Ted Hawkins (October 28, 1936 – January 1, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist born in Mississippi. He split his time between his adopted hometown of Venice Beach, California, where he was a mostly anonymous street performer, and Europe and Australia, where he and his songs were better known and well received in clubs and small concert halls.
Hawkins' existence was no day in the park. He was born into abject poverty in Lakeshore, a small town not far from Biloxi, Mississippi. An abused and illiterate child, Hawkins was sent to reform school when he was 12 years old for some early misdemeanor. He encountered his first musical inspiration there, from New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair, whose visit to the school moved the lad to perform in a talent show. But it wasn't enough to keep him out of trouble. At age 15, he stole a leather jacket and spent three years at Mississippi's infamous state penitentiary, Parchman Farm.
On release from jail he heard the latest records by the up-and-coming soul singer Sam Cooke, who proved an inspiration. Hawkins spent the next few years working as a travelling musician, roaming from Chicago to Philadelphia and to Buffalo. He left the frigid weather behind in 1966, purchasing a one-way ticket to L.A. Suddenly, music beckoned; he bought a guitar and set out to locate the ex-manager of Sam Cooke. No such luck, but he did manage to cut his debut 45, the soul-steeped "Baby"/"Whole Lot of Women," for Money Records. When he learned no royalties were forthcoming from its sales, Hawkins despaired of ever making a living at his music and took to playing on the streets.
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He was heard performing in the black ghetto by Bill Harris, a radio DJ, who brought him to the attention of the record producer Bruce Bromberg. Fortunately he was interested in Hawkins' welfare, recording his delightfully original material in 1971, both with guitarist Phillip Walker's band ("Sweet Baby" was issued as a single on the Joliet label), and in a solo acoustic format (with Ted's wife Elizabeth occasionally adding harmonies). The producer lost touch with Hawkins for a while after recording him, Hawkins falling afoul of the law once again and spent much of the next decade in prison addicted to heroin. Eventually Bromberg contacted Hawkins and was able to get him to agree to release the previously recorded songs as an album, Watch Your Step, which was released by Rounder Records in 1982.
This debut album was a commercial failure but received rave reviews (notably a rare five-star rating in Rolling Stone) and Hawkins began to receive some acclaim. But the ladder of success was not in his reach as he had to serve 18 months of a three-year sentence due to indecent exposure in the midst of suffering nervous breakdowns. Yet, Hawkins reunited with Bromberg in 1985 for a second album, Happy Hour, which contained the touching "Cold & Bitter Tears." This album featured more original songs by Hawkins and was again ignored in the U.S.; however, it won acclaim and sales in Europe.
But when he came home, he was faced with the same old situation. Once again, he set up his tip jar on the beach, donned the black leather glove he wore on his fretting hand, and played for passersby, until DGC ever so briefly propelled him into the major leagues. The subsequent album, The Next 100 Years, was a surprise Top Twenty hit in Australia, where Hawkins was invited to tour. He was planning another trip to Australia at the time of his death and had been expected to play at several leading American jazz and blues festivals. His career had finally seemed set to blossom, and for a year or so, he was even a star in his own country but he suffered a diabetes-related stroke on 29 December, 1994, from which he never recovered. He died in Los Angeles 1 January 1995, just a few months after the release of his breakthrough recording.
Ted Hawkins was a unique talent, unclassifiable and eminently soulful. Love You Most of All: More Songs from Venice Beach was issued posthumously in 1998. In 2014, in cooperation with his family, the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Ted Hawkins at Ingelwood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
(Edited from Chris Welch obit @ The Independent, AllMusic & Wikipedia)