MILLIE JACKSON, THE CHILITES, STEVIE WONDER, RED FOXX/SLAPPY WHITE REVIEW. THEY TOURED MANY CITIES INCLUDING OTIS TAYLOR' FLANKERS LOUNGE IN KANSAS CITY, MO. AFTER LEAVING SOUTH FUNK BLVD, SHE APPEARED FOR OVER TWO YEARS AT THE CROWN CENTER HOTEL AND THE ALAMEDA PLAZA HOTELS, IN KANSAS CITY. EDWARDS MADE SEVERAL BLUES APPEARANCES IN WENZVILLE, MO. AT CHUCK BERRY'S FARM. IN THE MIDWEST, EDWARDS WAS THE FIRST BLACK LOCAL ARTIST TO APPEAR WITH THE KANSAS CITY PHILHARMONIC PERFORMING GOSPEL MUSIC FOR YOUNG PEOPLE CONCERTS. WHILE IN KANSAS CITY, FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS, SHE AND HER HUSBAND, TRUMPETER, VOCALIST, KEYBOARDIST, NELSON MILLS III PERFORMED WITH THEIR OWN BAND, WSB (WAVERLY STREET BAND).
• GLORIA EDWARDS HAS SHARED THE HONOR OF BEING ON STAGE WITH JAZZ LEGENDS, MARY LOU WILLIAMS, JO JONES, BUD JOHNSON, BEN KENARD, ORVILLE MINOR AND CLAUDE "THE FIDDLER" WILLIAMS. EDWARDS OPENED FOR THE KOOL JAZZ FESTIVAL, THE KANSAS CITY JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL WITH BIG JAY MCSHANN. IN 1981, GLORIA EDWARDS RETURNED TO HOUSTON, TEXAS. SHE AND HER HUSBAND, NELSON, JOINED "THE RONNIE RENFROW BIG BAND, " THEY RECORDED “IT’S ABOUT TIME.”GLORIA EDWARDS VERSION OF AND ALL THAT JAZZ MADE THE CD LINEUP FOR MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE, (SEE MONTHLY DISC 9802, FEBRUARY 1998, SFX RADIO NETWORK. NELSON AND GLORIA, ON THEIR OWN LABEL "GLO-NEL RECORD KINGS," IN SEPTEMBER OF 1991, RELEASED THEIR FIRST SINGLE, "TOGETHER" WITH EDWARDS VOCAL SINGLE "HOLLER FOR HELP" AND NELSON'S TRUMPET FEATURE, "GALVESTON SUNRISE."
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• IN APRIL OF 1997, GLORIA EDWARDS AND NELSON MILLS III JOINS THE BIG BLUE SOUND OF "THE CALVIN OWENS ORCHESTRA. IN DECEMBER OF 1997, GLORIA EDWARDS AND HER HUSBAND, NELSON PERFORMED IN 10 CITIES IN NORTHERN ITALY. IN 1999, GLORIA PERFORMED IN JAKARTA INDONESIA AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FOR 5 MONTHS AND WENT TO SINGAPORE AFTER THAT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2001 AT THE WESTIN GALLERIA HOTEL..
• GLORIA IS A GRADUATE OF PHILLIS WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOL. THEOLOGY MAJOR @ MARY ALLEN BAPTIST COLLEGE AND MUSIC MINOR IN CROCKETT, TEXAS.
• GLORIA'S FIRST SINGLE, "I WANT TO BE JUST ENOUGH WOMAN," RELEASED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND HER FOLLOW UP SINGLE, "I DON'T NEED NOBODY TO HELP ME KEEP UP WITH MY MAN, SOLD OVER 650,000 COPIES ON THE NOW EXTINCT KING RECORDS. EDWARDS' FIRST ALBUM, "ANYTHING YOU WANT," WAS RELEASED IN JAPAN IN 1978. THIS IS NOW ON CD AVAILABLE ON THE EDSEL LABEL IN LONDON, UK, “THE TEXAS QUEEN OF SOUL, GLORIA EDWARDS."(SEE AMAZON. COM, CD NOW & BARNES & NOBLES) FOR AVAILABILITY IN NORTH AMERICA.
