Dale Hawkins, best known for his 1957 hit "Suzie Q" (also known as "Suzy-Q"), has died in Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 73, of complications from colon cancer.
He had been undergoing treatment at the Arkansas Hospice Center at St. Vincent's Doctors Hospital in Little Rock.
Born
Delmar Allen Hawkins on August 23, 1936 in Goldmine, Louisiana, Hawkins was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter called "the archictect of 'Swamp Rock Boogie.'"
From his website: ""His swamp rock classic, 'Susie Q,' crackles with the manic energy of that restless time, and conjures instant images of steamy Southern nights. It features a 15-year-old James Burton on guitar, the first of many guitar wizards Dale would discover and nurture. Others included Scotty Moore, Joe Osborn, Roy Buchanan, Fred Carter, Jr., and Kenny Paulsen.
"Dale's early experiments in production in the studios of Shreveport's KWKH with Merle Kilgore and Johnny Horton developed the skills that would later produce hits for the Uniques, Five Americans, Jon & Robin & the In Crowd, Michael Nesmith, Harry Nilsson, and others. Along the way, he even found time to host "The Big Big Beat" aka "The Dale Hawkins Show" on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia."
"Suzie Q" was covered by among others, the Rolling Stones in 1964, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, who recorded an 11-minute quasi-psychedelic version on their first LP in 1968.
Among Hawkins' other hits were "La Do Da Da," later recorded by the Blue Things. He has been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and The Lousiana Music Hall of Fame.
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