Dale Hawkins

Dale Hawkins
Birth name	Delmar Allen Hawkins
Born	August 22, 1936(1936-08-22) Gold Mine, Louisiana
Died	February 13, 2010(2010-02-13) (aged 73) Little Rock, Arkansas
Genres	Rock music
Years active	1950s–2010
Labels	Chess Records
Website	dalehawkins.com

Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins (August 22, 1936 – February 13, 2010)^[1] was a pioneer American rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who was often called the architect of swamp rock boogie.^{[citation needed]} Fellow rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Hawkins was his cousin.^[2]

Biography

In 1957, Hawkins was playing at Shreveport, Louisiana clubs, and although his music was influenced by the new rock and roll style of Elvis Presley and the guitar sounds of Scotty Moore, Hawkins blended that with the uniquely heavy blues sound of black Louisiana artists for his recording of his swamp-rock classic, "Susie Q." Fellow Louisiana guitarist and future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Burton provided the signature riff and solo. The song was chosen as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Creedence Clearwater Revival's version of the song on their 1968 debut album helped launch their career and today it is probably the best known version.

In 1958 Hawkins recorded a single of Willie Dixon's "My Babe" at the Chess Records studio in Chicago, featuring Telecaster guitarist Roy Buchanan.^[3] He went on to a long and successful career, recording more songs for Chess. In 1998, Ace Records issued a compilation album, Dale Hawkins, Rock 'n' Roll Tornado, which contained a collection of his early works and previously unreleased material. Other recordings include the cult classic "LA, Memphis and Tyler, Texas," and a 1999 release, "Wildcat Tamer," of all-new recordings that garnered Hawkins a 4-star review in Rolling Stone. However, his career was not limited to recording or performing. He hosted a teen dance party, The Dale Hawkins Show, on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.

He then became a record producer, and found success with The Uniques' "Not Too Long Ago," the Five Americans' "Western Union," Jon & Robin's "Do It Again – A Little Bit Slower." He served as executive vice president of Abnak Records; Vice President, Southwest Division, Bell Records (here he produced Bruce Channel, Ronnie Self, James Bell, the Festivals, the Dolls, and the Gentrys); and A&R director, RCA West Coast Rock Division, working with Michael Nesmith and Harry Nilsson. In the 1990s, he produced "Goin Back to Mississippi" by R. L. Burnside's slide guitarist, Kenny Brown.

Hawkins' pioneering contributions have been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Death

In 2005, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and began chemotherapy while continuing to perform in the US and abroad. In October 2007, The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame honored Dale Hawkins for his contributions to Louisiana music by inducting him into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.^[4] At the same time, he released his latest recording, "Back Down to Louisiana," inspired by a trip to his childhood home. It was recognized by the UK's music magazine, Mojo, as #10 in the Americana category in their 2007 Best of issue, while "LA, Memphis and Tyler, Texas," was awarded #8 in the reissue category.

Hawkins died on February 13, 2010, from colon cancer in Little Rock, Arkansas.^[1][5][6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Rock Candy: Dale Hawkins dies". www.arktimes.com. http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/rockcandy/2010/02/dale_hawkins_dies.aspx. Retrieved 2010-02-14. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Obituary London Independent, February 17, 2010.
3. ^ Roy Buchanan: American Axe. Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=VR6EO8OIc5UC&pg=PA46&dq=roy+buchanan+my+babe&hl=en&ei=5ulnTvGkOeLs0gHF6PiFDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=roy%20buchanan%20my%20babe&f=false. Retrieved 2011-09-07. 
4. ^ Louisiana Rocks!: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll. Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=BSHTGsnI8skC&pg=PT286&dq=%22Dale+Hawkins%22++%22Louisiana+Music+Hall+of+Fame%22&ei=UY1xS-mBDoiCNqz9xIwP&cd=1#v=onepage&q=%22Dale%20Hawkins%22%20%20%22Louisiana%20Music%20Hall%20of%20Fame%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
5. ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (2010-02-16). "Early rock star wrote classic song 'Susie-Q'". Latimes.com. p. AA5. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-dale-hawkins16-2010feb16,0,6454798.story. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
6. ^ Obituary New York Times, February 18, 2010.

External links

• Dale Hawkins at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• Myspace page
• Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Discography

Persondata
Name	Hawkins, Dale
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 22, 1936
Place of birth
Date of death	February 13, 2010
Place of death