Taylor Hawkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taylor Hawkins
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Hawkins performing with Foo Fighters in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Oliver Taylor Hawkins |
| Born | February 17, 1972 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Laguna Beach, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 2022 (aged 50) Bogotá, Colombia |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 1990–2022 |
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Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he was a touring drummer for Sass Jordan and for Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer of the progressive experimental band Sylvia.
In 2004, Hawkins formed his own side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, in which he played drums and sang, releasing three studio albums between 2006 and 2019. He formed the supergroup NHC with Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney in 2020, where he also took on lead vocal and drumming duties.
Hawkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of Foo Fighters. He was voted "Best Rock Drummer" in 2005 by the British drumming magazine Rhythm. He died at the age of 50 on March 25, 2022, in Bogotá, Colombia.
Early life
Oliver Taylor Hawkins was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 17, 1972. His family moved to Laguna Beach, California, in 1976, where Hawkins grew up. Hawkins was the youngest of three, with an older brother and sister, Jason and Heather. He graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1990, where he had been friends with current Yes lead vocalist Jon Davison.
Career
Early career
Hawkins played in the Orange County-based band Sylvia before he became the drummer for Sass Jordan.
From June 1995 until March 1997, Hawkins was Alanis Morissette's drummer on the tour supporting Jagged Little Pill and her Can't Not tour. He appeared in the videos for "You Oughta Know", "All I Really Want", and "You Learn". He also appeared on Morissette's VHS/DVD Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997).
Foo Fighters
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After touring through the spring of 1996, Foo Fighters entered a Seattle studio with producer Gil Norton to record their second album. Conflict during recording reportedly erupted between Dave Grohl and drummer William Goldsmith, eventually causing Goldsmith to leave the band. The band regrouped in Los Angeles and almost completely re-recorded the album with Grohl on drums. The album, The Colour and the Shape, was released on May 20, 1997. Grohl called Hawkins, an acquaintance at the time, seeking his recommendations for a new drummer to join the band. Grohl was under the impression that Hawkins would not leave Morissette's touring band, given she was a bigger act than Foo Fighters at the time. To Grohl's surprise, however, Hawkins volunteered to join the band himself, explaining that he wanted to be a drummer in a rock band rather than for a solo act. The band announced Hawkins would be its new drummer on March 18, 1997. Hawkins first appeared with the Foo Fighters in the music video for the 1997 single "Monkey Wrench", although the song was recorded before he joined the band.
In addition to his drumming with the Foo Fighters, Hawkins also provided vocals, guitar, and piano to various recordings. He performed the lead vocal on a cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar". Two versions of the song were released, one as the B-side to "Learn to Fly" and another on the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack album. He later sang lead vocals on "Cold Day in the Sun" from In Your Honor, which was later released as a single, as well as a cover of Cream's "I Feel Free", which appeared as the B-side of "DOA" and on the EP Five Songs and a Cover. Hawkins also sang lead vocals for the band's cover of Joe Walsh's "Life of Illusion". Later, he sang lead vocals for "Sunday Rain", a track on the Foo Fighters' 2017 album Concrete and Gold. He sang lead vocals on some songs during Foo Fighters live shows, such as a cover of Queen's "Somebody To Love" on his last concert with the band. He also contributed to the band's songwriting, and was listed as a co-writer on every album since There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
Hawkins' final performance with the Foo Fighters before his death was at the Lollapalooza Argentina festival on March 20, 2022. Hawkins posthumously won three Grammys with the Foo Fighters on April 3, 2022.
Other projects
In 2006, Hawkins released a self-titled LP with his side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders subsequently released two more studio albums: Red Light Fever in 2010, and Get the Money in 2019. He occasionally played with a Police cover band alternately called "The Cops" and "Fallout". At Live Earth in 2007, Hawkins was part of SOS Allstars with Roger Taylor of Queen and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Hawkins recorded the drum tracks for the Coheed and Cambria album Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow as the band's regular drummer, Chris Pennie, could not record because of contractual reasons. Hawkins also toured with Coheed and Cambria shortly during the months of the album. Hawkins can also be heard drumming on Eric Avery's first solo effort, Help Wanted and on Kerry Ellis's album, Wicked in Rock. Hawkins and Grohl split drumming duties on Harmony & Dissidence, the third album by Foo Fighters bandmate Chris Shiflett's own side project, Jackson United.
