Ronnie Hawkins (October 2006)

Gene Watson's peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' - and rightly so!

All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2006 were most gracious with their time & words.  It is here, within this special part of gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to read Ronnie Hawkins' quote, which he submitted to this site on Saturday 14 October 2006.

I (Sean Brady) would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Ronnie Hawkins who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.

Ronnie Hawkins
This quote was submitted on Saturday 14 October 2006



 

About Ronnie Hawkins...

Ronnie Hawkins is a native of Huntsville, Arkansas where he was born on 10 January 1935 (two days after Elvis Presley's birth).  Ronnie's mother was a teacher & his father was a barber.  The family moved to nearby Fayetteville, Arkansas, when Ronnie was nine years old.

During high school, Ronnie served in the National Guard, yet he still had time to dabble in his first love which was music.  When he graduated from high school, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, majoring in physical education. It was there that he formed his first band, The Hawks, & toured with them regionally in Arkansas, Oklahoma & Missouri.

After attending college, Ronnie joined the Army & served six months of active duty.  He attended basic training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for three months & was then moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  During this time, Ronnie continued pursuing his passion for music, often performing for officers' clubs.  He eventually heard from other musicians about a man named AC Reed, who that took a young, naive Ronnie under his wing with his band, The Black Hawks.

After the Army, Ronnie received a phone call from Memphis & was offered $100 a week to front a band of musicians at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios.  However, by the time he got there, the band had broken up & Ronnie didn't want to return to Fayetteville.

Ronnie then joined up with respected guitarist Jimmy Ray Paulman & they formed a band together.  Paulman's first cousin, Will 'Pop' Jones, played piano in the band, & he knew Levon Helm from from Marvell, Arkansas, who sang & played guitar & also played the drums too.

They performed at the Rockwood Club in Fayetteville, which Ronnie owned & operated.  Noted musicians who played there included Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison (RIP) & Harold Jenkins (who became famous as Conway Twitty).  It was Harold (Conway) who told Ronnie that Canada was the promised land for a rock 'n' roll singer.  As a consequence, Ronnie took his band to Canada, touring along the way & busting club record attendance records everywhere.

As his fame grew, Ronnie was signed by Morris Levy to Roulette Records in New York, where he was an artist from 1959 to 1964.  During this time, the members of The Hawks were constantly changing.  New members included bassist Jimmy Evans, guitarist Fred Carter Jr., bass guitarist Robbie Robertson & keyboard player Stan Szelest.

A further version of The Hawks (Ronnie, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson & Garth Hudson) wowed crowds until 1963, when The Hawks decided to leave Ronnie and strike out on their own.  They eventually hooked up with Bob Dylan after which they went out on their own & gained stardom shortly afterward.

Ronnie then formed another version of The Hawks, formed Hawk Records & recorded three singles in 1964 & 1965 with the new Hawks.

Ronnie's influence has earned him several awards & special appearances.  His 1984 album 'Making it Again' earned him the Juno Award for Country Male Vocalist.  In 1989, he helped tear down the Berlin Wall, playing with The Band & in 1992, he performed at Bill Clinton's inaugural party, The Blue Jeans Bash.

Ronnie's 1995 album 'Let It Rock' earned him a 1996 Juno Award nomination & is full of the exciting music that Ronnie loves, with friends Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis joining him for his 60th birthday party.  The pinnacle of Ronnie's influence on Canadian music was achieved when he received the Walt Grealis Special Lifetime Achievement Award as CARAS' Industry Builder in 1996.

Ronnie Hawkins is credited with bringing rock 'n' roll music to Canada & has had two books written about his life in music.  His son Ronnie Robin is a musician in Ontario, Canada, while his daughter Leah, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee is a singer.  Ronnie Jr. was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager.  Ronnie & Wanda actively raise money for The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario in the hope that, with research, someday a cure will be found.

Visit Ronnie Hawkins' Official Website

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