As husband with a wife who spends an inordinate amount of time in thrift and antique stores, over the past 3 to 4 years I have become somewhat of a vinyl enthusiast. While she picks and pokes for tchotchkes, I go hunt for vinyl. I’ve amassed quite a few records, and particularly am enthralled by the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Vinyl collectors particularly of this genre can probably recite the 8-10 artists that fill the majority of those bins, and typically pass over them. I definitely do. My intrigue is in the early albums of the greats or those that were notable in their time, but seemingly have disappeared from discussion in the modern era. This weekend I was particularly thrilled to find my second Hawkshaw Hawkins album.
As you may or may not know he was a quite notable star at the time and was married to country legend Jean Shepard (who is worth her own discussion). But Hawkshaw, most known for his “Slowpoke” and “Lonesome 7-7203” singled, unfortunately passed in the plane crash that killed Patsy Cline.
Before finding the vinyls, I had never heard of him, was more amused at the name, and actually thought his name was Hankshaw for quite a while. Regardless, after listening to his entirety of songs, he is remarkably polished and displayed an impressive vocal range and is deserving of a listen. I can definitely see his influence on country music. For me, his having such a rich, deeper voice is more palatable than the Eddie Arnold’s and Ray Price‘s that developed from that same era. From plinky honky Tonk, soaring ballads to yodels, if you have a few minutes, he’s worth giving a listen. A great talent cut short too soon.