Robin Gibb, 1949 - 2012
The Bee Gee brother has died at the age of 62. MOJO flags fly at half mast.
12:42 PM GMT 21/05/2012
News
Farewell, Dale Hawkins...
4:00 PM GMT 15/02/2010
Dale Hawkins, singer, producer, swamp-rock legend and the man responsible for rockabilly smash Suzie Q, has died at the age of 73 after battling colon cancer.
Born on August 22, 1936 in Goldmine, Louisiana, Hawkins became hooked on the gospel sounds of the local black church and the bare bones country-blues that could be heard in the cottonfields surrounding the family home. After a brief stint in the Navy, he quit college to begin a career in music.
Hawkins took a job at a Shreveport record store, immersing himself in the R&B hits of Howlin' Wolf, Lonnie Johnson and Guitar Slim. "Most of the clientele was black," Hawkins told MOJO's Andrew Male in 2006. "If they didn't know the title of a song, I'd say, sing a little bit of it, and usually I could send them to it, what rack and what bin. God blessed me with a good ear."
He began playing the late night bars and juke joints with a variety of bands that included the likes of Ronnie Hawkins (his cousin), Conway Twitty and a very young James Burton - the virtuoso guitarist who would play on Hawkins' breakthrough hit before going on to become an integral part of Elvis's TCB band in the 1970s. Suzie-Q was released in April 1957, peaking at Number 27 on the pop and R&B charts. It would mark the start of songwriting and recording credits for a panoply of labels including Atlantic, Roulette and Bell. During the 1960s, Hawkins continued to work on hit records, producing the likes of the Unique's Not Too Long Ago and the Five Americans' Western Union as well as presenting his own TV show and introducing guitar whiz Roy Buchanan to the Chess stable.
In 1969, the year after Creedence Clearwater Revival had taken their version of Suzie Q into the Top 20, he cut the super-charged swamp-rock classic L.A., Memphis & Tyler, Texas (you can read MOJO's Disc Of The Day appraisal of that record HERE).
Hawkins death comes just one month after the passing of his friend and fellow Louisiana singer-songwriter Bobby Charles. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 4:00 PM GMT 15/02/2010
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The true history of Rock and roll music is littered with unsung heroes and legends, such as Dale Hawkins; we are losing them at an astonishing rate right now, and it is sad. Bobby Charles, Mick Green , now Dale RIP
Posted by MCF at 5:52 AM GMT 17/02/2010 Report Abuse
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Dale Hawkins was the first Rock `N Roll Star who shine in my univerise. I was in Junior High and our house was full of music. My big sister Gladys was the first President of the Dale Hawkins Fan Club and her boyfriend, lived with James Burton`s family. I remember how pretty she looked when she got dressed to go to the Louisiana Hayride on Saturday night.
y heart has always been touched when I heard one of Dale`s songs. I believe that he was truley the ROCK on which the music industry has beeb built. May God bless his family and
Posted by JoAn Harper Hornsey at 4:24 PM GMT 18/02/2010 Report Abuse
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Dale Hawkins was the first Rock `N Roll Star who shine in my univerise. I was in Junior High and our house was full of music. My big sister Gladys was the first President of the Dale Hawkins Fan Club and her boyfriend, lived with James Burton`s family. I remember how pretty she looked when she got dressed to go to the Louisiana Hayride on Saturday night.
y heart has always been touched when I heard one of Dale`s songs. I believe that he was truley the ROCK on which the music industry has beeb built. May God bless his family .
Posted by JoAn Harper Hornsey at 4:24 PM GMT 18/02/2010 Report Abuse
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