Ronnie Hawkins, a brash rockabilly star from Hunstville, Arkansas, who became a patron of the Canadian music scene and was key in the creation of one of rock’s most legendary bands, has died at age 87.
According to The Associated Press, his wife Wanda confirmed the death on Sunday.
Hawkins nicknamed himself “The King of Rockabilly” and had minor hits in the 1950s with “Mary Lou” and “Odessa.”
A P.E. major at the University of Arkansas, Hawkins did not complete college, according to his entry in the Central Arkansas Library System’s Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Instead, he joined the army and was stationed at Fort Chaffee in Fort Smith and Fort Sill, Okla. After finishing his service, the entry said Hawkins moved to Helena where he put together a touring band that included Levon Helm of Marvell on drums.
At the suggestion of Harold Jenkins (later known as country and western star Conway Twitty), Hawkins, Helm, and the group headed for Canada in 1958. There, Hawkins brought together a backing group that included Canadian musicians Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson, who, along with Helm, would back Hawkins until 1963, when they left to tour with Bob Dylan. That group later became known as The Band.
In 1978, Hawkins performed with The Band in the 1976 Martin Scorsese documentary, The Last Waltz, and appeared in the Bob Dylan film project, Renaldo and Clara. He was also featured in another Dylan project, Rolling Thunder Revue, directed by Scorsese for Netflix in 2019.
In 2008, Hawkins entered the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, and in 2013, Hawkins was named a member of the Order of Canada for “his contributions to the development of the music industry in Canada.”
To read the full entry on Hawkins from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, click here.
Image: Ronnie Hawkins 2019 John Bauld Creative Commons
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