Hawkshaw Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Harold Franklin Hawkins (December 22, 1921 - March 5, 1963), better known as Hawkshaw Hawkins, was an American country music
singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues
, boogie
and honky tonk
. At 6 ft 5 inches tall, he had an imposing stage presence, and his tasteful Western suits set him apart from the rhinestone gaudiness of other male country singers. Hawkins died in the 1963 plane
crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline
and Cowboy Copas
. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry
and was married to country star Jean Shepard
.
. He gained his nickname as a boy after helping a neighbor track down two missing fishing rods: the neighbor dubbed him "Hawkshaw" after the title character in the comic strip, Hawkshaw the Detective
. He traded five trapped rabbits for his first guitar, and first performed on WCMI-AM in Ashland, Kentucky
. At 16, he won a talent competition and a job on WSAZ-AM
in Huntington, where he formed Hawkshaw and Sherlock with Clarence Jack. They moved to WCHS-AM
in Charleston, West Virginia
in the late 1930s. In 1940, at 19, he married Reva Mason Barbour, a 16-year-old from Huntington.
During 1941, Hawkins traveled the United States with a musical revue. He entered the US Army in 1943 during World War II
, and served as an engineer stationed near Paris, Texas
where he and friends performed at local clubs. As a staff sergeant, he was stationed in France
and fought in the Battle of the Bulge
, winning four battle stars during 15 months of combat. He was also stationed in Manila
and performed there on the radio.
from 1945 to 1954 in Wheeling, West Virginia
. In 1948, he signed a recording contract with King Records
in Cincinnati, Ohio
. His first two recordings with King, "Pan American" and "Dog House Boogie", were top ten country hits. A minor hit, and the song that become his signature tune, was "The Sunny Side of the Mountain." "Slow Poke", recorded in 1951, was another notable King recording. He stayed with the label until 1953.
In 1951, Hawkins and his wife adopted 4-year old Susan Marlene. They divorced in 1958, and Susan remained with her adoptive mother and visited her father when possible.
Beginning in 1954, Hawkins was a regular performer on ABC Radio and TV
's Ozark Jubilee
in Springfield, Missouri
, where he met his second wife, Jean Shepard. After a few years with Columbia
and RCA Records
, he joined the Grand Ole Opry and returned to King; and in 1962 he recorded his biggest hit, "Lonesome 7-7203
". It first appeared on the Billboard
country chart
as a March 2, 1963 release, three days before Hawkins died. The song was absent from the charts for the two weeks following his death, but re-appeared on March 23 and spent 25 weeks on the chart, four of them at No. 1, an accomplishment that eluded him in life.
for the family of disc jockey Cactus Jack Call, who had died the previous December in an automobile accident. Among the performers was Billy Walker
, who received an urgent phone call and needed to return to Nashville immediately. Hawkins gave Walker his commercial airline
ticket and instead flew back in a private plane in Walker's place.
On March 5, Hawkins, Cline and Copas left for Nashville in a Piper Comanche piloted by Cline's manager (and Copas' son-in-law), Randy Hughes. After stopping to refuel in Dyersburg, Tennessee
, the craft took off at 6:07 p.m. CT. The plane flew into severe weather and crashed at 6:20 p.m. in a forest near Camden, Tennessee
, 90 miles from Nashville. There were no survivors. Fans around the world mourned the loss; Hawkins's wife, Jean, was pregnant at the time with their second son, Harold Franklin II.
Hawkins was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
in "Music Row" with Copas and other country music stars.
Hawkins is remembered in "Love Never Dies" on Martin Simpson
's 2003 album, Righteousness and Humidity. In the song, Simpson meets an old truck driver who used to play guitar: "I gave old Hawkshaw a Gibson
one time, it was a J-200
, man, such a sweet neck! And they say it stood up like a country grave marker, right there in the middle of that plane wreck."
