1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Cleveland Deejay Tommy Edwards
Christopher Kennedy is a passionate music fan and an accomplished songwriter and musician. The
Christopher Kennedy is a passionate music fan and an accomplished songwriter and musician. The discovery of this collection was made during his determined research into the long lost rock ‘n’ roll film, The Pied Piper of Cleveland, which is rumored to contain some of the earliest footage of Elvis Presley. Between 1955 and 1960, popular Cleveland deejay Tommy Edwards photographed the parade of performers who passed through the WERE-AM radio studio for on-air interviews, shooting more than 1,700 Ektachrome slides. Following his death in 1981, most of the collection vanished and was presumed lost. The few images that remained were often reprinted and rarely credited to Edwards, labeled “Photographer Unknown.” Discovered by musician Chris Kennedy in 2006, Tommy Edwards’s candid photographs capture the birth of rock ’n’ roll at its flashpoint: Elvis Presley while he was still dangerous; a raw and incomplete Chuck Berry before his star ascended; and some beady-eyed, high-voiced kid named Roy Orbison. 1950s Radio in Color gives Tommy Edwards his due recognition as the deejay responsible for perhaps the most important photographic and written documentation of twentieth-century music ever produced. Featuring over 200 color photographs, this book will transport readers of all ages back in time, allowing them to step into Edwards’s shoes for a moment and to feel the wonder and excitement he must have felt everyday while witnessing a cultural revolution. Available now through Amazon.
