Dan Hawkins (musician)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Francis Hawkins is an English
rock guitarist
, noted for his strong revival of 1970s classic rock and 1980s metal.
He is best known as a guitarist and backing singer of the UK
band
, The Darkness, fronted by his brother Justin Hawkins
, which achieved notable mainstream success between 2002 and 2006. He also plays lead guitar for Stone Gods
. He is influenced by hard rock
and glam metal
genre such as Led Zeppelin
, Aerosmith
, Def Leppard
, Whitesnake
, AC/DC
, Queen
, Mötley Crüe
and Thin Lizzy
.
, he attended Kirkley High School and achieved good grades in his GCSEs before leaving his hometown behind for the bright lights and cosmopolitan lifestyle of Camden, London. From a young age, he aspired to be a musician, beginning on drums, moving on to bass and finally mastering the guitar. Back in his early days in his professional career, he worked as a session guitarist for various artists including Natalie Imbruglia
. Previous bands include Vital Signs, Empire and the hugely successful The Darkness in which he and his bandmates, Justin Hawkins, Ed Graham, Frankie Poullain and later, Richie Edwards, received countless awards for their music. Dan's trophy cabinet holds Brits, MTV and Kerrang awards and a highly prestigious Ivor Novello award for songwriting.
In 2006, after The Darkness disbanded, Dan regrouped with fellow bandmates Richie and Ed to begin the band that would, after the recruitment of bassist Toby Macfarlaine, become Stone Gods
. He played lead guitar in this new band and saw their debut album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones
launch to impressive and supportive reviews throughout the rock world. Stone Gods went on Hiatus in 2011, preceding the reunion of The Darkness.
Dan Hawkins was involved with the production process during the recording of both The Darkness's albums, learning the skills alongside famed producer, Roy Thomas Baker
. He co-produced B-sides for One Way Ticket To Hell ... And Back. His first credited project was Stone Gods' album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones with the record producer
, Nick Brine. Hawkins also built and owns a luxury, commercial residential recording studio 'Leeders Farm' in Wymondham, Norfolk, which is run by Brine and his partner Katy Dann. Bands such as The Dandies, Arctic Monkeys, Seasick Steve, The Rifles, Teenage fanclub, Wild Beasts, and more recently ex Thunder guitarist Luke Morley's new band The Union have all recorded there.
and he owns several, still preferring his well used honeyburst Standard, known by Dan and his fans as 'Dune' which he played extensively in The Darkness and in Stone Gods. For the song "Black Shuck" he used a Gretsch Elliot Easton solid body. He also owns a Gibson Les Paul Custom
Black Beauty which was originally built for Jimmy Page
, but Page decided it was too heavy.
Among a variety of amplifiers, his primary choices are Marshall amps, particularly the 1959 SLP and Handwired Re-Issue models. For his 'dirtier' sounds in Stone Gods, he played a Marshall JCM 800 Re-Issue head through Marshall 1960AX/BX cabinets, combined with a Diezel Herbert head. His vintage Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer pedal is his mainstay for overdrive.
A large amount of Hawkins' distinct tone comes from his use of heavy gauge strings. He uses Ernie Ball custom gauges (typically; 11, 15, 22p, 32w, 44w, 54w). He uses Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm picks.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, noted for his strong revival of 1970s classic rock and 1980s metal.
He is best known as a guitarist and backing singer of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Darkness, fronted by his brother Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
, which achieved notable mainstream success between 2002 and 2006. He also plays lead guitar for Stone Gods
Stone Gods
Stone Gods were a British hard rock / heavy metal band formed by ex-members of the then defunct UK hard rock band The Darkness. Their debut album, titled Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, was released on 7 July 2008, with the first single "Knight of the Living Dead" being released on 23 June 2008...
. He is influenced by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
genre such as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
, Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
and Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
.
Biography
After moving to LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, he attended Kirkley High School and achieved good grades in his GCSEs before leaving his hometown behind for the bright lights and cosmopolitan lifestyle of Camden, London. From a young age, he aspired to be a musician, beginning on drums, moving on to bass and finally mastering the guitar. Back in his early days in his professional career, he worked as a session guitarist for various artists including Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
. Previous bands include Vital Signs, Empire and the hugely successful The Darkness in which he and his bandmates, Justin Hawkins, Ed Graham, Frankie Poullain and later, Richie Edwards, received countless awards for their music. Dan's trophy cabinet holds Brits, MTV and Kerrang awards and a highly prestigious Ivor Novello award for songwriting.
