eddie cunningham

About The Artist: Singer/Songwriter/Producer Eddie Cunningham

Eclectic is an understatement when describing the singing, songwriting and song styling talents of Los Angeles recording artist and producer Eddie Cunningham, winner of the 8th Annual Independent Music Award for his heart blasting power gospel hit, “Jesus Is More Than A Name.”
Conceived and recorded as part of the triple Grammy Award nominated Gram Parsons Notebook tribute CD, “Jesus Is More Than A Name” has continued winning awards and topping Americana and Faith Based charts ever since – with no sign of stopping.
Prior to winning the Independent Music Award for Best Gospel, “Jesus Is More Than A Name” earned Cunningham three Grammy Award nominations for The Gram Parsons Notebook, The Southern California Music Award for Best Gospel, two nominations by The Los Angeles Music Awards for Best Gospel and Best Male Vocalist, The West Coast Songwriters International Award for Top Gospel, Honorable Mention in The Billboard World Song Contest, inclusion on the Top Ten Americana CD for The Gram Parsons Notebook, Top Christian Artist on Independent Gospel Online Radio and first place on ’s Top Ten Country list.
“Producing The Gram Parsons Notebook was a total joy and an experience I’ll never forget,” says Grammy Award winning producer Carl Jackson. “Eddie pours his heart and soul into his performance on ‘Jesus Is More Than A Name’ and I’m proud to be a small part of the emotion captured on record forever for all to hear.” At the recording session, blind piano player Johnny Neel complimented Eddie’s performance by saying, “You sing like a blind man.”
Authenticity and diversity prevail in the music of Eddie Cunningham. From soulful country ballads to honky-tonk, from love songs to hillbilly trucker music, from pure Americana to soul and r&b, from down home gospel to Native American tribal rock, from alternative country to bluegrass to Latin urban and back again, Cunningham – amazingly – does it all justice with eleven CDs to date packed with outstanding original melodies, emotionally honest lyrics and his signature blast-to-the-heart soulfully beautiful vocals.
Born in multi-ethnic, multi-racial East Los Angeles to a hard working family with Scots/Irish and Native American roots, Cunningham grew up with an appreciation of musical, cultural and spiritual diversity. While his personal roots are Christian and Native American, he has an all-inclusive spirituality and respects all religions. He is as likely to be found in a Baptist church as in a Buddhist temple, a Jewish synagogue or a Self-Realization Fellowship meditation service.
Eddie has always done things a little bit differently. From the time he was a child when he taught himself to play guitar, he has played a right handed acoustic-electric flipped over to lefty. Not knowing there was a wrong way to play it, it just became his way and it gives his chords subtle nuances that contribute much to his unique and original sound.
Popular with live audiences for his great melodies, beautiful voice and his easy warmth and humor, Cunningham began his career playing the San Diego club circuit with Hoke Simpson and Chuck Perrin. He started The Amber Band with Barrie Dempsey, Danny Pinnella and Loren Graham and they produced a single, a CD and performed on the KPBS-TV concert special Sound Stage.
Cunningham’s next band, Cowboys & Indians, was signed live on the spot by Keith Cowan, A&R Rep for Atlantic Records. An alternative country rock group with Eddie as lead singer and songwriter, the band included John Khula, Bruce Clark, Steve Jumal and Mark Spriggs. Their Atlantic Records CD, Songs From The Big Tent, is collection of Native American tribal rock and country rock ballads. The band continued on to record for X/S and Nufire Records.
Eddie continued honing his writing skills playing the Los Angeles songwriters circuit and visiting the famous Palomino Club in North Hollywood where he met many songwriters including Jim Lauderdale, Jeffrey Steele (Boy Howdy), Monty Byrom (Big House), Dale Watson, Rosie Flores, James Inveld, Dwight Yoakam and others. Cunningham started the popular “Writers In The Round” series where songwriters sat in a circle taking turns playing their original music to audiences at The Palomino.
Much in demand as a co-writer, collaborator and studio artist in Los Angeles and Nashville, Eddie has earned the respect of such industry professionals as Carl Jackson, Bob Doyle, Berry Gordy, Desmond Child, Mickey Newbury and Danny Federichi. Michael Douglas offered him a publishing contract with his record label Third Stone/Warner Chappell. He has co-written with some of the best songwriters in the business including Jeffrey Steele, Wendy Waldman, Desmond Child, A.L. “Doodle” Owens, Mentor Williams, Kostas and many others.
His producing credits include co-producer on his song, “Jesus Is More Than A Name” for The Gram Parsons Notebook and producer on CDs for Kenny Loren, Hillbilly Truckers, Michael Mandella, Frances Westwood, Westwood, Laurel Canyon, The Sinners and The Jeds.
Cunningham’s list of awards and accolades spans two decades and it, too, shows no sign of stopping. He won the Grand Prize for Best Unsigned Country Artist in America in The Jim Beam Country Band Search at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. He has received awards for “Male Vocalist of the Year,” “Songwriter of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Best Country Rock,” “Best Latin Urban,” “Best Gospel,” and others from venues as diverse as The Independent Music Awards, The California Country Music Awards, The Southern California Music Awards, The Los Angeles Music Awards, The Independent Acoustic Music Awards, The Nashville Songwriters Association International, The Billboard World Song Contest and The John Lennon Song Contest.
Eddie has shared the stage with many great artists including Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bryan White, Joe Diffee, Aaron Tippin, Gary Morris and many others. His songs have been recorded by up-and-coming and legendary recording artists including Jeffrey Steele (Boy Howdy), Monty Byrom (Big House), Ben E. King, Moe Bandy, Chris Darrow, Wendy Waldman, Dale Watson, Buddy Jewell, Todd Fritsch, Eddie Dunbar, Laurel Canyon, Michael Mandella, Mark Insley, Jenny Slate and Pete Martinez.
Cunningham’s voice has been heard worldwide; his songs can be found in movies, in national commercials (Mountain Dew, Apple Mac Vista Blues, NBC Affiliate KFDX News Center 3) and on television shows (Touched By An Angel, Starting Over, Gundam Cartoons) that have garnered over 40 Emmy Awards and MTV Awards.
On the big screen Eddie stars and sings in a series of eight indie films created by legendary record producer Kim Fowley. These include Jukebox California, Redneck Nation, Outlaws in America, Trailer Parks After Dark, Satan of Silverlake, Surfing Frankenstein, Pink Cement and Gangster Puppets. These films and the characters Eddie plays have their own niche fans in the U.K. and France and will soon be released to audiences in the U.S.
With four new albums in the planning stages, Eddie Cunningham is an artist who is constantly creating, on fire with new ideas and always ready to try something different.
His goal is still to write the best song he has ever written.