Anderson Edwards-Musical Director/Composer/Musician is a native Chicagoan and a graduate of Columbia College.  He has taught music in the public and private sector of the Chicago Public School system.

 He has performed in "The Other Cinderella" at the Black Ensemble Theater; "I'd rather be Right" and "The Anchorman" at the Getz Theater; "Fantastiks" at the Harold Washington Theater and audition pianist for "The Gospel at Colonus" at the Goodman Theater.

 Anderson has traveled worldwide and performed in clubs, concerts and festivals with a wide range of artists from Wynton Marsalis and Eldee Young to Otis Clay and Koko Taylor.  Over the years he has opened for acts such as Brandy, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Huey Lewis and the News and Buddy Guy.  Anderson's recording credits extend across the span of Western music from classical, gospel and jazz to R&B, blues and house music.  Most notably Anderson scored the music to the Katherine Nero film "Wedding Bell Blues", recorded with Koko Taylor on the House of Blues tribute to Janis Joplin and was a co-composer with Grammy Award winning, Sony recording blues artist Keb Mo' in the Keith Glover musical hit "Thunder Knocking on the Door".  As Musical director from '97-'99, "Thunder" performed at a number of prestigious regional theaters including the Guthrie in Minneapolis, The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and Cinncinatti Playhouse in the Park, all recieving rave reviews.  While in D.C., the show received 3 out of 6 nominations for the 1999 Helen Hayes Awards, one of which he won for Best Musical Direction.  The production grew and moved onto other regional venues.  In the summer of '02, the show ran an off-broadway production at the Minetta Lane Theater.  During that time MOVIN ON (the final song of the show, composed by Anderson) was performed on the ABC show THE VIEW by Marva Hicks (one of the stars of the show) and the pit band with Anderson on bass.  Subsequently, the show was nominated for the OBIE awards as well as the Audelco Awards.  During this time period, he  traveled primarily between the US and Japan.  In Japan he had the opportunity to work with American and Japanese artists in a variety of situations from performing bass at the Blue Note's "Motion Blue" club with Jazz pianist Junichiro Okuchi to playing piano at the 2005 MTV Japan awards behind Mariah Carey. 

In November of '05 he moved back to Chicago and returned to the Black Ensemble Theater performing either bass or keys in the Jeff nominated productions of: "THE NINA SIMONE STORY", "DON'T MAKE ME OVER", the Dionne Warwick Story, "DON'T SHED A TEAR", The Billie Holiday Story and in David Barr's  "MEMPHIS SOUL" The music of Stax Records.  He's playing bass on SOULFUL SOUNDS by Gospel Legends Geraldine and Donald Gay. 

In November '07 he returned to the Northlight theater to act (debut) as well as perform as Piano/Conductor in "ELLA" (The Ella Fitzgerald Story) which ran until mid-January.  The show moved to the Dallas Theater Center and ran through mid-February '08.  He was the bassist in the Goodman Theater production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' which ran through August 4th as well as being the Music Supervisor for the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theater's production of NINA SIMONE-Between the Keys. 

Anderson performed  in the movie THE EXPRESS (The story of Ernie Davis)  released in the fall of '08 playing behind Alligator Records recording artist Lonnie Brooks.   In '09, He had the pleasure of working with Janiva Magness (recently signed to Alligator Records) as well as currently working with blues guitarist James Armstrong .  He's finished the year travelling to Madrid, Spain with Gospel legend Rev. Donald Gay and the Gay Family Experience.  

This year he has worked with Jazz vocalist Tecora Rogers, R&B Vocalist LaWandia along with blues guitarist James Armstrong and a relatively new blues guitarist out of St. Louis named Marquise Knox.

In light of his background, he's one of the few global multi-instrumentalist who's comfortable on any stage and available for local or international work.