‘Sunshine' coming to Music at the Mission

West Milford - Jonathan Edwards, whose music spans nearly 50 years, is coming to Music at the Mission on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. You know his music, especially his 1971 hit “Sunshine.” But Edwards’ career has been incredibly diverse. He’s written children’s songs, toured with Broadway plays, even recorded a country album in Nashville. This is one veteran performer who is neither grizzled nor nostalgic. These days Edwards, a vital and relevant artist in today’s folk and Americana scenes, is much more likely to be found looking forward rather than back. Still, the journey that has brought him to towns and theaters all over the globe is well worth revisiting. Edwards first sang in public at the age of eight at his church in Virginia. He played songs by ear on his family’s piano and by the time he was a teenager, he realized he would do his best learning on his own. “I started on a $29 guitar and immediately started putting a band together, writing songs and learning all the contemporary folk songs of the time,” he recalls. “I just loved it, loved everything about it, loved being in front of people playing music.” Jonathan’s initiative and dedication soon paid off, and he found himself opening for national acts, including the Allman Brothers Band and B. B. King. This exposure attracted the attention of Capricorn Records, and he was placed under contract with them. “We took about a year recording the first album - different times, different studios, different sounds, different techniques,” he recalls. “Recording was so new in ’69 and ’70. There was a song on the album called ‘Please Find Me,’ and for some reason the engineer rolled over it. It got erased. We spent hours looking for it. We fired the engineer and put ‘Sunshine’ in its place.” And the rest is history. Loretta Hagen will be the special guest performer. Music at the Mission is located at 1452 Union Valley Road, at the West Milford Presbyterian Church. For further information please visit their Web site - www.MusicattheMission.org or call 800-613-1455. /