In 2006, after The Darkness disbanded, Dan regrouped with fellow bandmates Richie and Ed to begin the band that would, after the recruitment of bassist Toby Macfarlaine, become Stone Gods
Stone Gods
Stone Gods were a British hard rock / heavy metal band formed by ex-members of the then defunct UK hard rock band The Darkness. Their debut album, titled Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, was released on 7 July 2008, with the first single "Knight of the Living Dead" being released on 23 June 2008...
. He played lead guitar in this new band and saw their debut album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones
Silver Spoons & Broken Bones
Silver Spoons & Broken Bones is the debut album of the East Anglian band Stone Gods and was released on July 7, 2008 through Play It Again Sam. It is the band's first full-length album...
launch to impressive and supportive reviews throughout the rock world. Stone Gods went on Hiatus in 2011, preceding the reunion of The Darkness.
Dan Hawkins was involved with the production process during the recording of both The Darkness's albums, learning the skills alongside famed producer, Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker is a multiple award-winning Anglo-American music producer, songwriter, arranger and Recording Academy Governor, who has produced Platinum and Gold certified pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present.- Career :Baker began his career at Decca Records in England at the age...
. He co-produced B-sides for One Way Ticket To Hell ... And Back. His first credited project was Stone Gods' album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones with the 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...
, Nick Brine. Hawkins also built and owns a luxury, commercial residential recording studio 'Leeders Farm' in Wymondham, Norfolk, which is run by Brine and his partner Katy Dann. Bands such as The Dandies, Arctic Monkeys, Seasick Steve, The Rifles, Teenage fanclub, Wild Beasts, and more recently ex Thunder guitarist Luke Morley's new band The Union have all recorded there.
Equipment
Hawkins' instrumental weapon of choice is the Gibson Les PaulGibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
and he owns several, still preferring his well used honeyburst Standard, known by Dan and his fans as 'Dune' which he played extensively in The Darkness and in Stone Gods. For the song "Black Shuck" he used a Gretsch Elliot Easton solid body. He also owns a Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson Les Paul Custom
The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a higher end variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was developed in 1954 after Gibson had introduced the Les Paul model in 1952.-Notable Les Paul Custom players:...
Black Beauty which was originally built for Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, but Page decided it was too heavy.
Among a variety of amplifiers, his primary choices are Marshall amps, particularly the 1959 SLP and Handwired Re-Issue models. For his 'dirtier' sounds in Stone Gods, he played a Marshall JCM 800 Re-Issue head through Marshall 1960AX/BX cabinets, combined with a Diezel Herbert head. His vintage Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer pedal is his mainstay for overdrive.
A large amount of Hawkins' distinct tone comes from his use of heavy gauge strings. He uses Ernie Ball custom gauges (typically; 11, 15, 22p, 32w, 44w, 54w). He uses Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm picks.
See also
- The Darkness
- Justin HawkinsJustin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
- Richie EdwardsRichie EdwardsRichie Edwards was born on 25 September 1974, in Lichfield, England. He is the former bassist of the British hard rock band The Darkness and the guitarist/vocalist of their successor band Stone Gods. He was confirmed as a member on 13 June 2005 replacing Frankie Poullain on bass...
- Ed GrahamEd GrahamEdwin James "Ed" Graham is an English musician who is best known as the drummer of rock band The Darkness, as well as the subsequent successor band Stone Gods, before officially leaving in 2008 due to a physical inability to perform.Graham is one of four children and as a youth, he attended...
- Frankie PoullainFrankie PoullainFrancis Gilles Poullain-Patterson , better known as Frankie Poullain, is the bass player for rock band The Darkness. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He attended The Royal High School from 1984 to 1987....
- Toby MacFarlaineToby MacFarlaineToby MacFarlaine is an English rock bassist.MacFarlaine is the bassist for a UK rockband called Stone Gods, with the remaining members of the now defunct UK rock band The Darkness....