Thomas Jefferson Edwards, born on 17 February 1922 in Richmond, Virginia, was an American singer and songwriter who recorded under the name Tommy Edwards. In the 1940s, he hosted his own radio show in Richmond. His early success as a songwriter came with "That Chick's Too Young to Fry", a hit for Louis Jordan in 1946. He began recording for MGM Records in 1949 and moved to New York City in 1950. His breakthrough came with the song "It's All in the Game", which he originally recorded in 1951, but it was his 1958 re-recording that became a massive hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 3.5 million copies globally. This achievement made him the first African-American to top the Billboard Hot 100. He performed "It's All in the Game" on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1958. Other notable hits include his re-recording of "Please, Mr. Sun", which reached number 11, and "Love Is All We Need", which peaked at number 15. He released several albums, including All In The Game (1958), For Young Lovers (1959), and Tommy Edwards Sings Golden Country Hits (1961). His career spanned various genres, including pop music and traditional pop. Tommy Edwards died on 23 October 1969, at the age of 47, from complications related to cirrhosis of the liver. Posthumously, he received a Virginia Highway Marker in 2008 and was honoured with Tommy Edwards Day, declared by Richmond mayor L. Douglas Wilder in October 2008.
