David Eugene Edwards

American musician

David Eugene Edwards (born February 24, 1968) is an American musician. He is the lead singer of Wovenhand, and also the main songwriter and the principal musician on the recordings of the band. He is the former lead singer of 16 Horsepower. Their music contains elements of old time, folk, punk, medieval, gypsy, Native American music, and most recently late 1980s and early 1990s Gothic Rock. Lyrically, it deals with pain, conflict, faith, and redemption, with Edwards' personal Christian beliefs influencing much of the lyrical imagery.

Edwards was born in 1968 in Englewood, Colorado, the grandson of a traveling Nazarene preacher. He grew up in the church and often traveled with his grandfather. The music of the church became a major influence on the music he produced as an adult. “The music in church as a kid was always the part of church that really spoke to me, just the words of the music and the music itself. And early on, it was real somber music, just an organ and singing, and singing hymns from the 1600s. That’s pretty much what I do now too. Yeah, that was a big influence, really, and I still love that music — probably it’s my favorite music, really," he told Issue magazine. His family later attended a Baptist church. Through these experiences, he developed an early and intensely personal relationship with Christianity. "I never felt holy or anything like that. But I knew I was saved. I was saved when I was five years old. And I've never had a doubt since then. It stays with me now. It's all dealt with by the Son. One day, the sun was coming through the window. I was in a basement, and up there at the top the sun was coming through the window. It was morning and the sun was just coming up. And the Lord showed me who he was," he told Cross Rhythms. Edwards worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a full time musician, including ditch digger, dishwasher, carpenter and janitor. He did not finish high school. The album is set to be released on September 29, 2023, with the first single "Lionisis" having been released on August 3, alongside a music video.

Edwards remains deeply Christian, and occasionally talks to the press about his faith and its relationship to his music. “Religion is kind of a weird word today you know I grew up in the Church. My Grandfather was the preacher of the Church that I went to. It was small and he led the music. Socially, that was a major part of my life. There are a lot of people that grow up in the Church or whatever and they don’t care about it or they don’t follow it. Just because your parents believe doesn’t mean you are going to. But I have always believed in it, in the Bible, and it’s a huge part of my life, it affects everything I do. There is no separation between it and my regular life you know what I mean That’s what I sing about," he told Issue.

Edwards is married; his wife's name is Leah. He has two children: Asher, born in 1987; and Elijah, born in 1997. Asher played strings on 16 Horsepower's album Secret South and appears in the videos for the band's songs "Haw" and "Clogger."