All About Gary Edwards

Gary A. Edwards was born in Spokane, Washington in 1941. He started playing string bass in the Spokane Symphony orchestra at age 18. He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1959. Gary graduated from Indiana University in June, 1964 with a degree in Music Education.

Gary taught public school teacher instrumental music from the 3rd to the 9th grades for two years and played bass in the Louisville Symphony Orchestra. He joined the Peace Corps and went to Santiago, Chile where he started a decades long career in Social Work.

Since 1956, Gary has performed in bands of all sizes from single to symphony and all styles from opera to rock and country to classical and choral, with musical comedy orchestral experience.

Gary has composed in most styles including classical, rock, country, children's, jazz, choral, gospel, Christmas Cantata Night of a Miracle and a complete musical comedy, The Bureau-rats. He has written five other books and had thirty-seven articles published in computer magazines, primarily software reviews. His Waltz and Variations in E Minor for the accordion is published by JanPress.

He has signed numerous publishing contracts for classical, rock, country and religious music. His music has received airplay in Washington, Idaho and Estonia. His classical piece The Cowboys was performed in concerts by the North Idaho College Band in May, 2000 and the Ensamble Rosario in Rosario, Argentina in August, 2001. His Happy Mother’s Day and Peace Be With You SATB choral piece and other serious and gospel choral pieces have been performed by different church choirs. His Gypsy Tango for String Trio premiered at a performance at the North Idaho Art on The Green festival on August 4, 2002 and was recorded and performed in St. Petersburg, Russia by the Nevsky String Trio.

His Coeur d’Alene Suite, a 30 minute piece for string orchestra, was recorded in April 2005 and performed by the Coeur d’Alene High School String Orchestra on May 19, 2005. The Spirit of the Vikings March was premiered by the Coeur d’Alene high School Wind Ensemble on May 18th, 2006.  Gary conducted his most recent work, Prayer for Peace with The Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra premiered 12/2/2006 at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. He was commissioned to write a just completed work for the Coeur d’Alene Youth Symphony titled Fanfare and Fantasy to be premiered in the spring of 2007. Another work just completed is The Fort Sherman Suite; a day in the life of a soldier in 1885 (8:30 minutes), to be premiered in spring 2007 by the Fort Sherman Symphonette, along with a companion piece The Fort Sherman March for military brass band. Two choral pieces Peace Be With You and God Is Everywhere will be performed by the Northwest Sacred Music Choral in their spring 2007 concert.

He has released five CDs including The Coeur d’Alene Suite (classical string orchestra), Cast Out The Demons (R&B style contemporary gospel), Gary’s Country, TroubleClef, a rock CD Gary’s Classical and formed Edwards Music Publishing.com company which primarily releases his music. 

Contact Gary Edwards

Circa 1968

That is Gary playing the Bass in a band called "Soul Sounds" in San Fransisco in the late 60's! This isn't some guy who sat in the garage strumming his guitar, this is a guy who has played it all!

What a great Picture! I can smell the smoke in the air. I can hear the Peavey's pumping out the R&B - maybe a guy in the background snapping his fingers to the beat...