b. 10 August 1960, Hornchurch, Essex, England. One of the unsung heroes of the UK music scene, multi-instrumentalist Edwards has worked with countless artists as a hired hand while also touring and recording with his own bands, most notably the Scapegoats. Edwards learned to play the trumpet, piano, and guitar at school, and received a saxophone for his eighteenth birthday. After leaving school he went into further education, studying for a degree in music from the University of East Anglia. During this period he formed the Higsons with Charlie ‘Switch’ Higson, Stuart McGeachin, Simon Charterton and Colin Williams. The quintet went on to enjoy a series of minor UK indie hits between 1980 and 1986. Following the break-up of the Higsons, Edwards formed Butterfield 8 with ex-Madness bass player Mark Bedford. The duo released a solitary album, 1988’s jazz and blues-tinged Blow. Edwards began recording solo material at the start of the following decade, reinventing songs by the Jesus And Mary Chain, the Fall and Miles Davis for three EPs released on Jacko Boogie’s Stim label and later compiled on 1993’s Plays, Salutes & Executes. In the mid-90s Edwards formed the Scapegoats, a highly skilled ensemble whose playful approach to music making saw them tackling pop, jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll with equal aplomb. Edwards and the Scapegoats made their recording debut in 1995 with ‘Girls And Boys’. The excellent My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me, featuring the acerbic ‘Margaret Thatcher, We Still Hate You’, followed later in the year. Since the late 80s onwards, Edwards has balanced his solo career with extensive time in the studio and on the live circuit as a session musician. The list of artists with whom he has performed includes Yeah Jazz, Madness, Gallon Drunk, David Gray, PJ Harvey, Billy Bragg, Jimi Tenor, Lydia Lunch, Spiritualized, Nick Cave, and the Tindersticks. In 2002, Edwards performed with the Scapegoats at the David Bowie -curated Meltdown festival in London.