A driving force in contemporary gospel music, Edwin Hawkins was an American singer and keyboard player who ranked with artists such as Andraé Crouch and James Cleveland in the movement to bring R&B sounds into the world of spiritual music. He founded, performed and recorded with various groups including the Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar Mass Choir whose 'Live in Los Angeles' album in 1992 was named Best Gospel Album By a Choir Or Chorus in the Grammy Awards.

Born in northern California, he sang and played piano with his local church choir from a very young age and performed with his family's gospel act. In 1967, with Betty Watson, he built the Northern California State Youth Choir into a powerhouse with the 1968 album 'Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord'. With a name change to The Edwin Hawkins Singers, the group's single 'Oh Happy Day' peaked at number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs in 1969 and earned him the first of 19 Grammy Award nominations and his first win for Best Soul Gospel Performance. He won again in that category for 'Every Man Wants to Be Free' in 1970 and was nominated in the next three consecutive years. Also in 1970, his group featured on Melanie's pop hit 'Lay Down (Candles in the Rain').

He won again for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Performance for his 1977 album 'Wonderful!'. His most recent nomination was for Best Gospel Album By a Choir Or Chorus in 1996 for 'All Things Are Possible', which went to number nine on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums Chart. His 1975 release 'Have Mercy' peaked at number three on the Gospel Chart followed by 'Live in Los Angeles' which reached number 20 in 1992 and 'Kings & Kingdoms' which got to number ten in 1994. He remained a favourite with critics and audiences on tours around America and in Europe and Japan. He died of pancreatic cancer at his home in California aged 74 in 2018.

Edwin Hawkins

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