Walter Hawkins

Walter Hawkins

Hawkins performs on stage in the East Room of the White House, where he was joined on stage by his brother Edwin, Tuesday, June 17, 2008, in honor of Black Music Month.
Background information
Birth name Walter Lee Hawkins[1]
Born (1949-05-18)May 18, 1949[1]
Oakland, California, United States[1]
Died July 11, 2010(2010-07-11) (aged 61)
Ripon, California
Genres Gospel
Occupation(s) Pastor, singer, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active 1960s–2010
Labels Light
Associated acts Tramaine Hawkins
Edwin Hawkins
Andrae Crouch

Walter Lee Hawkins (May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010) was an American gospel music singer, and a pastor. He was consecrated to the bishopric in 1992.

Biography

Hawkins was the brother of Edwin Hawkins, Daniel Hawkins (Marcia), Feddie Hawkins Smith, Carol Hawkins Kemp and Lynette Hawkins-Stephens. Bishop Hawkins was married to Tramaine Hawkins, they had two children, a son Walter "Jamie" Hawkins, Jr., who is married to Myiia "Sunny" Davis-Hawkins, and a daughter Trystan Hawkins. Bishop Hawkins also had a granddaughter, Jahve Neru Deana Hawkins, and a grandson, Jamie Daniel Hawkins.

Bishop Hawkins started his career in one of his brother's chorales, "The Northern California State Youth Choir" of the Church of God in Christ. Later, he accompanied his brother Edwin and founded The Edwin Hawkins Singers. This collaborative effort produced the hit song "Oh Happy Day", which became one of the first gospel songs to cross over onto mainstream music charts.

Walter Hawkins left The Edwin Hawkins Singers in the early 1970s to establish the Love Center Church in Oakland, California. He and his Love Center Choir had considerable success with their "Love Alive" series of recordings, which sold well over a million copies from the 1970s through the 1990s. "Love Alive IV", released in 1990, was No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Album charts, where it stayed for 33 weeks. In all, Walter Hawkins produced and/or collaborated on 116 hit songs which were listed on the Billboard Gospel Music charts.

Walter Hawkins and his groups were frequent musical collaborators, and recorded with Van Morrison, Diahann Carroll, Sylvester, Jeffrey Osborne, among many others.

One of those who regularly attended the Love Center church was Sylvester, who had been introduced to it in the early 1980s by Jeanie Tracy.[2]

Death

On July 11, 2010, Bishop Walter Hawkins died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61 in the family home in Ripon, California at 2:42pm.

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Appearances on other albums

Video

Awards

Hawkins was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, and won the 1981 Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational for the special project album The Lord's Prayer.

Hawkins won three Gospel Music Association Dove Awards:

He won two Stellar Awards:

References

  1. 1 2 3 California Birth Index. "Walter Lee Hawkins, Born 05/18/1949 in California". California Birth Index. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ Gamson, Joshua (2005). The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70s in San Francisco. New York City: Henry Holt and Co. pp. 225–227. ISBN 978-0805072501.

External links

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