• BEFORE LEAVING HOUSTON TO TOUR, EDWARDS APPEARED AT THE UPSTAIRS ON THE SQUARE, WITH I. J. GOOSEY, THE DOME SHADOWS, WITH ROY HEAD, B.J. THOMAS, C. L. WELDON AS WELL AS JOHNNY WINTERS AND THE NEW CREATIONS. EDWARDS WAS ALSO FEATURED WITH BOBBY BLAND AND LITTLE JR. PARKER, PLUMMER DAVIS, LITTLE RICHARD AND TEXAS JOHNNY BROWN.
• EDWARDS JOINED ALLISON & SOUTH FUNK BLVD WHEN THEY OPENED FOR MILLIE JACKSON, THE CHILITES, STEVIE WONDER, RED FOXX/SLAPPY WHITE REVIEW. THEY TOURED MANY CITIES INCLUDING OTIS TAYLOR' FLANKERS LOUNGE IN KANSAS CITY, MO. AFTER LEAVING SOUTH FUNK BLVD, SHE APPEARED FOR OVER TWO YEARS AT THE CROWN CENTER HOTEL AND THE ALAMEDA PLAZA HOTELS, IN KANSAS CITY. EDWARDS MADE SEVERAL BLUES APPEARANCES IN WENZVILLE, MO. AT CHUCK BERRY'S FARM. IN THE MIDWEST, EDWARDS WAS THE FIRST BLACK LOCAL ARTIST TO APPEAR WITH THE KANSAS CITY PHILHARMONIC PERFORMING GOSPEL MUSIC FOR YOUNG PEOPLE CONCERTS. WHILE IN KANSAS CITY, FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS, SHE AND HER HUSBAND, TRUMPETER, VOCALIST, KEYBOARDIST, NELSON MILLS III PERFORMED WITH THEIR OWN BAND, WSB (WAVERLY STREET BAND).
• GLORIA EDWARDS HAS SHARED THE HONOR OF BEING ON STAGE WITH JAZZ LEGENDS, MARY LOU WILLIAMS, JO JONES, BUD JOHNSON, BEN KENARD, ORVILLE MINOR AND CLAUDE "THE FIDDLER" WILLIAMS. EDWARDS OPENED FOR THE KOOL JAZZ FESTIVAL, THE KANSAS CITY JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL WITH BIG JAY MCSHANN. IN 1981, GLORIA EDWARDS RETURNED TO HOUSTON, TEXAS. SHE AND HER HUSBAND, NELSON, JOINED "THE RONNIE RENFROW BIG BAND, " THEY RECORDED “IT’S ABOUT TIME.”GLORIA EDWARDS VERSION OF AND ALL THAT JAZZ MADE THE CD LINEUP FOR MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE, (SEE MONTHLY DISC 9802, FEBRUARY 1998, SFX RADIO NETWORK. NELSON AND GLORIA, ON THEIR OWN LABEL "GLO-NEL RECORD KINGS," IN SEPTEMBER OF 1991, RELEASED THEIR FIRST SINGLE, "TOGETHER" WITH EDWARDS VOCAL SINGLE "HOLLER FOR HELP" AND NELSON'S TRUMPET FEATURE, "GALVESTON SUNRISE."
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• IN APRIL OF 1997, GLORIA EDWARDS AND NELSON MILLS III JOINS THE BIG BLUE SOUND OF "THE CALVIN OWENS ORCHESTRA. IN DECEMBER OF 1997, GLORIA EDWARDS AND HER HUSBAND, NELSON PERFORMED IN 10 CITIES IN NORTHERN ITALY. IN 1999, GLORIA PERFORMED IN JAKARTA INDONESIA AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FOR 5 MONTHS AND WENT TO SINGAPORE AFTER THAT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2001 AT THE WESTIN GALLERIA HOTEL..
