Wikipedia

Roger Hawkins (drummer)

Roger G. Hawkins (October 16, 1945 – May 20, 2021)[1] was an American drummer best known for playing as part of the studio backing band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as the Swampers)[2] of Alabama. Rolling Stone ranked Hawkins number 31 on its list of greatest drummers.[3]

Roger Hawkins
Hawkins in 1980
Background information
Born(1945-10-16)October 16, 1945
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
DiedMay 20, 2021(2021-05-20) (aged 75)
Sheffield, Alabama, United States
GenresSoul, R&B, Rock
OccupationSession musician
Instrument(s)Drums, percussion
Formerly ofMuscle Shoals Rhythm Section

Biography

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Hawkins's drumming can be heard on dozens of hit singles, including tracks by Percy Sledge ("When a Man Loves a Woman"), Aretha Franklin ("Respect", "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" etc.), Wilson Pickett ("Mustang Sally", "Land of 1000 Dances"), The Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Womack, Clarence Carter,[4][5] Etta James, Duane Allman, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Boz Scaggs, Albert King, Traffic, Rod Stewart, Dan Penn, Lulu, and Willie Nelson. He also recorded with Eric Clapton in the early 80's.

"Playing with the same guys for so long, well, it's really hard to impress Barry, David or Jimmy because they've heard me do it before. And it's the same with them. I mean, if Barry plays a hot lick, I don't congratulate him; he's supposed to do that. I don't know what it is, but when the four of us sit down to play, it's almost like a burden has been lifted from our shoulders. It's like, "Hey, we're home."[6]

— Roger Hawkins

Hawkins died at age 75 at his home in Sheffield, Alabama.[7] Hawkins had suffered from numerous health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[1]

Top 40 US hits

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Artist Song title US charts highest charting date Miscellaneous
Percy Sledge When a Man Loves a Woman #1 April 30, 1966
Wilson Pickett Land of a 1000 Dances #6 August 13, 1966
James & Bobby Purify I'm Your Puppet #6 October 22, 1966
Wilson Pickett Mustang Sally #22 December 10, 1966
Etta James Tell Mama #23 December 30, 1967
Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) #9 March 18, 1967
Aretha Franklin Respect #1 May 6, 1967
Aretha Franklin Chain of Fools #2 December 16, 1967
Aretha Franklin Since You've Been Gone #5 March 2, 1968
Percy Sledge Take Time to Know Her #11 April 6, 1968
Aretha Franklin[8] Think #7 May 25, 1968
Clarence Carter Slip Away #6 August 17, 1968
Wilson Pickett Hey Jude #23 January 4, 1969 Duane Allman, guitar
R.B. Greaves Take a Letter Maria #2 October 25, 1969
The Staple Singers Heavy Makes You Happy #27 March 20, 1971
The Staple Singers Respect Yourself #12 November 13, 1971
The Staple Singers I'll Take You There #1 April 15, 1972
Mel & Tim Starting All Over Again #19 September 16, 1972
Paul Simon Kodachrome #2 June 2, 1973
Paul Simon Loves Me Like a Rock #2 August 18, 1973 vocals by the Dixie Hummingbirds
Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years #40 December 6, 1975
Bob Seger Mainstreet #24 May 4, 1977 Silver Bullet Band
Bob Seger We've Got Tonight #13 November 25, 1978 Silver Bullet Band
Bob Seger Old Time Rock & Roll #28 May 5, 1979 Silver Bullet Band

Collaborations

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With Alabama

With Paul Anka

  • Feelings (United Artists Records, 1975)

With Patti Austin

  • Body Language (CTI Records, 1980)
  • In My Life (CTI Records, 1983)

With Joan Baez

With William Bell

  • Wow... (Stax Records, 1971)
  • Phases of Reality (Stax Records, 1972)

With Bobby Bland

  • Midnight Run (Malaco Records, 1989)
  • Portrait of the Blues (Malaco Records, 1991)
  • Sad Street (Malaco Records, 1995)
  • Blues at Midnight (Malaco Records, 2003)

With Bonnie Bramlett

  • Lady's Choice (Capricorn Records, 1976)

With Dee Dee Bridgewater

With Dianne Brooks

  • Back Stairs in My Life (Reprise Records, 1976)

With Shirley Brown

  • Joy & Pain (Malaco Records, 1993)

With Peabo Bryson

  • Peabo (Bullet Records, 1976)

With Jimmy Buffett

With Solomon Burke

  • King Solomon (Atlantic Records, 1968)
  • Proud Mary (Ola, 1969)

With Billy Burnette

  • Gimme You (Columbia Records, 1981)

With J. J. Cale

With Kim Carnes

With Clarence Carter

  • This is Clarence Carter (Atlantic Records, 1968)
  • Testifyin' (Atlantic Records, 1969)
  • The Dynamic Clarence Carter (Atlantic Records, 1969)

