9/15/2023 0 Comments Walter hawkins music![]() ![]() Obviously, no single essay can capture Hawkins’ broad contributions, but this shouldn’t stop us from taking time to give due praise to his amazing accomplishments. Only through an engagement with his music at the level of the “everyday” can one arrive at some understanding of the spirit, the genius, and the legacy of Bishop Walter Hawkins. Or consider how the playing of “Goin’ Up Yonder” can instantly turn a “funeral” into a “homegoing service”. To get a sense of his impact on the religious community and the world at large, travel to a storefront church on Sunday morning and witness the ways in which classic Hawkins’ compositions like “Be Grateful” or “Changed” put worshipers on another spiritual plane. The greatness of his musical career cannot be gauged solely by counting Grammy, Stellar, and Dove Awards or even records sales - though he excelled in all those categories. As many readers are well aware, Walter Hawkins’ passing this month after his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer leaves a void that will never be filled. So, gentle reader, forgive me for the rather long-winded introduction to what constitutes a modest attempt to celebrate the life and artistry of one of the leading architects of the contemporary gospel sound: Bishop Walter Hawkins. That otherworldly moment marked the beginning of a love affair that refuses to loosen its grip. Hold your head up high for the deliverance is nighįull comprehension of the lyrics’ complex meaning escaped me at the time, but the song’s transcendent message coupled with the impassioned vocals of Lawanda Scroggins and Carol King struck a resonant chord. When you’re burdened with the cares of life and your striving seems in vain Yet, the lyrics on his latest release pushed me into unknown territory: I was quite familiar with Walter Hawkins’ classics like “Goin’ Up Yonder”, “Be Grateful”, “He’s That Kind of Friend”, and “Never Alone”. A few minutes into the drive, the local gospel station played the latest single from Walter Hawkins’ highly anticipated, 1985 release, Love Alive III. A couple of months after my father’s passing, a family friend decided that a drive around town would provide a much needed release for an eight-year old presumably still in mourning and shock. ![]() Twenty-five years have passed since my first serious encounter with the Hawkins’ transformative music, but the memories of that experience are as lucid as ever. And then there was the legendary Hawkins clan, the Oakland-bred family whose ascension to gospel superstardom coincided with the meteoric rise of another California-based musical entity (Sly and the Family Stone) whose sonic interventions transformed America’s cultural landscape. Likewise, another Detroit-bred group, the Winans, pulled me in with their slick harmonies, polished production, and socially relevant lyrics deeply rooted in the struggles and possibilities of post-industrial America. ![]() Comprised of sisters Jacky, Denise, Elbernita (“Twinkie”), Dorinda, and Karen, the Clarks dazzled me with their idiosyncratic harmonic structures, deft improvisational skills, and remarkable showmanship. In fact, as a result of rearing and personal temperament, my deepest, adolescent allegiance was reserved for three gospel groups: the Clark Sisters, the Winans, and the Hawkins family. Much of this had to do with my rearing in a working-class household in which the artistic brilliance of Reverend James Cleveland and the Caravans was discussed with the same reverence and intensity as the musical genius of James Brown and Marvin Gaye. Instead, talented musicians committed to updating the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John captured my imagination and my devotion for much of the 1980s. Notwithstanding my profound respect for a cultural movement whose impact on our contemporary world remains singular, the rhythmic narratives emerging out of the boroughs of New York City were neither my story nor my song. No disrespect to my 30-something contemporaries who proudly identify themselves as members of the hip-hop generation, but given my tangential relationship to the world of rap music, such identification has always been rather difficult for me. No musical genre means more to me than gospel. ![]() “What is this, that I feel deep inside and it keeps setting my soul on fire?” We know who we are by the way we praise the Lord on high.” ![]()
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