Ted Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Ted Hawkins was an American
singer-songwriter
. He was born in Biloxi
, Mississippi
, United States
.
Hawkins was an enigmatic figure through most of his career; he split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California
where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, and Europe
, where he and his songs were better known and well received in clubs
and small concert halls.
, Hawkins lived a difficult early life, ending up at a reform school
by age 12, and drifting, hitching, and stealing his way across the country for the next dozen years, earning several stays in prison including a three-year stint for stealing a leather jacket as a teenager. Along the way, he picked up a love of music and a talent for the guitar. "I was sent to a school for bad boys called Oakley Training School in 1949", he wrote in a brief piece of autobiography . "There I developed my voice by singing with a group that the superintendent's wife had got together". After reform school, he ended up in the state penitentiary and was released at 19. "Then I heard a singer whose name was Sam Cooke
. His voice did something to me." For the next ten years or so he drifted in and out of trouble around the country, living in Chicago, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Newark. In the middle of the mid 1960s folk music
boom Hawkins set out for California
to try for a professional singing career. He recorded several tunes without commercial success, worked at odd jobs, and took up busking
along the piers and storefronts of Venice Beach as a way to supplement his income. Hawkins made ends meet by developing a small following of locals and tourists who would come to hear this southern black man, sitting on an overturned milk-crate, play blues and folk standards as well as a few original tunes in his signature open guitar tuning and raspy vocal style. Hawkins claimed the rasp in his voice came from the damage done by years of singing in the sand and spray of the boardwalk.
A series of record producer
s and promoters would "discover" Hawkins over the years, only to be thwarted by circumstance and Hawkins' unconventional approach to life. The first of these was musicologist and blues producer Bruce Bromberg
who approached Hawkins about a recording contract in the early 1970s. Hawkins tentatively agreed and recorded some dozen songs for Bromberg but again got into trouble and spent much of the next decade in jail and addicted to heroin. Bromberg lost contact until 1982, when he re-located Hawkins and got him to agree to release the previously-recorded songs as an album, Watch Your Step, which was released on Rounder Records
. This debut album was a commercial failure but received rave reviews (notably a rare 5-star rating in Rolling Stone
). Following the release of the album, Hawkins dropped out of sight again for a time, re-uniting with Bromberg in 1985 for a second album, entitled Happy Hour. This album featured more original tunes from Hawkins and was again ignored in the U.S.; however it won acclaim and sales in Europe. Andy Kershaw
encouraged Hawkins to come to the United Kingdom, and he moved to Bridlington
in 1986 and enjoyed his first taste of real musical success, touring Europe and Asia.
During this period Hawkins stayed largely out of trouble and refined his musical style: a mixture of folk, country
, deep southern spirituals, and soul music
. Hawkins' music was informed by but did not resemble blues music (Hawkins himself claimed he could not play the blues because his damaged fretting hand—he wore a leather glove to protect his fingers—would not allow him to bend notes).
In 1987, documentary film-maker Nick Shaw
approached Hawkins to produce a profile of his life and times. Shaw followed Hawkins closely for the next two years. Eventually, this documentary was taken up by the Arts Council of Great Britain
, but has not been released; however, some of this footage was eventually featured in the film "Amazing Grace" produced by David Geffen
.
Despite his recognition and fame in Europe, Hawkins was restless and moved back to California in the early 1990s and again took on the role of a street performer. Several musicians and promoters encouraged Hawkins to record, but he did so only on occasion and without much enthusiasm, until he agreed to record a full album for Geffen Records
and producer Tony Berg. For this first major-label release, titled The Next Hundred Years
, Berg added session musician
s to Hawkins' typical solo guitar-and-vocal arrangmements for the first time, and brought national attention and respectable sales to Hawkins (though Hawkins, in typically contrary fashion, claimed to dislike the result, preferring his unaccompanied versions). Hawkins began to tour on the basis of this success, commenting that he had finally reached an age where he was glad to be able to sing indoors, out of the weather, and for an appreciative crowd. Hawkins, however, died of a stroke
at the age of 58, just a few months after the release of his breakthrough recording.
