Caleb Christopher Edwards

Caleb Christopher Edwards mixes his folksy tenor, ringing melodies, and melodic poetry in a glass to toast as an earthy, American cocktail. Lyrics of hope, doubt, and wonder ground his songs like muddled sugar while his swift, peaty mandolin garnishes the glass rim. While Edwards’ spirit is smooth, it ignites a fire that audiences can carry for a lifetime: a truly refreshing glass of American folk music.

Originally from the sleepy town of Metamora, Indiana, Caleb Christopher Edwards grew up with a mandolin in his hand, the Gospel in his ear, and a song in his heart. Edwards developed his ears by learning from the bluegrass greats such as Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, and Larry Sparks, all introduced to him by his father, and he developed his imagination when he observed the shagbark hickory, the whitetail deer, and Orion in the heavens. A boyhood split between the community of melodies and lyrics as well as the isolation of the forest grew into a man who found himself drawn to the mysterious. Edwards soon attended the Kentucky School of Bluegrass Music in the heart of Appalachia and his own family’s “promised land”. Musical lessons were learned from the legendary Bobby Osborne of the Osborne Brothers (and Rocky Top fame) and the prolific Curtis Burch of Newgrass Revival while more life lessons were learned while living in the mountains. This period found Edwards’ nose in books of Hemingway, films by Fritz Lang, and music by J.S. Bach, Django Reinhardt, and Paul McCartney. This chapter of growth and discovery led Edwards to the music hub of the world, Nashville, TN. Once arriving in Nashville, Edwards quickly became interested in exploring his own voice as a lyricist and storyteller. At age 20, he became one of the sole songwriters for a veteran band of musicians forty years his senior. By age 24, he had taken his own songs and started the band, Lateral Blue; a band that would become one of the fastest up and coming young bluegrass bands in Nashville with over 125,000 listeners during the band’s short-lived run.  Curiosity soon came calling. Edwards found himself stretching once more with world music phenomenon, and Celtic supergroup, RUNA. The boy from Metamora who sang Bill Monroe songs was now singing Irish Gaelic in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Toronto. Edwards flourished in the band and developed his sense of melody and his yearn for life through the band’s travels. In 2020, Edwards found himself with the release of his debut solo album, Metamorphosis; an album that reclaimed the life lived between ages 18 and 24 and foreshadowed a life of wonder. The humble release found its delighted fans, and the world caught its first glimpse of the budding career of a bluegrass gunslinger turned mystical poet. An audience member is likely to experience the youthful tenor of a John Muir-type figure with a ringing bell of a mandolin accompanying his call to arms, his plea for grace, and his love of the wild.