Hawk Wolinski
Encyclopedia
David J. "Hawk" Wolinski is an American
keyboardist
, songwriter
and record producer
probably best known for his work with the funk band Rufus
and their lead singer Chaka Khan
.
Wolinski grew up in Chicago
, Illinois
, and in the late 1960s was a member of the bands Shadows of Knight
and Bangor Flying Circus
. When the latter band broke up he helped form the band Madura
, which was produced by fellow Chicagoan James William Guercio. Guercio used Madura in his 1973 film Electra Glide in Blue
; Wolinksi also had a small acting role.
In the 1960s Wolinski formed a short lived band in Chicago with Ted Nugent
, Gary Hicks and Bruce Bruscato called The Electric Band. They played regularly at a club called The Cellar.
In the late 1970s Wolinski joined Rufus as a keyboardist and songwriter. He co-wrote or solely wrote their songs "Hollywood", "Street Player" (later covered by Chicago
), "Everlasting Love" (not to be confused with the Robert Knight hit with the same title
), "Do You Love What You Feel", and the 1983 hit single
"Ain't Nobody
," which reached #1 on the US
Billboard
R&B
chart
.
Wolinski has worked with numerous other artists as musician, songwriter or producer, including the Bee Gees
, Glenn Frey
, Michael Jackson
, Danny Seraphine
, Beverley Knight
, Millions Like Us, Stephanie Mills
, and Minnie Riperton
.
He is known for composing individual songs for film soundtracks, including Cobra
, Wildcats (film)
and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
.
He also had a small acting role in Men at Work (film)
, the 1990 comedy film with Emilio Estevez
and Charlie Sheen
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
probably best known for his work with the funk band Rufus
Rufus (band)
Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
and their lead singer Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
.
Wolinski grew up in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and in the late 1960s was a member of the bands Shadows of Knight
Shadows of Knight
The Shadows of Knight are an American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, formed in the 1960s, who play a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city. At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds...
and Bangor Flying Circus
Bangor Flying Circus
Bangor Flying Circus was a progressive rock trio from Chicago, USA, formed in mid-1967 and breaking up in 1969. It is notable for being formed by members of the Shadows of Knight and H.P...
. When the latter band broke up he helped form the band Madura
Madura (rock band)
Madura was a 1970s rock/fusion band from Chicago.-History:After the breakup of Bangor Flying Circus , Alan DeCarlo and Hawk Wolinski formed Madura, replacing Bangor Flying Circus drummer Michael Tegza with Ross Salomone....
, which was produced by fellow Chicagoan James William Guercio. Guercio used Madura in his 1973 film Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue is a 1973 film starring Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop in Arizona and Billy Green Bush as his partner. The name stems from the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle issued to traffic cops....
; Wolinksi also had a small acting role.
In the 1960s Wolinski formed a short lived band in Chicago with Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, Gary Hicks and Bruce Bruscato called The Electric Band. They played regularly at a club called The Cellar.
In the late 1970s Wolinski joined Rufus as a keyboardist and songwriter. He co-wrote or solely wrote their songs "Hollywood", "Street Player" (later covered by Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
), "Everlasting Love" (not to be confused with the Robert Knight hit with the same title
Everlasting Love
"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :...
), "Do You Love What You Feel", and the 1983 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Ain't Nobody
Ain't Nobody
"Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
," which reached #1 on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Wolinski has worked with numerous other artists as musician, songwriter or producer, including the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Danny Seraphine
Danny Seraphine
Daniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
, Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
, Millions Like Us, Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
, and Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
.
He is known for composing individual songs for film soundtracks, including Cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
, Wildcats (film)
Wildcats (film)
Wildcats is a 1986 film starring Goldie Hawn and costarring Jan Hooks and Swoosie Kurtz. It is the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. They also appeared together in White Men Can't Jump and Money Train...
and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
.
He also had a small acting role in Men at Work (film)
Men at Work (film)
Men at Work is a 1990 American action comedy film written and directed by Emilio Estevez, and starring Estevez and his real life brother Charlie Sheen.-Plot:...
, the 1990 comedy film with Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
and Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
.
External links
- [ "Hawk" Wolinksi at AllMusic]