Buddy Boy Hawkins

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BuddyBoyHawkinsAwfulFix.jpg

Walter "Buddy Boy" Hawkins was an early American blues musician. Almost nothing is known about his life. He likely grew up in either Alabama or the northern Mississippi Delta.

Life

In 1927 Paramount Records unit manager Harry Charles spotted him singing on the streets of Birmingham and had him record his first tracks. Charles later described that he was so intimidated during this session that he ruined numerous takes by bumping into the microphone over and over again. Charles put a pair of headphones on him, through which he called out to him at the slightest movement, “Hold still! Stand there! ". Overall, Charles' judgment of Hawkins was very negative: “He looked at you like a monkey. He didn't have a scrap of brains. He didn't even have enough brain to get back to the train after the recording. ”( “ He'd look up at you just like a monkey ... He didn't have a bacon of sense ... He didn't even have brains enough to get back to the train (after recording). " ).

By 1929 he recorded a total of 12 pieces (among others as "Buddy Boy Hawkins & His Buddies"), which clearly illustrate his demanding guitar playing; it is believed that he incorporated flamenco guitar influences into his playing during the First World War in Europe . Lyrically, his pieces often revolve around railways and life as a hobo , which suggests a corresponding biographical background.

At times, Hawkins stayed in the vicinity of Charley Patton . In his last recording session in 1929, which was also Charley Patton's first and to which both had traveled from Jackson together , he played Patton (among three other pieces) Patton's piece "Shake it and break it" as "Snatch It and Grab It", Patton himself sings and calls out drunk in the background.

Songs (chronological)

  • Shaggy Dog Blues
  • Number Three Blues
  • Jailhouse Fire Blues
  • Snatch It Back Blues
  • Workin 'on the Railroad
  • Yellow Woman Blues
  • Raggin 'the blues
  • Awful Fix Blues
  • A rag blues
  • How Come Mama Blues
  • Snatch It and Grab It
  • Voice throwin 'blues

Discography

  • "Complete Recorded Works (1927-1929)", 1991, (due to the small size of the work as a joint edition together with the also scarce work by William Harris )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephen Calt & Gayle Wardlow, "King of the Delta Blues - The Life and Music of Charlie Patton," pp. 181-183, 1988, ISBN 0-9618610-0-2
personal data
SURNAME Hawkins, buddy boy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hawkins, Walter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century or 20th century
DATE OF DEATH 20th century or 21st century