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The Hawk is gone. Ronnie Hawkins has died.

It had long been assumed that Ronnie Hawkins was too tough a bugger to die. After all, this is a guy who baffled doctors with his pancreatic cancer, one of the worst of all cancers. As someone who has had two friends die of the disease, I saw the end come for them in months after the diagnosis in one case and in six weeks for the other. The Hawk got his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2003. That was 19 years ago! The man was unkillable!

As my Australian friend says, “That’s some good innings!” His secret? Ronnie said it was a combination of psychic healers and “native herbal medicine.”

Ronnie had been very ill for months. A couple of his friends told me a few months back that at age 87, his condition deteriorated and the fight was exhausted. meaning that it was just a matter of time. We became aware that the end was close when we saw a series of social media posts like this one.

Just after 1 pm EDT today (May 29), the CBC and the Canadian Press had indeed confirmed that Ronnie had passed at the age of 87. His wife Wanda made the announcement. He died at around 11:30 am EDT.

Ronnie formed an essential part of Canadian music history. He moved north from Arkansas after behind encouraged by Conway Twitty to start touring Canada in 1958. His first gigs with us were at the Golden Rail Tavern in Hamilton.

By 1964, he was a permanent resident living in Peterborough and his original band (all Americans) with the exception of drummer Levon Helm (who joined in 1957) had left. That’s when he hired Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson. They were the new edition of The Hawks at first but eventually morphed into The Band after Bob Dylan poached them when he saw everyone perform on Yonge Street in 1965. Later, they became the first Canadian band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

No wonder that in later years, he’d be referred to as “The Father of Canadian Rock’n’Roll.”

Speaking of which, Ronnie and The Hawks were fixtures on that several-block length of Yonge street that was filled with all manner of clubs and taverns in the late 50s and through the 60s. The Hawk played countless shows along that strip, helping to define the nascent sound of Canada’s rock scene.

Ronnie knew EVERYONE. He knew Dylan, of course. All the early greats (Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Roy Orbison). He had John Lennon and Yoko Ono stay at his home in 1969. He was buddies with Kris Kristopherson. And along with the guys in The Band, he spotted other talented players, like guitarist Pat Travers. All the while, Ronnie kept playing and recording.

Photo credit: Photosynthesis Studio

Ronnie received the following honours:

  • Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award (Juno honour, 1996)
  • Canada’s Walk of Fame (2002)
  • Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame (2004)
  • Rockabilly Hall of Fame
  • Honorary degree from Laurentian University (2005)
  • SOCAN Special Achievement Award (2007)
  • Order of Canada (2014)

Ronnie was also very active in helping out the Schizophrenia Society of Canada.

My favourite Hawkism? When asked what he did with all his money, Ronnie replied (and I’m paraphrasing here): “I spent it all on booze, women, and drugs. The rest I just wasted.”

Here’s me on the CBC talking about The Hawk.

Let’s go back to 1981 for this Hawk appearance at the Juno Awards. (Via Allan)

And just to show you how important Ronnie was, Oreo collected these links from around the world for us.

Ronnie Hawkins, Who Gave The Band Their Start, Dies – (Best Classic Bands) from Greg Brodsky 
Ronnie Hawkins, musician who called Canada home and mentored the Band, dies at 87 – (CBC) from Harold Lepidus, Steven Zweifler, Cliff Warnken, Bob Harwood 
Cross-border rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins dies at 87 – (The Globe and Mail) from Cliff Warnken, Steven Zweifler 
Rest In Peace, Ronnie Hawkins. – (Robbie Robertson on Twitter) from Harold Lepidus, Greg Brodsky 
Ronnie Hawkins, rock’n’roll legend who mentored The Band, dies aged 87 – (The Guardian) from Steve Lockwood 
Robbie Robertson Remembers Ronnie Hawkins: ‘The One Who Made This All Happen’ Subscr. – (Rolling Stone) from Cliff Warnken, Steven Zweifler 
Ronnie Hawkins, the Band mentor and rockabilly star, dead at 87 – (AP / NY Post) from Cliff Warnken 
Ronnie Hawkins, Rockabilly Road Warrior, Is Dead at 87 Subscr. – (NY Times) from Steven Zweifler, Cliff Warnken, Karl Johnson 
Ronnie ‘Hawk’ Hawkins, Rockabilly Singer and Mentor to the Band, Dies at 87 – (Variety) from Cliff Warnken 
Music impresario Ronnie ‘The Hawk’ Hawkins dies at 87 – (Regina Leader-Post) from Cliff Warnken 
Bob Dylan 1980 – Ain’t going to hell for Anybody Ronnie Hawkins intro – (dailymotion) from Harold Lepidus 
Ronnie Hawkins performing Who Do You Love, 1993 at The National Building Museum in Washington, DC – (YouTube) from Steve Lockwood, Jacob Daniel, Bob Harwood 
24 – John Lennon On Ronnie Hawkins short version – (YouTube) from Harold Lepidus 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39533 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

One thought on “The Hawk is gone. Ronnie Hawkins has died.

  • Sail on Hawk… you brought quality rock and roll and R&B to Canada and changed my musical life for the better forever. All Canadian musicians owe you big time and I can never repay you. thank you sir..it was and is an honour.–Amos Garrett

    Reply

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