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Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins (born 10 January 1935, Huntsville
Huntsville, Arkansas

Huntsville is a city in mountainous Madison County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,931 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a pioneering rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
 and cousin to fellow rockabilly
Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a Portmanteau word of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development....
 pioneer Dale Hawkins
Dale Hawkins

Dale Hawkins is a pioneer United States Rock and Roll singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who is often called the architect of the swamp rock....
. Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk," he was a key player in the 1960s rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 scene in Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
 and for the next 40 years, performed all over North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, recording more than twenty-five album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
s. His best-known hits are "Forty Days" and "Mary Lou" (about the song narrator's experiences with a gold digging woman), both were major hits for him in 1959.
he age of nine, his family moved to nearby Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States, and is home to the University of Arkansas. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a total population of 58,047....
.






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Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins (born 10 January 1935, Huntsville
Huntsville, Arkansas

Huntsville is a city in mountainous Madison County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,931 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Arkansas
Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a pioneering rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
 and cousin to fellow rockabilly
Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a Portmanteau word of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development....
 pioneer Dale Hawkins
Dale Hawkins

Dale Hawkins is a pioneer United States Rock and Roll singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who is often called the architect of the swamp rock....
. Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk," he was a key player in the 1960s rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 scene in Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
 and for the next 40 years, performed all over North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, recording more than twenty-five album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
s. His best-known hits are "Forty Days" and "Mary Lou" (about the song narrator's experiences with a gold digging woman), both were major hits for him in 1959.

Career

At the age of nine, his family moved to nearby Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States, and is home to the University of Arkansas. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a total population of 58,047....
. After graduating from high school, he studied physical education at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas, often shortened to U of A or just UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. It is the Flagship#University campuses campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas....
 where he formed his first band, The Hawks, touring with them throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Hawkins also owned and operated the Rockwood Club in Fayetteville where some of Rock music's earliest pioneers came to play including Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame....
, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was an United States of America pioneer of rockabilly music who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning in 1954....
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an influential Grammy Award-winning United States singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades....
 and Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty was one of the United States most successful country music artists during the 20th century. Most commonly thought of as a country music singer, he also enjoyed success in early rock and roll, R&B, and Pop music....
. Hawkins came to Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 in 1958. His first gig
Concert

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band....
 was at the Brass Rail Tavern (on Conway Twitty's advice) in London, Ontario
London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the Canada 2006 Census....
 where he became an overnight success. It was a result of Hawkins success in London that he decided to move to Canada permanently. His career spans over five decades and 25 records. His hits include, “Forty Days”, “Mary Lou”, and “Hey Bo Diddley
Hey Bo Diddley

Hey Bo Diddley is Bo Diddley's 7th single . The B-side "Mona" was covered by The Rolling Stones for their The Rolling Stones in 1964. "Mona" was also recorded by soap opera star Craig McLachlan , reaching #2 in the UK and #3 in Australia in 1990....
”.

In 1958, he moved to Canada with the Hawks and made Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 in the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 116 570....
 his permanent home. Gradually the members of the Hawks, except for Levon Helm
Levon Helm

Mark Lavon Helm , better known as Levon Helm, is an United States rock and roll musician and actor most famous as the drummer for the rock group The Band....
, were replaced with talented Canadians Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is a singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership in The Band. He was ranked 78th in Rolling Stone magazine?s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
, Rick Danko
Rick Danko

Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canada musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band....
, Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel

Richard George Manuel was a Canada composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions and membership in The Band....
 and Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson

Eric Garth Hudson is a Canada musician. As the organ and keyboard instrument for Canada-American Rock music group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound....
. This was the line-up that was to later become The Band
The Band

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
. In the early 1970s, Hawkins noticed guitarist Pat Travers
Pat Travers

Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian Rock music guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid 1970s....
 performing in Ontario nightclubs in the early 1970s and was so impressed with the young musician he invited him to join his band. Travers later had a very successful recording career and became one of the most influential guitarists of the 1970s hard rock genre.

In 1975 Bob Dylan cast Hawkins as 'Bob Dylan' in the movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
, Renaldo and Clara
Renaldo and Clara

Renaldo and Clara is a surrealist movie, directed by and starring Bob Dylan. Filmed in 1975, during Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour, it was released in 1978....
. The following year he was a featured performer at the Band's Thanksgiving Day farewell concert, which was documented in the 1978 film The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz

The Last Waltz was a rock concert by the Canadian-American rock group, The Band, held on Thanksgiving , November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco....
. His 1984 LP, 'Making It Again', garnered him a Juno Award
Juno Award

The Juno Awards are presented annually to music of Canada musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music....
 as Canada's best Country Male Vocalist. In addition to his music, he has also become an accomplished actor, hosting his own television show Honky Tonk in the early 1980s and appearing in such films as Heaven's Gate with his friend Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson

Kristoffer Kristian Kristofferson is an United States writer, singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. He is best known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"....
 and Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II.

4 October 2002 was declared "Ronnie Hawkins Day" by the city of Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
 when Hawkins was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame

Canada's Walk of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians....
 in recognition of his lifetime contribution to music and his generous support of the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario and other charitable organizations. Hawkins was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the Canadian Music Industry Awards on 4 March 2004. His pioneering contribution to the genre has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame

The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on March 21, 1997 to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering United States music genre....
. In recent years, Hawkins battled pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a cancer of the pancreas. Each year in the United States, about 37,680 individuals are diagnosed with this condition and 34,290 die from the disease each year....
. His recovery, attributed to everything from psychic healers to native herbal medicine, is featured in the film, Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kicking. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary degree from Laurentian University
Laurentian University

Laurentian University , founded in 1960, is a mid-sized bilingualism in Canada university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. While LU's focus is primarily on undergraduate programming, the university also features Canada's newest medical school ? opened in 2005, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, in consortium with Laurentian and Lake...
. Also Hawkins recently has reissued most of his albums on CD
Compact Disc

A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
 through Unidisc Music Inc.
Unidisc Music Inc.

Unidisc Music Inc. is one of Canada's largest independent record labels. Their main headquarters is located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal....


Adapted from the article , from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
GNU Free Documentation License

The GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project....
.

External links

  • on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
    George Stroumboulopoulos

    George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canada television and radio personality, and best known as the host of CBC Television's The Hour, a late-night talk show about the world's current events....