Five Old School Black Gospel Songs By The Hawkins Family

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases five YouTube examples of old school Gospel by my favorite family of Gospel singers - the Hawkins.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Hawkins family and their choirs for their Gospel music legacy. Thanks to all those who published these examples on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
These sound files and videos are posted in particular no ranking order.

Example #1: Goin' Up Yonder" Walter Hawkins & The Love Center Choir



Old School Gospel Channel, Published on Jun 24, 2008

"Love Alive" Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir "Goin' Up Yonder" soloist:Tramaine Hawkins "1975"

****
Example #2: "Oh Happy Day" (Original)(1968) Edwin Hawkins & Northern California State Youth Choir



Gospel Nostalgia, Published on Jun 6, 2015

This track 5 from the 1968 album "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord".
Lead by Dorothy Morrison-Combs

Written by Philip Doddridge

Arranged by Edwin Hawkins

Edwin Hawkins was a pianist at Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California when he came up with the popular Latin/Soul version of the song “Oh Happy Day” in 1968. In an October 23, 2009 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he explained that "Oh Happy Day" was one of eight arrangements he put together for the Northern California State Youth Choir, which was made up of 46 singers ages 17 to 25, and the plan was to sell an album of the songs to finance a trip to a church youth conference in Washington, D.C. The tracks were quickly recorded live in church on a two-track tape machine (industry standard at the time was eight-track), but the records weren't pressed in time for the trip. They did attend the conference, and the choir placed second in a singing competition, where they performed 2 of Hawkins' arrangements, but not "Oh Happy Day," which Hawkins said was "Not our favorite song."

500 copies of the album were made, and one of them found its way to the popular DJ Abe "Voco" Kesh at KSAN-FM in San Francisco. Other stations followed, and Buddah Records signed Hawkins to a record deal, rechristening the Northern California State Youth Choir "The Edwin Hawkins Singers" for their reissue of the album, which became a huge hit.

This song was recorded for the Gospel market, and its secular success didn't go over well with everyone at the church: local officials of the denomination circulated a petition asking secular radio stations to stop airing the song. Hawkins had a different take. He told The Chronicle: "I think they thought they were doing the right thing. What confused me about it was they were teaching us all our lives that we were to take the message everywhere."

Dan Sorkin, who was a famous DJ on radio station KSFO in San Francisco, was a big supporter of this song and gave it a huge push on his morning show. He even interviewed Dorothy Morrison and Edwin Hawkins.

This won a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance.

****
Example #3: Joy, Joy (Remastered: 2001)



Edwin Hawkins - Topic, Published on Sep 25, 2014

Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment

Joy, Joy (Remastered: 2001) · The Edwin Hawkins Singers

Oh Happy Day: The Best of the Edwin Hawkins Singers

℗ Originally recorded prior to 1972. All rights reserved by BMG Music Special Products

Adapter, Arranger, Director: Edwin Hawkins

****
Example #4: Walter Hawkins - Going Away



vegasvalleymary3, Published on Sep 19, 2010

****
Example #5: "Never Alone" (1978) Walter Hawkins



Gospel Nostalgia, Published on Jun 18, 2015

This is track 3 from the 1978 album "Love Alive II".
Lead by Frances Pye

Written by Walter Hawkins

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.