Hawkins played on the track "Cyborg", from Queen guitarist Brian May's 1998 solo album, Another World; he also played drums at VH1's Rock Honors 2006 while Queen performed "We Will Rock You". He sang backing vocals on the Queen + Paul Rodgers single, "C-lebrity".
Hawkins was commissioned to complete an unfinished recording of a song by Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson titled "Holy Man" by writing and singing new lyrics. The recording, which also featured contributions from Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, was issued as a single for Record Store Day in 2019.
While the Foo Fighters were on break in 2013, Hawkins formed a rock cover band called Chevy Metal.
Hawkins appeared on Slash's solo album Slash, released in 2010, providing backing vocals on the track "Crucify the Dead", featuring Ozzy Osbourne.
In 2013, he made his acting debut in the role of Iggy Pop in the rock film CBGB. Hawkins recorded the drums on Vasco Rossi's last song, "L'uomo più semplice". This song was released on January 21, 2013, in Italy.
In March 2014, Hawkins announced his new side project called The Birds of Satan. It features Hawkins's drum technician and bandmate from Chevy Metal, Wiley Hodgden on bass guitar and vocals as well as guitarist Mick Murphy also of Chevy Metal. The band's self-titled debut album was released in April 2014, with a release party at 'Rock n Roll Pizza' featuring the Foo Fighters guesting on some of the cover tracks.
In an interview with Radio X, Hawkins revealed that his initial idea with his solo projects was to duet with female singers.
Hawkins invited other stars to sing in the Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders album Get the Money, such as LeAnn Rimes, who sang on one of his songs titled "C U In Hell". Loudwire named the album one of the 50 best rock efforts of 2019. Other musicians who appeared on his projects included Roger Taylor, Brian May, Dave Grohl, Nancy Wilson, Joe Walsh, Chrissie Hynde, and many more.
In October 2021 Elton John released The Lockdown Sessions, which featured Hawkins playing drums on the song "E-Ticket".
In 2021, Hawkins, Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney formed a supergroup called NHC. Described by Hawkins as being "somewhere between Rush and the Faces", the band made its live debut in September 2021 at Eddie Vedder's Ohana festival, with Taylor's Foo Fighters bandmate Pat Smear on additional guitar. The band recorded an album in 2021, which is due for release in 2022.
Along with the other members of Foo Fighters, Hawkins starred as himself in the comedy horror film Studio 666, released on February 25, 2022. He posthumously appears on select tracks on Ozzy Osbourne's 2022 album Patient Number 9.
Influences
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Hawkins said that his drumming was chiefly influenced by classic rock drummers, including Phil Collins of Genesis, Stewart Copeland of The Police whom he idolized and eventually befriended, Budgie of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Roger Taylor of Queen, Stephen Perkins, Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos, Neil Peart of Rush, and Alex Van Halen of Van Halen.
Hawkins was once guest editor of Rhythm and interviewed Collins, Copeland, Taylor, and Perkins for the issue.
Hawkins's first two major inspirations were Roger Taylor and Stewart Copeland. He reported that listening to these two drummers' different styles showed him a wide spectrum of drumming style. He also mentioned that he would play along with songs on the radio or records, like Queen's News of the World, to enhance his skills when he was young.
Equipment
During his career, Hawkins used a variety of different brands including Ludwig Drums, Tama Drums, and most notably, Gretsch Drums which he endorsed and played from 2005 until his death. He was also known to use Zildjian Cymbals.
Personal life
Hawkins and his wife, Alison, married in 2005. Together they had three children. They lived in Hidden Hills, California, after moving from Topanga Canyon in 2012.
Death
On March 25, 2022, Hawkins was in Bogotá, Colombia, where he was scheduled to perform with the Foo Fighters later that evening. After Hawkins complained of chest pains, emergency services were called up to his room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina hotel. Health personnel arrived and found Hawkins unresponsive; they performed CPR, but he was declared dead at the scene, at the age of 50.
