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Ronnie Hawkins, rockabilly star and mentor to the Band, dies aged 87-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
He enjoyed links with icons including Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
Ronnie Hawkins has died after an illness, his wife confirmed (Picture: Rex/Getty)
Ronnie Hawkins, the Arkansas-born rockabilly star who mentored young Canadian and American musicians who went on to be known as the Band, has died aged 87.
His death after an illness was confirmed by his wife Wanda on Sunday to The Canadian Press.
‘He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever’, she said.
Among those paying tribute to the singer and musician was the Band’s Robbie Robertson, who praised him as teaching him and his bandmates ‘the rules of the road’.
‘Ronnie was the godfather. The one who made this all happen,’ he wrote on Twitter.
He added: ‘He was not only a great artist, tremendous performer and bandleader, but had a style of humor unequaled. Fall down funny and completely unique. Yep, God only made one of those. And he will live in our hearts for ever.
Hawkins adopted Canada as his home (Picture: Toronto Star via Getty Images)
‘My deepest condolences to his family.’
Born on 10 January 1935, Hawkins, who recorded more than 25 albums over the course of his career, earned a reputation as a hell-raiser and was known as ‘The Hawk’.
He scored a few hit songs in the 1950s with Mary Lou and Odessa, as well as running the Rockwood Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where rock and roll pioneers including Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins played.
In 1958 Hawkins began touring Canada, where he became a fast success as someone standing out on a far less developed homegrown rock scene.
He moved up north and in 1964 became a permanent resident of Canada.
The most well-known iteration of Hawkins’ backing group, known as the Hawks, was comprised of drummer Levon Helm, guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson, keyboard players Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel, and bassist Rick Danko.
As well as performing, Hawkins was known to mentor musicians too (Picture: Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
He recorded his final album in 2002, releasing one more with archive performances in 2021 (Picture: Ken Faught/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
All were mentored and educated by the musician, touring Canada with him and adding to his signature raucous recorded cover version of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love.
The group left Hawkins to work with Bob Dylan in the 1960s, later becoming famous in their own right and renaming themselves the Band.
Hawkins was also host to John Lennon and Yoko Ono in December 1969 during their campaign to promote world peace, and mentored guitarist Pat Travers in the 1970s.
In later years, Hawkins also moved into acting, with Bob Dylan casting him in the part of ‘Bob Dylan’ in Renaldo and Clara.
He also appeared in Heaven’s Gate and Snake Eater and hosted his own TV show Honky Tonk in the 1980s.
Hawkins had his own day declared in Toronto in 2002, was induced into Canada’s Walk of Fame and was a member of both the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
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In 2013, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Wanda, as well as their children Ronnie Jr, Robin and Leah.
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