Rock’n’roll legend Ronnie Hawkins, who guided The Band, dies at 87

Arkansas-born rock’n’roll legend Ronnie Hawkins, the young Canadian and American musicians who later became known as the band, has died.

His wife Wanda said on Sunday that Hawkins, described in tribute as the most important rock’n’roller in Canadian history, died at the age of 87 following an illness.

“He walked away calmly and he looked as handsome as ever,” she told the Canadian Press.

Paying tribute to Hawkins on Sunday, the band’s Robbie Robertson said that Hawkins had taught him and his bandmates “the rules of the road”.

“Not only was he a great performer, a great performer and bandleader, but his comedic style was unmatched,” Robertson said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Funny and totally unique fall down. Yes, God only created one of them. And he will live on in our hearts forever. My deepest condolences to his family.”

Canadian author Margaret Atwood tweeted the news saying that it was very sad to hear.

Born in Huntsville, Arkansas on January 10, 1935 (two days after the birth of Elvis Presley), Hawkins was a born showman from stock, and earned a reputation as a hellraiser on the growing rock’n’roll circuit of the 1950s.

Nicknamed “The Hawk”, he had minor hits with Mary Lou and Odessa and ran a club in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where acts included early rock stars such as Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Conway Twitty.

“Hawkins is the only person I’ve ever heard who can make a good sexy song like My Gal Is Red Hot Sound Sordid,” writes Grail Marcus in his acclaimed book about music and American culture, Mystery Train. More back roads, back rooms and backsides than any man from Newark to Mexicali”.

Hawkins, who called himself “The King of Rockabilly” and “Mr. Dynamo”, did not have the gifts of Presley or Perkins, but did have ambition and an eye for talent.

he performed in the first Canada in the late 50s and realized that he would stand far more in a country where native rock still barely exists. Canadian musicians often moved to America to further their careers, but Hawkins was the rare American who attempted the opposite.

Along with drummer and fellow Arkansas Levon Helm, Hawkins put together a Canadian support group that included guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson, keyboardists Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel, and bassist Rick Danko. They became Hawks educated at Hawkins School of Rock.

“When the music got a little too far for Ronnie’s ear,” Robertson told Rolling Stone in 1978, “or he couldn’t tell when to get into singing, he would tell us none but Thelonious Monk. Can understand what we were playing.. But the great thing with him was that he got us to rehearse and practice a lot. Often we used to go till 1 PM and then rehearse till 4 PM.”

Robertson and friends supported Hawkins from 1961–63, performing husky shows around Canada and recording a howling cover of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love which became one of Hawkins’ signature songs.

But Hawkins was not selling many records and the Hawks overtook their leader. they joined Bob Dylan In the mid-60s and by the end of the decade there were superstars on their own who changed their name to the band.

Hawkins, meanwhile, settled in Peterborough, Ontario, and had some Top 40 singles there, including Bluebirds in the Mountain and Down in the Alley.

Canadian music journalist and blogger Eric Alper wrote on Sunday that Hawkins will be greatly missed.

“Ronnie Hawkins, the most important rock’n’roller in Canadian history, has died at the age of 87,” Alper wrote. “The band, Dale Hawkins, Bob Dylan and thousands of others wouldn’t be the same without him. The music wouldn’t be the same. They will be greatly missed, and thank you, Hawk.

He didn’t keep up with the latest sounds—he was horrified at first hearing Canadian Neil Young—but in the late 1960s he befriended John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono. He lived with Hawkins and his wife, Wanda, and three children while moving to Canada.

“At that particular time, I thought I was doing them a favor,” he later told the National Post. “I thought the Beatles were an English group that got lucky. I didn’t know much about their music. I thought Yoko was[silly]. To this day, I’ve never heard a Beatle album. $10 Billion I couldn’t name a song on Abbey Road. I’ve never in my life picked up a Beatle album, and never listened to it. Never. But John was so powerful. I loved him. He’s not one of those hotshots. Was, you know.”

Hawkins also stayed in touch with the band and was one of the guests for the 1976 All-Star, Farewell Concert, which was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s documentary The Last Waltz.

For a few moments he was back in charge, smiling and grinning under his Stetson hat, calling his former subordinates “big time, big time” as he tore through Who Do You Love.

In addition to The Last Waltz, Hawkins also appeared in the Dylan films Reynaldo and Clara, the big-budget flops Heaven’s Gate and Hello Mary Lou. A 2007 documentary about Hawkins, Alive and Kickin was narrated by Dan Aykroyd and featured a cameo from another famous Arkansas, Bill Clinton.

Hawkins’ albums include “Ronnie Hawkins, The Hawk” and “Can’t Stop Rockin'”, a 2001 release notable for Helm and Robertson appearing on the same song, Blue Moon in My Sign. Helm and Robertson Now Not speaking, dropped out after The Last Waltz, and recorded his contributions at different studios.

Over time, Hawkins guided many young Canadian musicians who went on to successful careers, including guitarist Pat Travers and future Janis Joplin guitarist John Till.

He received several honorary awards from his adoptive country, and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2013, “for his contribution to the development of the music industry in Canada, as a rock’n’roll musician, and for his Was supporting charitable causes”.