With Beth Nielsen Chapman

  • Hearing It First (Capitol Records, 1980)

With Cher

With Eric Clapton

With Jimmy Cliff

With Joe Cocker

With Ry Cooder

With Steve Cropper

  • Night After Night (MCA Records, 1982)

With Gail Davies

  • The Game (Warner Bros. Records, 1980)

With Mink DeVille

With Willy DeVille

With The Dramatics

With José Feliciano

  • Sweet Soul Music (Private Stock Records, 1976)

With Eddie Floyd

  • Soul Street (Stax Records, 1974)

With Aretha Franklin

With Glenn Frey

With Art Garfunkel

With Barry Goldberg

  • Barry Goldberg (Atco Records, 1974)

With James Govan

  • I'm in Need (Charity, 1987)

With John P. Hammond

  • Southern Fried (Atlantic Records, 1971)
  • Can't Beat the Kid (Capricorn Records, 1975)

With Ronnie Hawkins

  • Ronnie Hawkins (Cotillion Records, 1970)

With Levon Helm

With Loleatta Holloway

With Etta James

With Margie Joseph

  • Margie Joseph Make a New Impression (Volt Records, 1971)

With Nick Kamen

  • Nick Kamen (WEA, 1987)

With Albert King

With Julian Lennon

With Lulu

With Mac McAnally

With Mary MacGregor

With Lonnie Mack

With Delbert McClinton

  • Second Wind (Capricorn Records, 1978)
  • The Jealous Kind (Capitol Records, 1980)
  • Plain from the Heart (Capitol Records, 1981)

With Frankie Miller

  • Standing on the Edge (Capitol Records, 1982)

With Ronnie Milsap

With Jackie Moore

  • Make Me Feel Like a Woman (Kayvette, 1975)

With Willie Nelson

With Laura Nyro

With The Oak Ridge Boys

With Odetta

With Danny O'Keefe

  • Danny O'Keefe (Cotillion, 1970)

With Dan Penn

  • Nobody's Fool (Bell Records, 1973)
  • Do Right Man (Sire Records, 1994)
  • Blue Nite Lounge (Dandy Records, 2000)
  • Something About the Night (Dandy Records, 2016)

With Wilson Pickett

With Don Preston

  • Been Here All The Time (Shelter Records, 1974)

With Primal Scream

With Eddie Rabbitt

With Helen Reddy

With Little Richard

With Johnny Rivers

  • The Road (Atlantic Records, 1974)
  • Borrowed Time (RSO Records, 1980)

With Linda Ronstadt

With Billy Joe Royal

With Calvin Russell

  • Calvin Russell (Last Call Records, 1997)
  • Sam (Last Call Records, 1999)

With Leon Russell

With Boz Scaggs

With Bob Seger

With John Simon

  • John Simon's Album (Warner Bros. Records, 1970)

With Paul Simon

With Mavis Staples

With The Staple Singers

With Starland Vocal Band

  • 4 X 4 (Windsong, 1980)

With Candi Staton

  • Candi (Warner Bros. Records, 1974)

With Cat Stevens

With B. W. Stevenson

  • Rainbow Down the Road (Amazing Records, 1990)

With Rod Stewart

With Billy Swan

  • Four (Columbia Records, 1977)

With Keith Sykes

  • The Way That I Feel (Midland Records, 1977)

With Alex Taylor

With Kate Taylor

With Traffic

With Vaya Con Dios

With Wendy Waldman

  • Gypsy Symphony (Warner Bros. Records, 1974)

With Tony Joe White

Notes

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  • Weinberg, Max (2004). The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers. Hudson Music. pp. 44–59. ISBN 978-0634082757.
  • Whitburn, Joel (1992). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0823082803.
  • Muscle Shoals Sound (liner notes). Various Artists. Rhino Records. 1993. R2-71517.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  • The Exciting Wilson Pickett (liner notes). Wilson Pickett. Atlantic Records. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  • Greatest Hits (liner notes). Bob Seger. Capitol Records. 1994.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

References

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  1. ^ a b Wake, Matt (May 20, 2021). "Swampers drummer, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio cofounder Roger Hawkins has died". al.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Roger Hawkins: The Pulse of Muscle Shoals | Modern Drummer Magazine". www.moderndrummer.com. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  3. ^ "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 March 2016.
  4. ^ Jones, Roben (2010). Memphis Boys: the story of American Studios. Jackson MS: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 159–160. ISBN 9781604734010.
  5. ^ Poe, Randy (2006). Skydog: the Duane Allman story. Milwaukee WI: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-6171-3487-6.
  6. ^ Weinberg, Max (2004). The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers. Hudson Music. p. 58. ISBN 978-0634082757.
  7. ^ Fu, Eddie (May 21, 2021). "R.I.P. Roger Hawkins, Muscle Shoals Drummer on Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge Hits Dead at 75". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (box set liner notes). Aretha Franklin. Atlantic Records. 1992.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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