Henrico’s Tommy Edwards: From Virginia to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - A historical marker on Pemberton Road near Quioccasin honors Tommy Edwards, a Henrico native and the first African American artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

Edwards recorded 15 songs that reached the Billboard charts between 1951 and 1960.

His chart-topping hit, “It’s All in the Game,” earned him an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Edwards left Henrico and followed his sister Harriet to New York, where she was attending design school.

With limited funds, he lived at the Harlem YMCA while attempting to break into the music industry.

“Two kids from Henrico County, they’re there in the big city,” said Don Gunter, a historian who later wrote Edwards’ biography for the Library of Virginia. “And of course there was the nightlife in Harlem. They were having a wonderful time, and Tommy was trying to sell some of his songs, and he was having some success with that.”

In 1946, Edwards sold his first song, “That Chick’s Too Young to Fry,” which became a hit for Louis Jordan and reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Race Chart.

He also wrote a song for Tony Bennett early in Bennett’s career.

After his peak success, Edwards’ career declined as rock and roll artists including Little Richard and Elvis Presley reshaped the music industry. He was released from MGM.

“It was a sad time for him, and it might have been the downturn of his popularity, the stress of the whole entertainment industry,” said Janet Wheeler, Edwards’ niece.

Edwards returned to Henrico, where he frequented local bars. Gunter recounted one encounter with a Henrico police officer who stopped Edwards while he was walking home.

“The policeman recognized the name, looked closely at Tommy and says, ‘You’re not Tommy Edwards,’” Gunter said. “Tommy said yes I am, and breaks into a few bars of ‘All in the Game,’ and the cop says, ‘You ARE Tommy Edwards,’ and sent him on his way.”

Edwards died Oct. 23, 1969, at the family home on Pemberton Road, one week after his 47th birthday.

The coroner determined the cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver.

He was buried in an unmarked grave at Quioccasin Baptist Church, where he had sung in the choir.

In 2004, the New York attorney general pursued a case against major record labels accused of taking advantage of dozens of young Black artists, resulting in a $50 million settlement.

Edwards’ estate received a check for $230,000 — 35 years after his death.

A portion of those funds was used to purchase a headstone.

“Kind, polite, passionate. He was a lovable guy,” Wheeler said.