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...
singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
and honky tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
. At 6 ft 5 inches tall, he had an imposing stage presence, and his tasteful Western suits set him apart from the rhinestone gaudiness of other male country singers. Hawkins died in the 1963 plane
Private aviation
Private aviation is the part of civil aviation that does not include flying for hire. In most countries, private flights are always general aviation flights, but the opposite is not true: many general aviation flights are commercial in that the pilot is hired and paid...
crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
and Cowboy Copas
Cowboy Copas
Lloyd Estel Copas , known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.-Biography:Copas was born in 1913 in...
. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
and was married to country star Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
.
Biography
Harold Hawkins was born on December 22, 1921 in Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
. He gained his nickname as a boy after helping a neighbor track down two missing fishing rods: the neighbor dubbed him "Hawkshaw" after the title character in the comic strip, Hawkshaw the Detective
Hawkshaw the Detective
Hawkshaw the Detective was a comic strip character featured in an eponymous cartoon serial by Gus Mager between 1913 and 1922 and again from 1931 to 1952...
. He traded five trapped rabbits for his first guitar, and first performed on WCMI-AM in Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
. At 16, he won a talent competition and a job on WSAZ-AM
WRVC (AM)
WRVC is the oldest operating radio station in West Virginia. It was originally called WSAZ Radio , the same call letters used for Channel 3-TV when it came into being in the late 1940s, and the television station still uses that long-time call. WRVC AM & FM is located in Huntington, West Virginia...
in Huntington, where he formed Hawkshaw and Sherlock with Clarence Jack. They moved to WCHS-AM
WCHS (AM)
WCHS is a News/Talk/Sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charleston, West Virginia, serving the Kanawha Valley. WCHS is owned and operated by West Virginia Radio Corporation.-Programming:...
in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
in the late 1930s. In 1940, at 19, he married Reva Mason Barbour, a 16-year-old from Huntington.
During 1941, Hawkins traveled the United States with a musical revue. He entered the US Army in 1943 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and served as an engineer stationed near Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas is a city located northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived...
where he and friends performed at local clubs. As a staff sergeant, he was stationed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and fought in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, winning four battle stars during 15 months of combat. He was also stationed in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and performed there on the radio.
Postwar success
After he was discharged, Hawkins became a regular on WWVA JamboreeWWVA Jamboree
WWVA Jamboree, renamed Jamboree U.S.A. in the 1960s, and the Wheeling Jamboree in 2009, is a pioneering American radio show that featured country music from 1933–2008, and again since January 2009...
from 1945 to 1954 in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In 1948, he signed a recording contract with King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. His first two recordings with King, "Pan American" and "Dog House Boogie", were top ten country hits. A minor hit, and the song that become his signature tune, was "The Sunny Side of the Mountain." "Slow Poke", recorded in 1951, was another notable King recording. He stayed with the label until 1953.
In 1951, Hawkins and his wife adopted 4-year old Susan Marlene. They divorced in 1958, and Susan remained with her adoptive mother and visited her father when possible.
Beginning in 1954, Hawkins was a regular performer on ABC Radio and TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, where he met his second wife, Jean Shepard. After a few years with Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, he joined the Grand Ole Opry and returned to King; and in 1962 he recorded his biggest hit, "Lonesome 7-7203
Lonesome 7-7203
"Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:...
". It first appeared on the 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...
country chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
as a March 2, 1963 release, three days before Hawkins died. The song was absent from the charts for the two weeks following his death, but re-appeared on March 23 and spent 25 weeks on the chart, four of them at No. 1, an accomplishment that eluded him in life.
Aircraft accident
On March 3, 1963, Hawkins, Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas performed at a benefit concert at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KansasKansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
for the family of disc jockey Cactus Jack Call, who had died the previous December in an automobile accident. Among the performers was Billy Walker
Billy Walker (musician)
William Marvin Walker , better known as Billy Walker, was an American country music singer and guitarist best-known for his 1962 hit, " Charlie's Shoes"...
