Roger Hawkins is an American drummer known for playing in the hit making machine The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section of Alabama. A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America.
Hawkins has kept time for some of the biggest names in music, including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, The Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor, Duane Allman, Willy DeVille, Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Traffic and Willie Nelson. Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the Wilson Pickett ( March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B / Rock and Roll and soul The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group Johnnie Harrison Taylor ( May 5 1937 &ndash May 31 2000) was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres from Howard Duane Allman (November 20 1946 – October 29 1971 was an American, Lead guitarist of the Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band Willy DeVille (b August 25 1950 is an American Singer and Songwriter. Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and Actor of Romanian Jewish ancestry Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Robert Clark "Bob" Seger (born May 6, 1945) is an American Rock and roll Singer-songwriter and Musician. Roderick "Rod" David Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945 is a Singer and Songwriter born and raised in London England and currently Robert Calvin Bland (born January 27, 1930) better known as Bobby “Blue” Bland, is an American singer of Blues and soul Traffic were an English rock band formed in 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. Willie Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Actor.
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((Eddie Rabbitt))
Without a doubt, 1969 is the most important year in the career of drummer, producer, and songwriter Roger Hawkins, without whom the pop music of the '70s would have sounded quite different. But that date has yet to be as firmly established as the official founding of the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, an enterprise also involving splendid rhythm guitarist Jimmy Johnson, spunky bassist David Hood, and special keyboardist Barry Beckett. For much of the following decade this became the "in" rhythm section for a variety of artists whose main concern was either chart success or the desire to achieve it.
For the most part, Hawkins has a superb reputation; he is clearly on the short list of great American studio drummers. Nonetheless, not every decision involving the utilization of the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section is considered brilliant in retrospect. In particular, fans of the free-flowing jazz-rock of the British band Traffic point out that leader Steve Winwood's decision to literally ditch his loyal players, such as Jim Capaldi and Rick Grech, in favor of the Muscle Shoals' mob was the beginning of the end, obscuring the group's happy creativity in a fog of timid funk. Nonetheless, the way many famous artists considered their options during this period was pretty simple: get the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section for that next record, or die. Hawkins' drumming is featured on projects by Paul Simon, the Staple Singers, Leon Russell, Sam & Dave, Cher, Bob Seger, Eddie Rabbitt, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, and Percy Sledge. That, of course, is just a short list.
The drummer started out gigging at dances and clubs in Alabama and Tennessee, eventually leading to a house band gig at an Alabama studio optimistically called FAME. In this capacity, he backed up some of the finer recordings of soul giants such as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, establishing a snare drum snap so dynamic that at times it seemed as if the stick had been fired from a tightly-wound crossbow. The aforementioned guitarist Johnson was one of his associates from this studio, and by the end of the '60s they had stepped out to start their own Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. The rock giants were soon flocking, with some, such as Winwood and later, Eric Clapton, also nabbing Hawkins for touring assignments.
Often in partnership with Beckett, Hawkins has also branched into songwriting and production. The duo were responsible for the hit entitled "Starting All Over Again" by Mel & Tim, and have also produced tracks for Paul Simon, Bob Seger, and Canned Heat, among others. After selling their original studio early in the '90s, Hawkins opted to continue managing the facility under the new owners. His expertise both as a player and philosophical overlord has continued to be in demand throughout the overlapping styles of rock, rhythm and blues, gospel, and country. Traffic fans just cross their fingers that he won't be the drummer who gets the call if there is ever a reunion of this group.
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