In 1969, Hawkins was responsible for one of rock 'n roll's most unlikely hits. Hawkins' Northern California State Youth Choir of the Gospel of Christ in Berkeley, California would record a gospel album with the intent to sell a few hundred albums to raise money for their church. One of the songs on Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord was "Oh, Happy Day". Somehow radio stations in San Francisco picked up the song and started playing it over the air. Before anyone knew it would become a counterculture sensation and soon a become a hit in both North America and Europe and would earn a Grammy. The following year, they would accompany Melanie Safka on her Woodstock inspired hit "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain"). Hawkins would never reach the charts again, but continued to record gospel albums well into the 1990's. R.I.P.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Edwin Hawkins, R.I.P.
Gospel pianist and arranger Edwin Hawkins has passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74.
In 1969, Hawkins was responsible for one of rock 'n roll's most unlikely hits. Hawkins' Northern California State Youth Choir of the Gospel of Christ in Berkeley, California would record a gospel album with the intent to sell a few hundred albums to raise money for their church. One of the songs on Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord was "Oh, Happy Day". Somehow radio stations in San Francisco picked up the song and started playing it over the air. Before anyone knew it would become a counterculture sensation and soon a become a hit in both North America and Europe and would earn a Grammy. The following year, they would accompany Melanie Safka on her Woodstock inspired hit "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain"). Hawkins would never reach the charts again, but continued to record gospel albums well into the 1990's. R.I.P.
In 1969, Hawkins was responsible for one of rock 'n roll's most unlikely hits. Hawkins' Northern California State Youth Choir of the Gospel of Christ in Berkeley, California would record a gospel album with the intent to sell a few hundred albums to raise money for their church. One of the songs on Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord was "Oh, Happy Day". Somehow radio stations in San Francisco picked up the song and started playing it over the air. Before anyone knew it would become a counterculture sensation and soon a become a hit in both North America and Europe and would earn a Grammy. The following year, they would accompany Melanie Safka on her Woodstock inspired hit "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain"). Hawkins would never reach the charts again, but continued to record gospel albums well into the 1990's. R.I.P.
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