Namesakes #155: The Hawks

In case you're wondering if this feature is ever at risk of running dry... I currently have a list of Namesakes that will easily take me up to Christmas 2026. This week though, I went right to the bottom of that list and chose a name that's been in draft form since 2023... 

What took me so long?

THE HAWKS #1

We start with an early 50s super-group from New Orleans combining the talents of Allen "Fats" Matthews with The Humming Four (aka the New Orleans Harmonizing Four). 

The Hawks - Good News

THE HAWKS #2

Next, a nice twangy instrumental from Arizona in 1958, featuring Don Cole on lead guitar...

The Hawks - A Little More Wine, My Dear?

THE HAWKS #3

Some fun doo wop from New York in 1959. My money's on this one being George's favourite... but I've been wrong before.

The Hawks - Lupp!

THE HAWKS #4

Billed originally as Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks when they started out in the late 50s, this band had a bit of a revolving door policy when it came to membership.  Originally from Arkansas, Hawkins would find more fame after a move to Canada in the late 50s. 

Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks - Need Your Lovin'

To be continued...

THE HAWKS #5

Eventually, a bunch of Ronnie's backing group (including Rik Danko, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm) went off on their own as Levon & The Hawks. They were then briefly known as Bob Dylan & The Hawks, before changing their name entirely to... The Band.  

Levon & The Hawks - Honky Tonk

THE HAWKS #6

From Malaysia in 1967, supporting lead singer Bakar Hamid... who looks about 12 on the record sleeve. Policemen are getting younger too.

Bakar Hamid & The Hawks - Di-Kau Tetap Ku Kenang

THE HAWKS #7

Obscure roots reggae track from 1975... although Ernie might tell me otherwise.

The Hawks - Nowhere To Hide

THE HAWKS #8

Iowa band whose name was an acronym of its members' surnames: Hearn, Adams, Wiewel, Kaufman, Steen. Rejected by many record companies in the late 70s for being "too ahead of their time", finally given a contract by CBS in '81, but their biggest reached #63 on the Billboard chart. Can't say this sounds particularly ahead of its time for 1981, but... well, it's all right. It's OK. 

To their credit, these guys were the top result for "Hawks" on discogs.

Hawks - It's All Right, It's OK

THE HAWKS #9

From 1981, some British post-punk Hawks who sound like the band were recording in one room and the singer was down the hall in the loo... or maybe they'd made him go outside to play in the rain?

The Hawks - Don't Want To Play In The Rain

THE HAWKS #10

Stephen Duffy has had a pretty interesting career, walking away from Duran Duran before they shot to fame to enjoy solo success as Stephen Tin Tin Duffy in the mid-80s, then going on to form the excellent Lilac Time. In between all that, he also found time to sing lead vocals for Obviously Five Believers, aka The Subterranean Hawks, aka The Hawks. Here's their sole single from 1980. It's only 4 minutes long, but whoever put the track on youtube just left the tape running...

The Hawks - Words Of Hope 

THE HAWKS #11

I never cease to amazed by how many Oi! bands there are in Japan. These Hawks were going Oi! in the mid 90s.

The Hawks - Runaway

HAWKS #12

Noisy punks from Atlanta, Georgia from a decade+ ago. The lead singer clearly needs to suck on a Fisherman's Friend.

Hawks - Snag

HAWKS #13

It's only 24 hours to Tulsa, where you can find this guy, Cody Carson, and he is... 

Hawks - Infinite

THE HAWKS #14

From Montréal and Québec in 2021, some Hawks who own a lot of records from the 80s...

The Hawks - First Thing (That Comes To Mind)

THE HAWKS #15

And finally, a blast of Petty-esque rock from Kentucky, just a few years ago...

The Hawks - Truth Will Out

Which Hawks catch your eye... and which would you rather take a walk?