Delmar “Dale” Hawkins
August 22, 1936 – February 13, 2010
Dale Hawkins was a singer, songwriter and guitarist who launched his career in Louisiana during the mid ’50s. He was one of the earliest to take the rock and rockabilly of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly and marry it with the deep Louisiana blues he grew up hearing around him. It was the birth of swamp rock that would later reach the masses thanks to the likes of Elvin Bishop and Creedance Clearwater Revival. In 1957, Hawkins released “Susie Q,” a single that took up both sides of the record. It peaked at #27 on the singles chart but was eventually recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. The song has been since covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Gene Vincent, Johnny Rivers, the Velvet Underground, Bruce Springsteen, and most famously, Creedance Clearwater Revival in 1968. Hawkins was reportedly the third artist ever to perform on American Bandstand and the first white person to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. During the late ’50s, he hosted his own dance show for NBC-TV, The Dale Hawkins Show. Later, he worked as a producer and label executive, most notably for RCA Records. He began working as a social worker during the late ’80s. In 2006, Dale Hawkins learned he had colon cancer which would be the ultimate cause of his death on February 13, 2010. He was 73 years old.
Thanks to Ed Hardy for the assist.
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