His widow, Elizabeth Hawkins, sold the rights for a film
version of Hawkins' life story.
Hawkins is the subject of Mick Thomas
's song "57 Years". A concert by Hawkins in Glasgow, Scotland is the event which brings the fictional Graham and Linda together in the novel The Island (2010) by R J Price (better-known as the poet Richard Price
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He was born in Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Hawkins was an enigmatic figure through most of his career; he split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where he and his songs were better known and well received in clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
and small concert halls.
Life and career
Born into a poor family in MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Hawkins lived a difficult early life, ending up at a reform school
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
by age 12, and drifting, hitching, and stealing his way across the country for the next dozen years, earning several stays in prison including a three-year stint for stealing a leather jacket as a teenager. Along the way, he picked up a love of music and a talent for the guitar. "I was sent to a school for bad boys called Oakley Training School in 1949", he wrote in a brief piece of autobiography . "There I developed my voice by singing with a group that the superintendent's wife had got together". After reform school, he ended up in the state penitentiary and was released at 19. "Then I heard a singer whose name was Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
. His voice did something to me." For the next ten years or so he drifted in and out of trouble around the country, living in Chicago, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Newark. In the middle of the mid 1960s folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
boom Hawkins set out for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to try for a professional singing career. He recorded several tunes without commercial success, worked at odd jobs, and took up busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
along the piers and storefronts of Venice Beach as a way to supplement his income. Hawkins made ends meet by developing a small following of locals and tourists who would come to hear this southern black man, sitting on an overturned milk-crate, play blues and folk standards as well as a few original tunes in his signature open guitar tuning and raspy vocal style. Hawkins claimed the rasp in his voice came from the damage done by years of singing in the sand and spray of the boardwalk.
A series of 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...
s and promoters would "discover" Hawkins over the years, only to be thwarted by circumstance and Hawkins' unconventional approach to life. The first of these was musicologist and blues producer Bruce Bromberg
Bruce Bromberg
Bruce Bromberg is an American Grammy Award winning producer of blues music.He was born in Chicago, and raised there and in Park Forest, Illinois. In 1958 he moved with his family to Los Angeles, and began working for various record labels...
who approached Hawkins about a recording contract in the early 1970s. Hawkins tentatively agreed and recorded some dozen songs for Bromberg but again got into trouble and spent much of the next decade in jail and addicted to heroin. Bromberg lost contact until 1982, when he re-located Hawkins and got him to agree to release the previously-recorded songs as an album, Watch Your Step, which was released on Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. This debut album was a commercial failure but received rave reviews (notably a rare 5-star rating in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
). Following the release of the album, Hawkins dropped out of sight again for a time, re-uniting with Bromberg in 1985 for a second album, entitled Happy Hour. This album featured more original tunes from Hawkins and was again ignored in the U.S.; however it won acclaim and sales in Europe. Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw is a British broadcaster, known for his interest in world music.His shows feature a mix of country, blues, reggae, folk music, spoken word performance from the likes of Ivor Cutler, and other music from around the world.- Early Life :Kershaw and his sister, fellow broadcaster Liz...
encouraged Hawkins to come to the United Kingdom, and he moved to Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
in 1986 and enjoyed his first taste of real musical success, touring Europe and Asia.
During this period Hawkins stayed largely out of trouble and refined his musical style: a mixture of folk, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, deep southern spirituals, and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. Hawkins' music was informed by but did not resemble blues music (Hawkins himself claimed he could not play the blues because his damaged fretting hand—he wore a leather glove to protect his fingers—would not allow him to bend notes).
In 1987, documentary film-maker Nick Shaw
Nick Shaw
Nick Shaw is an independent film maker and background artist.He is known for his direction, writing and editing of the independent, fair trade film, Bananas Unpeeled, highlighting the plight of plantation workers in Central America and the Caribbean, with an introduction by political activist and...
approached Hawkins to produce a profile of his life and times. Shaw followed Hawkins closely for the next two years. Eventually, this documentary was taken up by the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
, but has not been released; however, some of this footage was eventually featured in the film "Amazing Grace" produced by David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
.
