Ronnie Hawkins, born January 10, 1935 in Huntsville, Arkansas, United States, is a pioneering rock and roll musician and cousin to fellow rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins. Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk," he was a key player in the 1960s rock scene in Toronto and for the next 40 years, performed all over North America, recording more than twenty-five albums. His best-known hits are "Forty Days" and "Mary Lou" (about the song narrator's experiences with a golddigging woman). January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Huntsville is a city located in Madison County, Arkansas. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Dale Hawkins (born Delmar Allen Hawkins on August 22, 1936 in Goldmine, Louisiana) is a pioneer American Rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who is often called the architect of the swamp rock boogie. ...

At the age of nine, his family moved to nearby Fayetteville. After graduating from high school, he studied physical education at the University of Arkansas where he formed his first band, The Hawks, touring with them throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Hawkins also owned and operated the Rockwood Club in Fayetteville where some of Rock music's earliest pioneers came to play including Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Conway Twitty. For the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area see Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan area Fayetteville is a city located in Washington County, Arkansas, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,047. ... The University of Arkansas, known also as the U of A or UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. ... Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of rockabilly music, a mix of rhythm and blues and country music that evolved at Sun Records in Memphis in the early 1950s. ... Roy Orbison at a London press conference, late 1988. ... Conway Twitty Conway Twitty (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993) was one of the United States most successful artists of the 20th century. ...

In 1958, he moved to Canada with the Hawks and made Peterborough, Ontario his permanent home. Gradually the members of the Hawks, except for Levon Helm, were replaced with talented Canadians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson. This was the line-up that was to later become The Band. Peterborough (2004 population 74,600 and the metropolitan population numbers 112,000) is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125km northeast of Toronto. ... Mark Lavon Helm, a. ... Jaime Robert Robertson (born July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a songwriter, guitarist and singer, probably best known for his membership in The Band. ... Richard Clare Rick Danko (December 29, 1942-December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician and singer, probably best known as a member of The Band. ... Richard Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian musician and songwriter probably best known for his membership in The Band. ... Eric Garth Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian musician born in Windsor, Ontario and raised in London, Ontario. ... It has been suggested that Levon and the Hawks be merged into this article or section. ...

His 1984 LP, 'Making It Again', garnered him a Juno Award as Canada's best Country Male Vocalist. Playing with The Band, Hawkins helped tear down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and performed at President Bill Clinton's 1992 inaugural party. In addition to his music, he has also become an accomplished actor, hosting his own television show "Honky Tonk" in the early 1980s and appearing in such films as Heaven's Gate with his friend Kris Kristofferson and Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II. The Juno Awards are awards of achievement presented to Canadian musical artists and bands; they could be considered the transnational counterpart to the United States Grammy Awards. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Heavens Gate (1980) is a big-budget western movie, depicting a fictionalized account of the Johnson County War between land barons and European immigrants in 1890s Wyoming. ... Kris Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is an influential country music songwriter, singer and actor. ...

October 4, 2002 was declared "Ronnie Hawkins Day" by the city of Toronto when Hawkins was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in recognition of his lifetime contribution to music and his generous support of the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario and other charitable organizations. Ronnie Hawkins was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the Canadian Music Industry Awards on March 4, 2004. His pioneering contribution to the genre has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Canadas Walk of Fame acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians. ... The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on March 21, 1997 to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre. ...

In recent years, Ronnie Hawkins had been battling pancreatic cancer. His miraculous recovery, attributed to everything from psychic healers to native herbal medicine, is documented in the film Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kicking.

In 2005, he was awarded an honorary degree from Laurentian University. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Laurentian University (Université Laurentienne), founded in 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, approximately 350 km north of Toronto. ...

Also Ronnie recently has reissued most of his albums on CD through Unidisc Music Inc. Unidisc Music Inc. ...

Adapted from the article Ronnie Hawkins, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Wikinfo, formerly known as Internet-Encyclopedia (renamed in January 2004), is a fork of the English Wikipedia initiated by Fred Bauder in July 2003. ... GNU logo (similar in appearance to a gnu) The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free content, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU project. ...

See also

• Levon and the Hawks
• The Band

Levon and the Hawks evolved from the backup band for Ronnie Hawkins. ... It has been suggested that Levon and the Hawks be merged into this article or section. ...

External links

• Official Home Page