Dale Hawkins

INCLUDES FREE MP3 ALBUM DOWNLOAD + 4 BONUS TRACKS

This quintessential collector’s edition includes Dale Hawkins’ most famous and essential album, Oh! Suzy-Q. Originally issued by the Chess label in 1958, it helped define exactly what was rock & roll. Countless artists spend their lives pursuing one great hit. Hawkins would have done just fine if his only contribution to music were “Susie-Q” (the song by which he is best remembered). However, he would also record such hits as “Tornado,” “See You Soon Baboon,” “Take My Heart,” “Don’t Treat Me This Way” and “Four Letter Word (Rock),” among other jewels included in this LP.The album didn’t sell very well during that era, but it became a favorite of later generations of musicians. In a time when exposure to many kinds of music was the norm, Hawkins absorbed them all like a sponge. But his distinct preference for black music would always exert the greatest influence, giving his work a harder edge than that of most of his contemporaries. In fact, he was the first white rock & roll/rockabilly singer to perform at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City’s Harlem district.In addition to the original masterpiece, this WaxTime release includes 4 bonus tracks, consisting of hard-to-find sides from Hawkins’ earliest stay on Chess Records (and their subsidiary the Checker label). These splendid recordings feature a virtual who’s who of great sidemen including Willie Dixon on bass, a 15-year-old James Burton on guitar (who went on to work with Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley), Roy Buchanan (who taught Robbie Robertson of The Band), and Elvis’ original drummer D.J. Fontana, among others.

PERSONNEL:

DALE HAWKINS, vocals and guitar on all tracks, plus:

A1 & A2: James E. Burton (guitar), James “Sonny” Trammell (bass), Ronnie Lewis (drums),
unidentified backing vocal group. Possibly Gene Scudder and Maylon Humphries clapping and shouting on A1.
Recorded at KWKH studio, Shreveport, Louisiana, February 14, 1957.

A3-A5: Carl Adams, Kenny Paulsen (guitar), Lafayette Leake or Marc Mathis (piano)
Margaret & Rose Lewis (backing vocals on A3), unidentified bass.
Recorded at Sheldon Studios, Chicago, Illinois, December 1957.

A6 / B5 & B6: Joe Osborne (guitar), A.J. Tuminello (drums), George Karsch (“ape-call”),
unidentified bass, piano and saxophone.

Recorded in 1956 at KWKH studio, Shreveport, Louisiana.

A7: Joe Osborne (guitar), Dean Mathis (bass), Al Harris (piano),
D.J. Fontana (drums), Jerry Hawkins (maracas),
Dale Hawkins, Margaret Lewis and Dean Mathis (overdubbed backing vocals).
Recorded at KWKH studio, Shreveport, Louisiana, June 1958.

A8: Kenny Paulsen, Roy Buchanan (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass),
Lafayette Leake or Marc Mathis (piano), Al Duncan (drums).
Recorded at Sheldon Studios, Chicago, Illinois, September 1958.

B1 & B2: Carl Adams, Fred Carter, Jody Willaims (guitar), Lafayette Leake or Leon Post (piano).
Recorded at Sheldon Studios, Chicago, Illinois, August 29, 1957.

B3 & B4: Kenny Paulsen, Roy Buchanan (guitar), Den Mathis (bass),
Marc Mathis (piano), unidentified bass and saxophone on track B3.
Recorded at Sheldon Studios, Chicago, Illinois, late 1958.

B7: Kenny Paulsen, Roy Buchanan (guitar), unidentified rhythm section and producer. Recorded at WCAU, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, late 1959.

B8: Roy Buchanan (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Lafayette Leake (piano),
D.J. Fontana (drums), Chuck Barksdale (bass vocals), unidentified saxophone.
Recorded at Sheldon Studios, Chicago, Illinois, 1959.

SIDE 1

01 SUSIE-Q
02 DON’T TREAT ME THIS WAY
03 JUANITA
04 TORNADO
05 LITTLE PIG06 HEAVEN
07 LA-DO-DADA *
08 MY BABE *

SIDE 2

01 BABY, BABY
02 MRS. MERGUITORY’S DAUGHTER
03 TAKE MY HEART
04 WILD, WILD WORLD
05 SEE YOU SOON BABOON
06 FOUR LETTER WORD (ROCK)
07 EVERY LITTLE GIRL
*08 CLASS CUTTER (YEAH YEAH) *

* BONUS TRACKS