Ronnie Hawkins, rockabilly singer and key figure in formation of the Band, dies at 87
Ronnie Hawkins, the rowdy rockabilly singer who was instrumental in the formation of the pioneering Americana group the Band, died on Sunday. He was 87.
His wife, Wanda, confirmed his death to the Canadian Press; she didn't reveal the cause of death but said he'd been in poor health.
A fiery performer who earned the nickname “Mr. Dynamo” — he also would be known as "The Hawk" and "Rompin' Ronnie" — Hawkins made his reputation on the road, delivering blues, R&B and rock ’n’ roll covers with grit and gusto. A native of Arkansas, Hawkins cut his teeth playing in bands in the American South during the initial rock ’n’ roll explosion in the late 1950s, but he was closely associated with Canada, immigrating to the country in 1964, long after he became a significant presence on its rock scene with his band the Hawks.
Over the years, numerous musicians cycled through the Hawks, including such notable guitarists Roy Buchanan and Pat Travers, yet they were all overshadowed by the lineup he assembled in the early 1960s, which featured all five future members of the Band: Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson. By the mid-’60s, they had parted ways with Hawkins, but their subsequent fame helped elevate Hawkins' profile. The Band never missed an opportunity to pay tribute to their early benefactor, inviting him to participate in their 1978 farewell film "The Last Waltz" — he sang Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" — with both Helm and Robertson writing generously of him in their respective memoirs, “This Wheel's on Fire” and “Testimony.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/ronnie-hawkins-rockabilly-singer-and-key-figure-in-formation-of-the-band-dies-at-87/ar-AAXRfzI
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I smile just thinking about him...
make 'em laugh and sing along, Ronnie
