Tom:
Thanx for the great recap of one of "Country's" lost greats. Was a teen ager
during those glory years of Hawkshaws and still have a few of his songs over
on CD's for posterity. Was also nice to see the words regarding Cowboy
Copas. Of course"Patsy" lives on in legend as does "Lefty", "Hank", "Elvis",
by first name recognition only.
Post by r***@webtv.netThe words ring a bell but can't for the life of me come up with the
title or artist. Could it be "Hawkshaw"?
Hawkshaw Hawkins is a country singer, guitarist, songwriter, and
entertainer. A large man (6'6") with a deep singing voice,
Hawkins was an immensely popular performer in country music for many
years without the benefit of big record success. He started on radio,
becoming a regular on WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree by 1946 and making his
first records for the King label around that time. By 1953 he signed
with RCA Victor and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry by
1955. Described as "the man with 11-and-a-half yards of personality,"
Hawkins was a warm and engaging performer both on stage and on
records, able to pull off a wide variety of material from maudlin
weepers to up-tempo novelties. His label-jumping from Columbia by the
late '50s and back to King by the early '60s moved his material closer
to commercial mainstream country, but his time in the spotlight ran
out when he perished in the same plane crash as Cowboy Copas and Patsy
Cline.
Hawkins (born Harold Franklin Hawkins, December 22, 1921; died March
5, 1963) was born and raised in Huntington, WV. His first foray into
performing came at the age of 15, when he won a talent contest at a
local radio station, WSAZ. Following his win, he began working at the
station, eventually moving to WCHS in Charleston by the end of the
'30s; at WCHS, he frequently sang with Clarence "Sherlock" Jack.
During 1941, he traveled the United States with a revue. The following
year, he joined the military, where he was stationed in the
Phillippines; in Manila, he sang on the local army radio.
Following his discharge from the Army, Hawkins signed with King
Records, releasing the minor hit -- and the song that would eventually
become his signature tune -- "The Sunny Side of the Mountain." In
addition to recording for King, he was a regular on WWVA's Wheeling
Jamboree between 1946 and 1954. In 1948, he had his first hit single
with "Pan American," which climbed into the country Top Ten. Over the
next three years, he had four other Top Ten singles -- "Dog House
Boogie" (1948), "I Love You a Thousand Ways" (1951), "I'm Waiting Just
for You" (1951), and "Slow Poke" (1951). In 1953, he left King and
signed with RCA, but he had no hits for the label. In 1955, Hawkins
became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Hawkins joined Columbia's roster in 1959, releasing the number 15
single "Soldier's Joy" later that year. The following year, he married
fellow country singer Jean Shepard, and they made their home on a farm
outside of Nashville, where he bred horses. Hawkins re-signed to King
in 1963, releasing "Lonesome 7-7203" as a comeback single early that
spring. Though it became a number one hit, Hawkins didn't live to see
it reach the top of the charts -- he tragically died in the same
airplane crash that killed Cline and Copas on March 5, 1963. Shepard
was pregnant with their child at the time of the crash; the child was
a son, and he was named after his father.
Hawkins' recorded legacy was treated haphazardly in the three decades
after his death, but in 1991, Bear Family released a comprehensive,
multi-disc overview of his RCA and Columbia Records called Hawk. ~ Cub
Koda, All Music Guide