Charles Hatcher, later known as Edwin Starr, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and formed his first musical group, the Future Tones, in 1957. The group recorded a single before Starr's three-year army service, which he served during. Following his time in the army, Starr continued to tour with another band for two years before being offered a solo recording deal in 1965.
Starr's early music career was marked by several notable hits, including "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S)." However, his most significant success came with the song "War," which reached number one on the charts in 1970 during a time of growing anti-Vietnam War protests. Other top 10 hits included "Contact" and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio." Starr's music career was also marked by his experiences as a veteran of the Vietnam War.
In the late 1970s, Starr made a brief comeback during the disco craze, and later spent most of his time touring Europe on the oldies circuit. In England, Starr participated in an award-winning British Broadcasting Corporation radio series on the U.S. civil rights movement. In 1995, he was featured on a Walt Disney children's workout album entitled "Mousercise."
Starr continued to perform throughout his life, including a notable appearance at the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest in New York in 2002. His final performances were at two shows in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 29th and 30th, 2003.
