Edwin Starr

Edwin Starr
Background information
Birth name	Charles Edwin Hatcher
Born	(1942-01-21)January 21, 1942 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	April 2, 2003(2003-04-02) (aged 61) Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, England, UK[1]
Genres	Soul R&B funk disco psychedelic soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1962–2002
Labels	Ric-Tic Motown 20th Century Motorcity
Website	edwinstarr.info

Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003),^[2] known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one hit "War".^[3]

Born in Nashville and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he later lived in Detroit while singing for Ric-Tic and Motown Records.^[4] He was backed by the band that became known as "Black Merda". Hawkins and Veasey of the group played on most of his early hits on the Ric Tic Label. Starr's songs "Twenty-Five Miles" and "Stop the War Now" were also major successes, in 1969 and 1971 respectively. In the 1970s Starr moved to England, where he continued to produce music and resided until his death.^[1]