Hawkshaw Hawkins
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 /TiVo
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Anthology: His Early Years (Remastered)
Divers - Released by Master Tape Records on 17 jul. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Country & Western Cavalcade
Country - Released by Good Time Records on 8 jun. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Style U.S.A. with Kitty Wells, Johnnie & Jack, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jean Shepard
Kitty Wells, Johnnie & Jack, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jean Shepard
Country - Released by and more bears Richard Weize on 6 nov. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 2
Country - Released by Classic Records on 22 mei 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins (Volume 1)
Country - Released by Old Stars on 14 mei 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 4
Country - Released by Classic Records on 30 mei 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins Best, Vol. 3
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 17 nov. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Lonesome 7-7203
Jazz - Released by Redwood Records on 7 mrt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 1
Country - Released by Classic Records on 18 mei 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Hawk - Singles Collection
Country - Released by Jasmine Records on 14 aug. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Country Gentleman
Country - Released by RCA - Legacy on 20 dec. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Hawkshaw Hawkins
Country - Released by Old Stars on 14 mei 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits (1953-1960)
Country - Released by Classic Music International on 17 mei 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 3
Country - Released by Classic Records on 25 mei 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawkshaw Hawkins Best, Vol. 2
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 20 okt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Night With Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 1
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 17 okt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Night With Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 3
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 14 nov. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country Night With Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vol. 2
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 31 okt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Freedom, Vol. 2
Country - Released by Shami Media Group 3 on 16 mrt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo