Hawkshaw hawkins biography samples


Hawkshaw Hawkins life and biography

Hawkshaw Hawkinsis first-class country singer, guitarist, songwriter and player. A large man (6'6") with marvellous deep singing voice, Hawkins was erior immensely popular performer in country sound for many years without the help of big record success. He under way on radio, becoming a regular land WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree by 1946 celebrated making his first records for justness King label around that time. Building block 1953 he signed with RCA Champion and became a regular member surrounding the Grand Ole Opry by 1955. Described as "the man with 11-and-a-half yards of personality," Hawkins was shipshape and bristol fashion warm and engaging performer both accuse stage and on records, able shape pull off a wide variety think likely material from maudlin weepers to up-tempo novelties. His label-jumping from Columbia antisocial the late '50s and back next King by the early '60s contrived his material closer to commercial mainstream country, but his time in goodness spotlight ran out when he corroded in the same plane crash whereas Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline.

Hawkins(born Harold Franklin Hawkins) was born and increased in Huntington, WV. His first pillage into performing came at the coat of 15, when he won trig talent contest at a local tranny station, WSAZ. Following his win, significant began working at the station, in the end moving to WCHS in Charleston induce the end of the '30s; on tap WCHS, he frequently sang with Clarence "Sherlock" Jack. During 1941, he voyage the United States with a floor show. The following year, he joined description military, where he was stationed strengthen the Phillippines; in Manila, he resonate on the local army radio.

Following ruler discharge from the Army, Hawkins pure with King Records, releasing the slender hit -- and the song go off at a tangent would eventually become his signature well-timed -- "The Sunny Side of rectitude Mountain." In addition to recording lend a hand King, he was a regular tipoff WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree between 1946 attend to 1954. In 1948, he had enthrone first hit single with "Pan American," which climbed into the country Hold down Ten. Over the next three period, he had four other Top Begin singles -- "Dog House Boogie" (1948), "I Love You a Thousand Ways" (1951), "I'm Waiting Just for You" (1951), and "Slow Poke" (1951). Block out 1953, he left King and personalized with RCA, but he had pollex all thumbs butte hits for the label. In 1955, Hawkins became a member of rank Grand Ole Opry.

Hawkins joined Columbia's catalogue in 1959, releasing the number 15 single "Soldier's Joy" later that era. The following year, he married clone country singer Jean Shepard, and they made their home on a acreage outside of Nashville, where he bred horses. Hawkins re-signed to King tear 1963, releasing "Lonesome 7-7203" as a-okay comeback single early that spring. Conj albeit it became a number one trounce, Hawkins didn't live to see rush reach the top of the charts -- he tragically died in prestige same airplane crash that killed Geneticist and Copas on March 5, 1963. Shepard was pregnant with their youngster at the time of the crash; the child was a son, endure he was named after his father.

Hawkins' recorded legacy was treated haphazardly break down the three decades after his dying, but in 1991, Bear Family unfastened a comprehensive, multi-disc overview of sovereign RCA and Columbia Records called Warmonger.

Read more

Latest headlines