Billy Hawks facts for kids

Billy Hawks (born September 3, 1941) was an American musician who played R&B (Rhythm and Blues) and jazz music. He was especially known for playing the Hammond organ.

Hawks was born in Richmond, Virginia. As he grew up, he loved to sing, play the piano, and listen to the blues. In 1961, he joined a group called Steve Gibson's Red Caps. The next year, he became part of the Modern Flamingos.

Forming His Own Group

With help from his manager, Clifford Doubledee, Billy Hawks started his own group in Philadelphia in 1964. It was called the Billy Hawks Organ Trio. The group included guitarist Maynard Parker and drummer Henry Terrell. His group played many shows along the East Coast, especially in Atlantic City.

Recording Music

Billy Hawks made his first album, The New Genius of the Blues, with Prestige Records in November 1966. For this album, Henry Terrell played drums, and Boogaloo Joe Jones played guitar. Cal Lampley helped produce the album.

The album was released in 1967. After that came Heavy Soul! (sometimes called More Heavy Soul!). On this album, Billy Hawks, Maynard Parker, and Henry Terrell were sometimes joined by tenor saxophone player Buddy Terry. They recorded it in December 1967 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

A song called "O Baby (I Do Believe I'm Losing You)" became popular. It was released as a single in France in 1968. Later, in the 1980s, it became a favorite in the Acid Jazz music scene in the UK.

Later Life

Billy Hawks didn't record any more music after Heavy Soul!. His younger brother, Leroy Hawkes, who is also a musician, has shared that Billy Hawks has passed away.

In 1998, his two albums, The New Genius Of The Blues and Heavy Soul!, were put together on one CD. Also, the song "O Baby (I Do Believe I'm Losing You)" was used by the group Us3 in their 2002 song "Get Out." This is called sampling.