About a week after Dave Edmunds suffered an apparent major cardiac arrest, some hopeful news has emerged about his current condition.
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On Monday, August 4, singer/songwriter Carlene Carter posted an archival photo on her Facebook page of her and Edmunds performing together, along with a caption that reads, “Dave is expected to make a full recovery and be out of the hospital soon!” Carter also posted an accompanying note that reads, “Some really great news we all have been waiting for…”
Dave’s wife, Cici Edmunds, who first reported details about her husband’s serious medical emergency, reposted Carter’s message on her own Facebook page. She also wrote, “Bless you sweet beautiful Carlene for sharing the positive news regarding my amazing [husband’s] miraculous recovery. Sending you much love and light your way always. Cici Edmunds.”
Some fans posted in the comments of Carter’s Facebook note questioning the source of the information. Someone authorized to comment on Carlene’s behalf responded, “[S]orry for the confusion, we would not post anything here that wasn’t from a reliable source. … [T]his [post] today was a direct quote from Carlene’s daughter who was in contact with Dave’s daughter.”
About the Initial Report from Edmunds’ Wife
On July 29, Cici Edmunds posted a lengthy message on her Facebook page reported that Dave had suffered “a major cardiac arrest” and had to be revived via CPR.
She explained that a nurse who had been at their residence revived the 81-year-old Welsh musician by performing “heavy duty CPR” on him.
Cici further explained that Dave was then brought to a hospital, where “the doctors at the ICU operating room intubated [him] after by a miracle resurrecting him for a moment.”
According to Cici’s post, Edmunds “very clearly has brain damage and severe memory loss etc.” She added that “the risk of yet another major cardiac arrest is high. And if that occurs there is no chance for Dave.”
We can only hope that the new positive update about Edmunds’ prognosis is accurate.
More About Carter’s Connection to Edmunds
Carter is the daughter of the late June Carter Cash and June’s first husband, Carl Smith. The late Johnny Cash was her stepfather. From 1979 to 1990, Carlene was married to British singer/songwriter Nick Lowe, who played in the band Rockpile with Edmunds during the late 1970s and early ’80s.
Edmunds played guitar and contributed vocals to Carter’s third album, Musical Shapes, which was released in 1980. The album, which was produced by Lowe, featured a duet between Carlene and Dave on the song “Baby Ride Easy.” The tune was a minor hit on the Billboard country singles chart that year.
After Cici Edmunds posted about Dave’s health crisis, Carter shared a message on her Facebook page that read in part, “We always were so joyful when we sang together. Love him very much! I’m just praying for him.”
More About Dave Edmunds
Edmunds first came to fame as the leader of the Wales-based blues-rock group Love Sculpture. In 1968, the band scored a U.K. hit with a cover of Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian’s instrumental piece “Sabre Dance.”
Edmunds went solo in 1970, and scored the biggest hit of his career that year with a cover of “I Hear You Knocking,” which had been a 1955 R&B smash for Smiley Lewis. Fats Domino also released a version of the song in 1961. Edmunds’ rendition topped the U.K. singles chart for six weeks and also reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1976, he formed the group Rockpile with singer/bassist Lowe, guitarist Billy Bremner, and drummer Terry Williams.
At the time, Edmunds and Lowe were signed as solo artists to different labels, so they were unable to record as Rockpile. Instead, for a few years, the group served as backing band on Edmunds’ and Lowe’s respective solo efforts. Dave scored a number of U.K. solo hits in the late 1970s with Rockpile as his backing group.
Rockpile finally were able to release an album under their own moniker in 1980, the acclaimed Second of Pleasure. Tensions between Edmunds and Lowe led to the band’s breakup in 1981.
Dave then resumed his solo career, and enjoyed some moderate commercial success during the 1980s. He scored a Top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983 with “Slipping Away,” written by ELO’s Jeff Lynne.
Edmunds also had a successful career as a producer. Among the artists he worked in the studio with were Foghat, The Flamin’ Groovies, Stray Cats, Lowe, The Everly Brothers, Motörhead, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and k.d. lang.
Edmunds retired from performing in 2017, reportedly because of ill health.
(Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Redferns)
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