Tribute concerts
The Foo Fighters announced the death of Hawkins in a Twitter statement on March 25, writing that "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever." On March 29, the band cancelled all their upcoming shows. On the night of his death, Hawkins was scheduled to perform with the Foo Fighters at the Estéreo Picnic Festival in Bogotá as part of their ongoing South American tour. The festival stage was turned into a candlelight vigil for Hawkins.
On June 8, 2022, the Foo Fighters and the family of Hawkins announced two shows in tribute to Hawkins. The first show, played at Wembley Stadium in London, took place on September 3, 2022. The Foo Fighters were joined by Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell, Martin Chambers, Chris Chaney, Dave Chappelle, Stewart Copeland, Josh Freese, Liam Gallagher, Omar Hakim, Justin Hawkins, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, The James Gang, Alain Johannes, Brian Johnson, John Paul Jones, Greg Kurstin, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Paul McCartney, Chris Rock, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Sam Ryder, Luke Spiller, Supergrass, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Lars Ulrich, and Wolfgang Van Halen, plus members of Hawkins's cover band, Chevy Metal. His son Oliver Shane Hawkins paid tribute to his father with the band during a performance of "My Hero" by taking on his father's role as drummer. The concert at Wembley Stadium was streamed live on YouTube and Paramount+, with a rerun being broadcast on CBS. Shane Hawkins was awarded the 'Drum Performance of the Year' at the Drumeo Awards for this performance.
The guest list reunited, in whole or in part, several of Hawkins' favorite bands including Queen and Rush. Some had not played together for a long time, including Dave Grohl's supergroup Them Crooked Vultures (12 years) and the James Gang (16 years).
The second tribute concert, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, took place on September 27, 2022, and featured Hawkins' bandmates as well as numerous guest artists. Returning from the London show were Barker, Copeland, Hakim, Homme, Johannes, Jones, Kurstin, Lee, Lifeson, May, Novoselic, Ronson, Smith, Spiller, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Ulrich, Van Halen, the James Gang, and Chevy Metal. Also appearing were Jack Black, Geezer Butler, Danny Carey, Phil Collen, Miley Cyrus, Joe Elliott, Joan Jett, Mark King, Tommy Lee, Alanis Morissette, Pink, Nikki Sixx, Chad Smith, Jon Theodore, Brad Wilk, Nancy Wilson, and Patrick Wilson.
Discography
- Source
Alanis Morissette
- Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997)
Foo Fighters
- There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)
- One by One (2002)
- In Your Honor (2005)
- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)
- Wasting Light (2011)
- Sonic Highways (2014)
- Saint Cecilia (2015)
- Concrete and Gold (2017)
- Medicine at Midnight (2021)
Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders
- Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders (2006)
- Red Light Fever (2010)
- Get the Money (2019)
Nighttime Boogie Association
- Long In The Tooth/The Path We’re On (Single) (2020)
NHC
- Feed The Cruel/Better Move On (Single) (2021)
- Devil That You Know/Lazy Eyes (Single) (2021)
- Intakes & Outtakes (EP) (2022)
The Birds of Satan
- The Birds of Satan (2014)
Coheed and Cambria
- Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow (2007)
Solo
- Taylor Hawkins (EP) (Recorded 1996; unreleased)
- Kota (EP) (2016)
Session appearances
- Help Wanted (2008) – Eric Avery
- Sound City: Real to Reel (2013) – with Dave Grohl
- Rush 2112: 40th Anniversary (2016) – cover of composition "Overture" (part of 2112), with Dave Grohl and Nick Raskulinecz
- Kind Heaven (2019) – Perry Farrell
- Plastic Hearts (2020) – Miley Cyrus
- The Lockdown Sessions (2021) – Elton John
- Patient Number 9 (2022) – Ozzy Osbourne
- Every Loser (2023) – Iggy Pop w/ Eric Avery & NHC
See also
In Spanish: Taylor Hawkins para niños
