Dave Edmunds

Many of his fans consider him very underrated as a performer, guitarist, and producer. The Flamingos were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The list of artists he has worked with is immense, from legends to footnotes in rock history. By 1964, however, the group's career was essentially over. in semi-retirement, releasing the occasional album and touring infrequently, mainly due to ill health. "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1959, originally recorded by Dick Powell in 1934) became their biggest hit and was followed by a long series of hits, including "Love Walked In", "Your Other Love", "Mio Amore", "Nobody Loves Me Like You", "Lovers Never Say Goodbye", "I Was Such A Fool" and "Love Walked In". He now lives in L.A. Other noteworthy songs from the 1950's include "A Kiss From Your Lips", "I'll Be Home", and "Would I Be Crying".

He even soundtracked a Porkies movie. Their first single, "If I Can't Have You", was a moderate success, and the follow-ups "That's My Desire" and "Golden Teardrops" cemented their reputation. Edmunds spent the 1980s releasing more music to an ever selective audience, collaborating with and producing an assortment of artists, from Paul McCartney to King Kurt, via The Stray Cats. Sollie McElroy soon replaced Lewis (who joined The Five Echoes). Bizarrely, after their first LP as Rockpile, Seconds Of Pleasure, the band split. Earl Lewis soon joined, and after a series of name changes (The Swallows, El Flamingos, The Five Flamingos) wound up being known as The Flamingos. Dave Edmunds had more hits during this time, including "Girls Talk", "I Knew The Bride", and "Queen Of Hearts". Jake and Zeke Carey formed the group in Chicago, after meeting Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter at a black Jewish church.

For contractual reasons they could not record as Rockpile until 1980, and so released albums as solo LP's backed by their band. The Flamingos were a doo wop group, popular in the mid to late 1950s. The Brinsley Schwarz connection brought about a collaboration with Nick Lowe, operating under the name Rockpile, with Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. Vocal Group Hall of Fame page on The Flamingos (http://www.vghf.com/Inductees/flamingos.htm). His own solo LP from that era, Subtle As A Flying Mallet, was similar in style. Download sample "Nobody Loves Me Like You" from Respectfully Yours. After learning his trade as a producer, culminating in a couple of Phil Spector type singles, "Baby I Love You" and "Born To Be With You", he became enamoured of the concurrent pub rock movement of the early 1970s, producing Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, and also The Flamin' Groovies, using a stripped down, grittier sound.

After the band split, Edmunds had a huge number one single with "I Hear You Knocking", a cover of a blues classic from Smiley Lewis. "Sabre Dance" was typical of this, a top ten hit after much airplay from DJ John Peel. Dave Edmunds (born April 15, 1944) came out of Cardiff, Wales in the late 1960s, fronting a band called Love Sculpture who were playing blues and rocked up classical pieces.