Walter Hawkins
May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010Walter Hawkins was a Grammy winning Gospel singer and ordained Bishop who, with the help of his brother, Edwin Hawkins and their Edwin Hawkins Singers, recorded one of Gospel’s earliest crossover hits, “Oh Happy Day.” His wife, Tramaine Hawkins is an equally respected Gospel performer as well. Hawkins went solo while forming his own church during the early ’70s. His Love Center Choir won numerous accolades and found significant success with their Love Alive series which have sold in excess of one million copies. 1990’s Love Alive IV sat at the top of the Billboard Gospel charts of an astonishing thirty-three weeks. It has been reported that Hawkins contributed in one form or another to nearly 120 Gospel charting records. Over the course of his career, he collaborated with the likes of Jeffrey Osborne, Sylvester, Van Morrison, and Diahann Carroll. Bishop Walter Hawkins, age 61, died on July 11, 2010 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
John “Sonny Boy” Williamson
March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948
Not to be confused with Rice “Sonny Boy Williamson II” Miller, another blues harmonica player, Sonny Boy Williamson was by all accounts the first on the scene to use the Sonny Boy moniker. As one of the most popular blues artists of his generation, Williamson was an influence on the likes of Junior Wells, Snooky Pryor, and Little Walter, as well as several non-harmonica players including Muddy Waters and even Jimmie Rodgers. He was both band leader and sideman during his career, mostly recording for the legendary Bluebird Records label. And his biggest hit “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” is one of the most covered song of the era, having been re-recorded by such artists as Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead, Steppenwolf, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Muddy Waters, and perhaps most famously, the Yardbirds. Sadly, as he was walking home from a gig near his home on Chicago’s south side, Williamson was killed during a random mugging.
Eric Gale was a jazz guitarist whose skills made him one of the most in-demand session players, appearing on some 500 albums. Those he recorded with include Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Grover Washington Jr., Jesse Belvin, and Carly Simon. He died of cancer on May 25, 1994.
Sonny Boy Williamson II (Born Rice Miller)
December 5, 1899 or May 11, 1908 – May 25, 1965
There’s likely only one person who could say they played alongside not only Robert Johnson, but also Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Eric Burden, and Robbie Robertson; that person was Sonny Boy Williamson II. Born on a plantation, Williamson worked along with his father as a sharecropper until he decided to head out on his own in the early ’30s with a harmonica along for the ride. He would meet up and play with the likes of Elmore James, Robert Lockwood Jr., and the great Robert Johnson. Besides having tremendous skills on the harmonica, Williamson learned a few tricks to dazzle his audiences, like playing it with no hands or playing it while nestled between his upper lip and nose. I should point out that around this time, there was another harmonica-playing Sonny Boy Williamson gaining popularity throughout the blues world. So to distinguish the two, this one (Rice Miller) was referred to as “Number 2” or “The Second,” even though he claimed to have started using the stage name first. Williamson made his first recordings for Trumpet Records in 1951, but when the label went bankrupt in 1955, his contract became the property of the renowned Chess Records who helped him achieve much greater success. By the ’60s he was being embraced by the new British blues-rock artists as a main influence affording him the opportunity to record with the Animals and the Yardbirds. Williamson recorded some 70 songs during his career, many of which are considered blues staples and have been covered by Aerosmith, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Nick Cave, the New York Dolls, and the Allman Brothers to name but a few. Sadly, as Williamson was gaining a new fame and fortune, he was found dead in his room on May 25, 1965 of an apparent heart attack.
Photo by David Plastik – Click To Order Quality Prints – Discount code: 10OFF
Jack of all trades, Mick Ronson was one of those sidemen that brought out the best in those he played with. Whether it was David Bowie or Ian Hunter, Ronson’s contributions to their music helped define ’70s glam rock. But he was much more than a guitar-for-hire, as he was just as adept at songwriting, producing and arranging. Ronson’s direct influence can heard be on albums he either performed on or produced by the likes of Lou Reed, Morrissey, Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, David Johansen, Van Morrison, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and John Mellencamp. Ronson died of liver cancer on April 29, 1993 at the age of 46.