Alan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw KPM | |
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Formerly of | The Shadows |
William Alan Hawkshaw
He was the composer of a number of theme tunes including
He was the father of singer-songwriter Kirsty Hawkshaw (a member of the dance music group Opus III from 1991 to 1995) and also worked with artists such as Tiësto, Delerium, BT, Seba and Paradox.[citation needed]
Career
Born in
Hawkshaw was also featured playing with David Bowie on the Bowie at the Beeb album, in a performance recorded for the "John Peel in Top Gear" show on 13 May 1968, in which he played a longer than expected solo on "In The Heat of the Morning".[5]
In 1969, Hank Marvin recruited Hawkshaw into The Shadows to tour Japan in which one concert was recorded and subsequently released in Japan, The Shadows Live in Japan (1969), taking a featured lead on piano on "Theme from Exodus".[citation needed] In 1970, Hawkshaw recorded one more studio album with The Shadows, Shades of Rock before leaving this band.[citation needed] He also did appear as keyboardist on The Shadows' spin-off vocal group Marvin, Welch, & Farrar's self-titled debut and follow-up Second Opinion albums both released on EMI's reactivated Regal Zonophone label in 1971.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, he played in
Hawkshaw performed the music The Night Rider (the theme for
In the United States, he also scored a number 1 single on the
Also in 1979, he released a disco album under the performing name "Bizarre" which was essentially a solo project with the help of executive producer Barry Mason. It was released in the UK on Polydor Records (cat. no. 2383 553) in 1979. He also once more appeared with The Shadows, guesting on their 1979 UK chart-topping album String of Hits playing piano on a cover of Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water".[citation needed]
In 2018 a new CD - Full Circle, credited to Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett, was released on the KPM library music label, recreating the jazz funk style with Hammond organ that they established in the 1970s.[10]
The Alan Hawkshaw Foundation, in conjunction with the Performing Rights Society, has provided scholarships to underprivileged music students and media composers at both the
Personal life
After a brief early marriage, Hawkshaw married German-born Christiane Bieberbach in 1968; they had two children; singer, composer and musician Kirsty (b. 1969), and Sheldon (b. 1971).[12]
He suffered his fourth stroke in July 2021, and died from pneumonia on 16 October, at the age of 84.[13][14]
Honours and awards
- Fellow of the Leeds College of Music[citation needed]
- Best Arrangement 1973 "I Honestly Love You" for Olivia Newton-John[citation needed]
- Ivor Novello Award best film score The Silent Witness 1979 [citation needed]
- BASCA Nomination Best Television Score for Love Hurts 1991 [citation needed]
- Gold Badge Award 2008 for services to the industry[citation needed]
- Doctorate for services to the music industry by Hull University and Leeds College of Music[citation needed]
Hawkshaw was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to music and composing.[15]
Selected discography
Emile Ford and The Checkmates
- 1961: New Tracks With Emile
- 1962: Emile[16]
The Shadows
- 1969: Live in Japan
- 1970: Shades of Rock
The Mohawks
The Mohawks were a band formed from session musicians.
- The Champ (1968)
- Mo'Hawk - The Essential Vibes & Grooves 1967-1975, RPM Records (2003)
With Brian Bennett
- A Change of Direction (1967)
- The Illustrated London Noise (1969)
- Misty (Brian Bennett's Collage, 1973)
- Full Circle (Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett, KPM 2084, 2018)
Library Music
- Speed and Excitement (KPM 1076, 1970)
- Music for a Young Generation (KPM 1086, 1971)
- Move with the Times (KPM 1123, 1973)
- Sounds of the Times (KPM 1170, 1975)
- The Road Forward (KPM 1192, 1977)
- Frontiers of Science, Bruton BRI 6, 1979)
References
- ^ "Works written by: Hawkshaw William Alan". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 15 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Pemberton, Daniel (15 June 2007). "There's a certain knack to penning a great television theme". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (17 October 2021). "Alan Hawkshaw, Countdown and Grange Hill composer, dies aged 84". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical", Corona Records 1969 EROS 8116
- ^ Leigh, Spencer (25 October 2021). "Alan Hawkshaw obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Off The Telly". Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Thank you for the Channel 4 News music". Channel 4. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ Jonze, Tim (23 August 2016). "Grandstand, Countdown, Ski Sunday: the unsung heroes behind TV's greatest tunes". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "RPM Top 30 Disco Playlist - October 27, 1979" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
- ^ "Be With Records • Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett Full Circle LP". Bewithrecords.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Alan Hawkshaw obituary". The Guardian. 25 October 2021.
- ^ The Champ (The Hawk Talks), Alan Hawkshaw autobiography, published 2011.
- ^ Meierhans, Jen (16 October 2021). "Alan Hawkshaw: Grange Hill and Countdown composer dies aged 84". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "We are devastated to share this news". Twitter. DNA Music Limited. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B30.
- ^ "Emile Ford & The Checkmates". Discogs. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Alan Hawkshaw discography at Discogs
- Alan Hawkshaw at IMDb