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Biography
BLP sources|date=May 2010Infobox musical artist| image=| name = Edwin Hawkins| image_size = | background = solo_singer| birth_name =| alias =| birth_date = Birth date and age|1943|8|18|df=y| death_date =| origin = Oakland, California | instrument = voice|vocals , Keyboard instrument|keyboards | genre = Gospel music | occupation = singer , songwriter , record producer|producer | years_active = 1960s-1990s| label = Pavilion Records Buddah Records Birthright Records Myrrh Records Lection Records Fixit Records | associated_acts = Walter Hawkins Tramaine Hawkins Andrae Crouch | website =| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments =Edwin Hawkins (born 18 August 1943, Oakland, California|Oakland , California ) is a Grammy Award -winning United States|American gospel music|gospel and rhythm and blues|R& B musician , pianist , choir master, composer, and arranger. He is one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He (and the Edwin Hawkins Singers) are best known for his arrangement of " Oh Happy Day " (1968–69), which was included on the Songs of the Century list. The Edwin Hawkins Singers made a second foray into the charts a year later, backing vocalist|backing folk singer Melanie Safka|Melanie on " Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) ".
At the age of seven Hawkins was already the keyboardist to accompany the family's gospel choir . Together with Betty Watson, he was the co-founder of the Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ , which included almost fifty members.cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p73463/biography|pure_url=yes|title=Biography: Edwin Hawkins|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|publisher= All Media Guide|AMG |accessdate=8 May 2010 This ensemble recorded its first album Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord at the Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California privately (on the Century 70 custom label), hoping to sell 500 copies. "Oh Happy Day" was just one of the eight songs on the album.
When radio station s of the San Francisco Bay area started playing "Oh Happy Day", it became very popular. Featuring the lead vocal of Dorothy Combs Morrison , the subsequently released single (music)|single (on the newly created Pavillion label distributed by Buddah Records|Buddah ) rocketed to sales of over a million copies within two months. It crossed over to the pop music|pop record chart|charts making United States|U.S. #4 and UK Singles Chart|UK #2cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 246 and #1 in the German Singles ChartsGünter Ehnert (ed.): Hit Bilanz. Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press 1990, p. 93 in 1969. It then became an international success, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide, and Hawkins was awarded his first Grammy for it. Hawkins' arrangement of the song was eventually covered by The Four Seasons (group)|The Four Seasons on their 1970 album Half & Half .
Altogether Hawkins has won four Grammy Award s:
1970: Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance|Best Soul Gospel Performance & mdash; "Oh Happy Day", performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers;
1971: Best Soul Gospel Performance & mdash; "Every Man Wants to Be Free", performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers;
1972: On April 30, 1972, on scene of Oude Rai in Amsterdam, Edwin Hawkins Singers sing " Oh happy day " accompanied with a group of French children " :fr:Les Poppys|The POPPYS " in front of 5000 persons;
1978: Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary|Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary & mdash; "Wonderful!";
1993: Grammy Award for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album|Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album & mdash; choir director on Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar Mass Choir & ndash; Recorded Live in Los Angeles , performed by the Music & Arts Seminar Mass Choir.
In 2007, Hawkins was inducted into the http://www.hallmuseum.com Christian Music Hall of Fame and attended the formal awards show in 2009.
Paul Anka 's duet partner Odia Coates was also a member of the Edwin Hawkins Singers.
Discography
Expand list|date=August 2008
Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord (1968)
''He's A Friend Of Mine (1969)
Oh Happy Day (1969) ( Buddah Records re-issue of previous 1968 LP)
Edwin Hawkins presents The Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir (1983)
Angels Will Be Singing with the Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir (1984)
Have Mercy with the Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir (1985)
Give Us Peace with the Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir (1987)
That Name with the Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir (1988)
18 Great Songs (1989)
Face to Face (1990)
Love Is the Only Way (1998)
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.myspace.com/edwinhawkins Edwin Hawkins at MySpace.com
http://www.gospel.it/edwinhawkins/biography.html Biography at gospel.it
Use dmy dates|date=August 2010 Persondata| NAME =Hawkins, Edwin | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =18 August 1943 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Edwin Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:People from Oakland, California Category:American Pentecostals Category:Members of the Church of God in Christ Category:African American musicians Category:African American songwriters Category:American gospel singers Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:Grammy Award winners
