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Ted Hawkins
Or the tale of how I was touched by That Voice
Most Ted Hawkins fans can tell exactly where they were and what they were were doing when they first heard that voice. This is my story.....
It was 1995. Andy Kershaw's BBC radio show had been banished to late Saturday night and I got into a routine of setting my tape player to record the show so that I could listen to it while I made the Sunday lunch. One day in January I heard Andy saying ".....in case you weren't listening at the start of the programme I was explaining that Ted Hawkins died on New Year's Day after suffering a stroke in Los Angeles on December 29th." Andy went on to play a studio recording of Ted performing Watch Your Step, Daytime Friends, I Got What I Wanted, and All I Have To Offer You Is Me. It was the first time that I had ever heard Ted Hawkins sing and I've been a fan from that moment on
Ted spent long, long years as a busker, success came late in life. Why, when he clearly made such an instant impact on people, isn't he better known? Well, he wasn't the sort of person that a record company could mould to its corporate image. He transcended musical boundaries and didn't fit into any conventional musical stereotype. Kershaw's summed him up like this, "What was extraordinary about the guy was the way, as a hobo and a convict in the southern states for years and years, he'd absorbed all kinds of music without making any distinction between the styles. People called him a blues singer but he embodied equal amounts of soul music, country, pop and gospel." He was not a traditional bluesman and, although he wrote some of his own material, I've never heard anybody call him a "singer/songwriter." Faced with a fundamental misunderstanding of his talents Ted had to find, and lose, success abroad before he finally found it in America.
The "warts and all" story of Ted's life has never been published. His life was marked by brushes with the law, he spent a considerable time in 'correctional institutions' and he was virtually deported from Britain. Yet he had sincere religious beliefs and those who met him tell me of a gentle giant of a man and consider themselves fortunate that their paths crossed. I envy them. For the rest of us there are the recordings. The purpose of thes pages is to help people, whether they're fans or whether they've just heard that voice for the first time, to track down those recordings.
On Line Music Stores
If your local record store doesn't stock, or has difficulty getting, Ted Hawkins CDs then you can buy them on-line if you have a credit card. CD Universe seems to carry most Ted Hawkins CDs. Although it's based in America delivery times to the UK are very quick. These days Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk seem to have a good stock as well.
This page has no connection with the Estate of the late Ted Hawkins, the copyright for music, cover art, sleeve notes etc. is held by record & publishing companies and we know how touchy they get. For Official Information about the music of Ted Hawkins contact The Cameron Organisation Inc. 2001 West Magnolia Boulevard (Suite E), Burbank, California 91506 USA.
In creating this page I've had help and encouragement from Ted Hawkins fans from all over the world. In particular I'd like to thank Andrew Wheeler, Richard Towle, Pier de Groot and Michael Messer. My name is Allan Wellings, if you'd like to get in touch with me you can email me at al@thebunker.eclipse.co.uk