The Blog of Less Renown, celebrating under-appreciated unusual, unique, sick or strange Singers, Songwriters and Songs
Friday, February 19, 2010
DALE HAWKINS - Rockabilly author of "Susie Q"
Most everyone knows "Susie Q," but chances are, they know it from Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 version, and figure John Fogerty wrote it. Originally titled "Oh Suzy Q," it appeared on the 1958 album from its author, Dale Hawkins. Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins died on February 13, 2010.
Only two days earlier, Dale's website alerted fans to send him e-mails of support:
"As most of you know, Dale has been valiantly fighting colon cancer for more than four years. In this time, he has continued to travel the world and make new friends, and record exciting new music as well. His doctors at the VA in LR have done a wonderful job for him. However, since the first of the year, his condition has really deteriorated and he is now very ill. We took him to the Hospice Center at St. Vincent's Doctors Hospital in LR Tuesday. He is doing the best possible under the circumstances. Prayers from his friends would really be welcomed. Thank you! You can send him good wishes at his email: zinger99@comcast.net, or at his MySpace page - myspace.dalehawkinsoficial."
Hawkins evolved his "swamp rock" out of Shreveport, Louisiana, creating a mix of blues and rockabilly. He issued an album's worth of hot titles (some of them in the download below) before moving on to become a record producer, working with The Uniques, The Five Americans and Jon & Robin. He was an exec with Bell Records and later an A&R man for RCA. Considered a legend for those early solo sides he recorded, he found his way back into the recording studio for "Wildcat Tamer," released in 1999. In 2006 he began chemotherapy for colon cancer, and the following year, he released "Back Down to Louisiana." For so many musicians, music is their life, and when life becomes precious, they only devote even more time to it.
12 BY DALE HAWKINS
Update November 2011: Rapidshare deletes files if they aren't uploaded often enough to suit them. "Susie Q" has been re-upped individually via a better service:
SUSIE Q DALE HAWKINS version
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