Dale Hawkins 1936-2010 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 02-14-2010, 10:12 PM

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Rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins, who'd made his home in Central Arkansas since the early '80s, died last night after a long battle with colon cancer.

The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m., Thursday at the North Little Rock Funeral Home on Main Street. Visitation will held between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Born in tiny Goldmine, La., Hawkins famously wrote and recorded the 1957 hit "Suzy Q," the first release by Chess Records of a white artist. Later, as Lauren Wilcox Puchowski's fine profile in the 2005 Oxford American Music Issue details, the swamp rocker took a winding route through the music business to get to Little Rock (and later, and more lastingly, North Little Rock), where in 1999 he released the essential album "Wildcat Tamer":

Dale made the most of the attention he got from “Susie Q” and a few other releases. He appeared at record hops around the country, and by the end of the '50s, he was the host of The Dale Hawkins Show, out of Philadelphia, with guests like Dizzy Gillespie and the Isley Brothers. When the craze for rockabilly—what writer Bill Millar calls a “mayfly era”— began to wane after a few years, Dale found work as a producer — in part, he said, to “quit the road” after his two sons were born.

Dale was quite successful as a producer, with hits like “Western Union” by the Five Americans, “Judy in Disguise” by John Fred & His Playboy Band, and several well-received albums by the Uniques. At one point, three songs he had produced made the Billboard Top 100 at the same time: “Western Union,” “Do it Again a Little Bit Slower,” by Jon & Robin, and “Sound of Love,” also by the Five Americans. Neither band had ever been in a studio before.

Along the way, two things happened. One was that Dale became addicted to the stimulant Benzedrine. The other was that “Susie Q,” to which Dale had sold his share of the rights to Stan Lewis for two hundred dollars a few years before, had become a hit again for groups like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Rolling Stones. It is hard to know, from the stories Dale tells and the way he tells them, what, exactly, persuaded him that he'd had enough of the music business, but in the early '80s he moved to Little Rock and entered a rehab program there.

For a while, he eschewed music altogether. An aptitude test administered in rehab suggested he might have a talent for motivational speaking, and for a couple of years he gave seminars for businessmen at insurance companies. He started Little Rock's first crisis center, with a suicide hotline for teenagers. In 1986, Dale received an envelope in the mail from MCA, which had bought the entire catalog of Chess Records. envelope held his share of this transaction, a check for sixty-four thousand dollars, after which he began to entertain thoughts of putting together his own studio and making music again.

catlover79 · 02-14-2010, 10:21 PM

Marvo301 · 02-14-2010, 11:10 PM

Dale Hawkins

MickeyMac · 02-15-2010, 12:11 PM

His song "Susie Q" is one of the best rockers of the 1950's IMHO. Love James Burton guitar work on that.

He will be missed.

02-14-2010, 10:12 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,526	Dale Hawkins 1936-2010 Link Rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins, who'd made his home in Central Arkansas since the early '80s, died last night after a long battle with colon cancer. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m., Thursday at the North Little Rock Funeral Home on Main Street. Visitation will held between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Born in tiny Goldmine, La., Hawkins famously wrote and recorded the 1957 hit "Suzy Q," the first release by Chess Records of a white artist. Later, as Lauren Wilcox Puchowski's fine profile in the 2005 Oxford American Music Issue details, the swamp rocker took a winding route through the music business to get to Little Rock (and later, and more lastingly, North Little Rock), where in 1999 he released the essential album "Wildcat Tamer": Dale made the most of the attention he got from “Susie Q” and a few other releases. He appeared at record hops around the country, and by the end of the '50s, he was the host of The Dale Hawkins Show, out of Philadelphia, with guests like Dizzy Gillespie and the Isley Brothers. When the craze for rockabilly—what writer Bill Millar calls a “mayfly era”— began to wane after a few years, Dale found work as a producer — in part, he said, to “quit the road” after his two sons were born. Dale was quite successful as a producer, with hits like “Western Union” by the Five Americans, “Judy in Disguise” by John Fred & His Playboy Band, and several well-received albums by the Uniques. At one point, three songs he had produced made the Billboard Top 100 at the same time: “Western Union,” “Do it Again a Little Bit Slower,” by Jon & Robin, and “Sound of Love,” also by the Five Americans. Neither band had ever been in a studio before. Along the way, two things happened. One was that Dale became addicted to the stimulant Benzedrine. The other was that “Susie Q,” to which Dale had sold his share of the rights to Stan Lewis for two hundred dollars a few years before, had become a hit again for groups like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Rolling Stones. It is hard to know, from the stories Dale tells and the way he tells them, what, exactly, persuaded him that he'd had enough of the music business, but in the early '80s he moved to Little Rock and entered a rehab program there. For a while, he eschewed music altogether. An aptitude test administered in rehab suggested he might have a talent for motivational speaking, and for a couple of years he gave seminars for businessmen at insurance companies. He started Little Rock's first crisis center, with a suicide hotline for teenagers. In 1986, Dale received an envelope in the mail from MCA, which had bought the entire catalog of Chess Records. envelope held his share of this transaction, a check for sixty-four thousand dollars, after which he began to entertain thoughts of putting together his own studio and making music again.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

02-14-2010, 10:21 PM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

02-14-2010, 11:10 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,461	Dale Hawkins
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin Last edited by Zoneboy; 02-15-2010 at 01:24 AM.

02-15-2010, 12:11 PM	#4
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,008	His song "Susie Q" is one of the best rockers of the 1950's IMHO. Love James Burton guitar work on that. He will be missed.