Despite his recognition and fame in Europe, Hawkins was restless and moved back to California in the early 1990s and again took on the role of a street performer. Several musicians and promoters encouraged Hawkins to record, but he did so only on occasion and without much enthusiasm, until he agreed to record a full album for Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
and producer Tony Berg. For this first major-label release, titled The Next Hundred Years
The Next Hundred Years
The Next Hundred Years is a 1994 album by Ted Hawkins. It was the last released in his lifetime.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ted Hawkins; except where indicated#"Strange Conversation"#"Big Things"...
, Berg added session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s to Hawkins' typical solo guitar-and-vocal arrangmements for the first time, and brought national attention and respectable sales to Hawkins (though Hawkins, in typically contrary fashion, claimed to dislike the result, preferring his unaccompanied versions). Hawkins began to tour on the basis of this success, commenting that he had finally reached an age where he was glad to be able to sing indoors, out of the weather, and for an appreciative crowd. Hawkins, however, died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at the age of 58, just a few months after the release of his breakthrough recording.
His widow, Elizabeth Hawkins, sold the rights for a film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
version of Hawkins' life story.
Hawkins is the subject of Mick Thomas
Mick Thomas
Michael James Thomas is an Australian singer-songwriter.Mick Thomas was born in Yallourn, 7 February 1960, the middle child of three. His father, Brian Thomas, was an electrical engineer with the old State Electricity Commission. His father's family were from Tasmania and his mother, Margaret, was...
's song "57 Years". A concert by Hawkins in Glasgow, Scotland is the event which brings the fictional Graham and Linda together in the novel The Island (2010) by R J Price (better-known as the poet Richard Price
Richard Price (poet)
Richard Price is a contemporary Scottish poet, novelist, and translator. -Life:He grew up in Renfrewshire.He studied at Napier College, in journalism, and graduated the University of Strathclyde in English and Librarianship, with a joint first.He earned a PhD at University of...
).
Discography
| Date | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | ||||||
| 1982 | Watch Your Step | Rounder | - | - | ||
| 1985 | Happy Hour Happy Hour (Ted Hawkins) Happy Hour is an album by Ted Hawkins. It was released in 1985.-Track listing:# Bad Dog# Happy Hour# Don't Make Me Explain It# The Constitution# My Last Goodbye# You Pushed My Head Away# Revenge of Scorpio# California Song# Cold & Bitter Tears... |
Rounder | UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... #82 |
- | ||
| 1986 | On the Boardwalk at Venice Beach | Thorp Minister | - | - | ||
| 1989 | I Love You Too | PT Records | - | - | ||
| 1994 | The Next Hundred Years The Next Hundred Years The Next Hundred Years is a 1994 album by Ted Hawkins. It was the last released in his lifetime.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ted Hawkins; except where indicated#"Strange Conversation"#"Big Things"... |
Geffen Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:... |
- | - | ||
| 1995 | Songs from Venice Beach | Evidence | - | - | ||
| 1998 | Love You Most of All – More Songs from Venice Beach | Evidence | - | - | ||
| 1998 | The Final Tour (live 1994) | Evidence | - | - | ||
| 2000 | The Kershaw Sessions: Live at the BBC (1986–1989) | Varese Sarabande | - | - | ||
| 2/2001 | The Unstoppable Ted Hawkins (live in London, 1988) | Catfish Records | - | - | - | |
| 10/2001 | Nowhere To Run | Catfish Records | - | - | - | |
| Compilations | ||||||
| 1998 | The Ted Hawkins Story: Suffer No More | Rhino Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes... |
- | - | ||
| 2009 | Cold and Bitter Tears | Rounder | - | - | ||
| 1996 | Just Say Noël Just Say Noël Just Say Noël is a Christmas compilation album on Geffen Records. It includes cover songs as well as traditional Christmas songs... |
Geffen | - | - | ||