Ronnie Hawkins, the rockabilly musician who would function a mentor to The Band, has died on the age of 87. Hawkins’ spouse Wanda confirmed the information to The Canadian Press (by way of the CBC).
“He went peacefully and he seemed as good-looking as ever,” she stated.
Born in Huntsville, Arkansas on January 10, 1935, Hawkins began enjoying music in native bars when he was 18. He’d go on to kind The Hawks, which might ultimately embrace fellow Arkansas musician Levon Helm. On the advice of Conway Twitty, Hawkins would relocate to Hamilton, Ontario originally of the Sixties. As a solo artist, Hawkins would go on to have quite a few hits like “Hey, Bo Diddley,” and covers of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” and Chuck Berry’s “Thirty Days.”
The Hawks, who would go away Hawkins in 1964, would come with Helm and Canadian musicians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson. They ended up being Bob Dylan’s backing band throughout his legendary 1966 tour, and would ultimately drop The Hawks identify to develop into The Band.
In 1975, Dylan forged Hawkins to play a fictional model of Bob Dylan in Renaldo and Clara. Hawkins would play with The Band at their remaining present on Thanksgiving 1976 in San Francisco, which was chronicled in Martin Scorsese’s 1978 documentary The Final Waltz.
Hawkins’ remaining album Nonetheless Cruisin’ was launched in 2002.
