COREY EDWARDS
INTRIGUING UNSUNG HERO
C
AL JAMES INTRIGUING MUSICIAN
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l James straddles two counties, playing venues throughout both Napa and Monterey. The singer/songwriter got a foothold in wine country in 2014 and has played his diverse portfolio of music, focusing on jazz and blues, in nearly every setting in which live music is featured. Some of his favorite sites to perform include Black Stallion Winery, Farmstead, and Archer hotel, where he was the first artist to christen the downtown hot spot’s live music scene. Further south, he sometimes performs with an ensemble, the Al James Band, and he can be found Sundays at Al’s Lounge, on the patio at Deja Blue jazz and comedy club in Seaside. James channels some of his favorite artists through his music such as James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Donny Hathaway to name a few. He loves Napa, and Napa residents love him right back. Lee W Miller, a Napa realtor, is a fan. “I go see Al every opportunity I get,” said Miller, who appreciates James’ originality. I’ve seen him on his own, with his bass player, and with his entire band. He never disappoints.”
orey Edwards is Napa Valley’s modern-day town crier. Day and night, he monitors various websites, police scanners, and fire cameras in order to keep the community apprised of anything that puts the public in danger. His alerts are shared via Facebook on a page created during the 2017 fires entitled ‘Napa Valley, CA Fire and Police Emergency Info (Unofficial).’ The Napa Fire Department requested the ‘unofficial’ tag, though Edwards’ fans find nothing unofficial about him. “Whenever something, anything, is going down in town – smoke, loud music, sirens – my husband and I say to each other, ‘let’s see what Corey has to say,’” said Christie Chevalier Kaer. A former freelance photo journalist for the Napa Valley Register, Edwards is a self-confessed ‘ambulance chaser’ who simply knows how and where to glean the latest news. His scanners are ‘on’ 24/7 and so is he; he hasn’t slept through the night in years. With a day job running Napa Valley Computers out of his house, he doesn’t administrate the Facebook page for money. It’s simply his way of giving back to the community. “I keep my personal feelings and opinions to myself and simply share the facts of incidents when they come across the scanner,” said Edwards. “My job and my lifestyle allow me to do this.” Says fan Wendy Jacque, “Corey works tirelessly around-the-clock as our community’s central hub of reliable and non-dramatic information for fire and criminal police events. He keeps the facts crystal clear which offers a sense of peace in times of turmoil. Why does he do it? He is a really good person who cares about his community.”
Photo by Lowell Downey