--------------------------------
EDWARDS, CLARA (1887-1974)
"With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair"
Singer, pianist, and songwriter, Clara Edwards was born Clara Gerlich on March 18, 1887, in Mankato, Minnesota. She attended the Mankato State Normal School and the Cosmopolitan School of Music. She also studied in Europe, preparing for a career as singer. She began her career by giving concerts in both the United States and Europe. Clara Edwards later turned her efforts to composing songs. Her most successful song was "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair," which had lyrics by Jack Lawrence. Although it was first published in 1930, ten years passed before it became a hit. Clara Edwards composed more than 50 songs, including "Into the Night," "Sing Softly," "The Fisher's Widow," "Stars of the Night," and "By the Bend of the River." The latter was composed as a setting for a Bernhard Haig poem. She also wrote sacred songs, among them "When Jesus Walked on Galilee," "27th Psalm," and "Dedication." In addition to writing songs, Clara Edwards composed music for animated films and for children's plays like Alice in Wonderland. She died in New York on January 17, 1974.
SOURCES
Anderson, E. Ruth. Contemporary American Composers.
Hitchcock, H. Wiley. New Grove Dictionary of American Music.
Lynn FarnoI Group. ASCAP Biographical Dictionary.
Spaeth, Sigmund. History of Popular Music in America.