Tune Tuesday

Charles Edwin Hatcher was born on this day in 1942. You and I know him better as Edwin Starr.  He was born in Nashville, moved to Cleveland and eventually to Detroit. 

In 1957, he formed the Doo Woo group, the Future Tones.  Soon after, he was called to serve in the US Army.  He spent most of his time in Europe.  When he was discharged, he decided that he wanted his career to be in music.

He joined up with Bill Doggett’s group.  Bill was known for his hit Honky Tonk Part  2. Starr’s stage name was suggested to him by Doggett’s manager, as he didn’t think Charles Hatcher would catch on.

In 1965, Edwin made his solo debut with his first single for Ric-Tic Records.  The James Bond series was quite popular at the time.  Starr’s first single was a play on that entitled Agent Double-O-Soul.

Songfacts says that instead of being a spy, Edwin is “a sophisticated cat that brings soul music to the masses. He doesn’t have to go undercover!” I think that is a perfect description!

When I first started in radio back in 1988, it was at an oldies station.  My dad gave me a list of songs that he asked me to look for.  Most of them were songs he grew up loving.  Many were also big hits by local artists in Detroit.  Agent Double-O-Soul was on that list.

Thanks to that list, I was introduced to songs that I was unfamiliar with.  Those songs have since become some of my favorites. 

When Ric-Tic Records went out of business, they sold Starr’s contract to their much larger rival, Motown. His first few singles there flopped.   But in 1969 he scored with “Twenty-Five Miles” and in 1970 he had a #1 hit with”War.” He ended up leaving Motown in the mid-’70s. In 1983 he moved to the UK, where he performed until 2003, when he died of a heart attack at 61.