Jonathan Edwards Bringing His ‘Sunshine’ To Flagpole Café Opener

By John Voket

The upbeat melody of Jonathan Edwards million-seller “Sunshine” may mask the somewhat darker and more serious nature of the lyrics in his folkie protest hit. But as the singer tells it, that song may have never seen its way onto the airwaves and into the mainstream of the Vietnam anti-war movement if it wasn’t for a mistake made by a recording studio producer.

“Recording was so new in ‘69 and ‘70,” Edwards says in his official bio. “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.”

A fierce proclamation of protest and independence set to a somewhat footloose and carefree melody, “Sunshine” resonated with a generation of frustrated and angry young people of the day. 

“It was just at the time of the Vietnam War and Nixon,” Edwards said. “It was looking bad out there. That song meant a lot to a lot of people during that time — especially me.”

“Sunshine” got its debut on a Boston radio station and quickly made its way to the number four position on the national charts, earning him a gold record in 1971 for selling well over a million copies.

“Sunshine” also ushered in a sea change in Jonathan’s life and career, sweeping him up in a current of overnight success. 

“All of a sudden – ‘71 – I was a huge celeb for 15 minutes and riding around in limos … and I was trying my best, trying really hard to keep it at bay, to not take advantage of it, to not be that guy, to be the guy who I was going into that life-changing experience, because I liked myself and I thought what I was doing was right, and so I wanted to sustain who I was,” he said in an interview years later. “For better or for worse, that was my decision.”

Today, Edwards is still an engaging and plain speaking artist who greatly values the role “Sunshine,” and his other popular hit, “Shanty,” play in drawing audiences to his concerts. But he finds that many who come to see him to hear one or both of those hits, find themselves drawn to some of the hundreds of other songs he has created in his lifetime.

Edwards will be giving a Newtown audience access to that mix of new and familiar when he headlines the 2011-12 season opener of Flagpole Radio Café on Saturday, September 17, at Edmond Town Hall.

Flagpole Radio Café Producer Martin Blanco calls Edwards “a journeyman musician in the best folk and rock traditions with a strong following in Connecticut. 

“Like most everyone else,  The Flagpole Radio Café has been challenged by the atrocious weather in August,” Mr Blanco said. “I believe our show with Jonathan Edwards will bring much needed joy and excitement to our community in the post-Irene days.”

In a chat with The Newtown Bee, Edwards said he was equally surprised when “Shanty” not only became a popular request at concerts, but evolved into what is now widely described as, “the five o’clock song,” or the “Friday song,” which radio stations across the country for listeners transitioning into the weekend as they head out of work on Friday afternoons.

“That song evolved from a saying we had in the band,” Edwards said. “When someone asked what we were doing tonight, we’d say ‘like every other night, just layin’ around the shanty putting a good buzz on.’ And it became a song and somewhat of an institution in certain circles.”

Like with “Sunshine,” Edwards admitted that when “Shanty” was written, it was just more grist for the mill.

“That’s the way songs are. The trials of writing a song is really powerful,” he said. “But at the time it was just another song on my list of things to do and things to get down on paper and then record.”

Besides the aforementioned hits, Edwards’ repertoire includes classics such as “Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy,” “Sometimes,” “One Day Closer,” “Don’t Cry Blue,” “Emma,” “Everybody Knows Her,” and “Athens County.”

But Edwards is hoping his Newtown audience will also find a lot to love about his newest project, My Love Will Keep. The album contains a song called “Johnny Blue Horizon,” which was inspired by John Denver, and was initially penned to be part of a tribute album that Edwards envisioned producing.

“He was a friend and an influence. We played the same places very often and got to hang out quite a bit,” Edwards said. “I just admired the way he took an acoustic guitar out in front of a microphone and a crowd. And he took it from that level all thee way to super-stardom on the strength of his voice and his writing and his spirit. I totally admired that about him.”

The new album also features a very special song, “This Island Earth,” which gave Edwards a chance to record with his daughter, Grace.

Through all his experiences, highs and lows, Edwards has never forgotten his politically conscious roots, and he is still engaged in activism and playing to benefit a good cause. Locally, he will also be playing a benefit at Connecticut’s Mitchell Farm, which rescues and rehabilitates cast-off and abandoned horses. That show, in Salem on September 24, also features Aztec Two-Step, and Jon Pousette-Dart. To learn more about Jonathan Edwards, and to link to his music catalog and tickets for all his shows including this weekend’s performance in Newtown, go to www.JonathanEdwards.net.

Doors open for Saturday’s performance of Flagpole Radio Café open at 6:30 pm. The performance will be in the theater of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street in Newtown. Tickets are $25, $20 for students and seniors, and are available online at www.FlagpoleProductions.org or by calling 203-364-0898.

Now beginning its fourth season, The Flagpole Radio Café is an engaging show created by Jim Allyn, Martin Blanco and Barbara Gaines in conjunction with Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. In addition to each show’s special guest(s), performances feature music by Jim Allyn and The Radio Café Orchestra, a dynamic ensemble created for the show, and radio style comedy sketches by the hyperbolically named Flagpole Shakespeare Repertory Theatre.

Patrons who purchase tickets in advance are invited to a pre-show reception in the town hall’s Alexandria Room. There will be light refreshments, music, and a chance to chat with The Flagpole Radio Café performers prior to the 7 o’clock show.