Ronnie Hawkins, rockabilly singer and key figure in formation of the Band, dies at 87

Ronnie Hawkins, the rowdy rockabilly singer who was instrumental in the formation of the pioneering Americana group the Band, died on Sunday. He was 87.

A fiery performer who earned the nickname “Mr. Dynamo” — he also would be known as “The Hawk” and “Rompin’ Ronnie” — Hawkins made his reputation on the road, delivering blues, R&B and rock ’n’ roll covers with grit and gusto.

After leaving the Army, Hawkins teamed with guitarist Luke Paulman and started developing his outrageous stage show, filled with backflips and other stunts. Levon Helm, a drummer in the Helena, Ark., area, joined the Hawks while he was still in high school. Fellow musician Conway Twitty told Hawkins that Canadian audiences were hungry for rock ’n’ roll, so he moved the Hawks up north to Toronto, Ontario, in 1958.

After hosting a Canadian variety show called “Honky Tonk” early in the 1980s, Hawkins continued to perform and occasionally record; his last album “Still Cruisin’” arrived in 2002. He befriended Bill Clinton before he became governor of Arkansas; Hawkins would later play Clinton’s presidential inauguration in 1993.

I'm. Going to miss this great artist

😪

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