, who received an urgent phone call and needed to return to Nashville immediately. Hawkins gave Walker his commercial airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
ticket and instead flew back in a private plane in Walker's place.
On March 5, Hawkins, Cline and Copas left for Nashville in a Piper Comanche piloted by Cline's manager (and Copas' son-in-law), Randy Hughes. After stopping to refuel in Dyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
, the craft took off at 6:07 p.m. CT. The plane flew into severe weather and crashed at 6:20 p.m. in a forest near Camden, Tennessee
Camden, Tennessee
Camden is a city in Benton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,828 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Benton County.-Geography:Camden is positioned at...
, 90 miles from Nashville. There were no survivors. Fans around the world mourned the loss; Hawkins's wife, Jean, was pregnant at the time with their second son, Harold Franklin II.
Hawkins was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens is a cemetery noted for the number of musicians' graves. It was established in 1960, and is located at 1150 Dickerson Pike in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, just north of Nashville...
in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,780. Goodlettsville chose to remain autonomous in 1963...
in "Music Row" with Copas and other country music stars.
Legacy
The location of the airplane crash in the still-remote forest outside Camden is noted by a stone marker, dedicated on July 6, 1996.Hawkins is remembered in "Love Never Dies" on Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson
Martin Simpson is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in the British Isles, America and beyond.-Biography:...
's 2003 album, Righteousness and Humidity. In the song, Simpson meets an old truck driver who used to play guitar: "I gave old Hawkshaw a Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...
one time, it was a J-200
Gibson J-200
Gibson J-200 is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.Gibson entered into production of this model in 1938 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initially called the Super Jumbo, changing the name in 1939 to the Super Jumbo 200. It was made at the Gibson Factory in...
, man, such a sweet neck! And they say it stood up like a country grave marker, right there in the middle of that plane wreck."
Albums
- 1958: Hawkshaw Hawkins Sings Grand Ole Opry Favorites, Vol. 1 (King)
- 1958: Hawkshaw Hawkins Sings Grand Ole Opry Favorites, Vol. 2 (King)
- 1959: Big Beat Jazz (King)
- 1959: Hawkshaw Hawkins (La Brea)
- 1959: Hawkshaw Hawkins Sings Grand Ole Opry Favorites, Vol. 3 (King)
- 1959: Country Western Cavalcade (Gladwynne)
- 1963: Taken from Our Vaults, Vol. 1 (King)
- 1963: Taken from Our Vaults, Vol. 2 (King)
- 1963: The All New Hawkshaw Hawkins (King)
- 1963: The Great Hawkshaw Hawkins (Harmony)
- 1964: Hawkshaw Hawkins Sings Hawkshaw Hawkins (RCA Camden)
- 1964: Taken from Our Vaults, Vol. 3 (King)
- 1965: Gone, But Not Forgotten (Starday)
- 1966: The Country Gentlemen (RCA Camden)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1948 | "Pan American" | 9 | — |
| "Dog House Boogie" | 6 | — | |
| 1949 | "I Wasted a Nickel" | 15 | — |
| 1951 | "I Love You a Thousand Ways" | 8 | — |
| "I'm Waiting Just for You" | 8 | — | |
| "Slow Poke Slow Poke "Slow Poke" is a popular song. It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, and Chilton Price. Actually Price wrote the song in 1951, as she thought the song described her friend, King, very well. King recorded the song and Stewart did the vocal... " |
7 | 26 | |
| 1959 | "Soldier's Joy" | 15 | 87 |
| 1963 | "Lonesome 7-7203 Lonesome 7-7203 "Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:... " |
1 | 108 |
External links
- Official Web site
- Hawkshaw Hawkins biography and tribute by the Huntington Herald-Dispatch
- Hawkshaw Hawkins page at patsyclinetribute.com
- Hawkshaw Hawkins biography at hillbilly-music.com
- Hawkshaw Hawkins biography at CMT.com
- Nashville Tennessean photo of Hawkins and Jean Shepard with baby Don, 1961