George Hawkins, Jr

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Native Californian George Hawkins Jr secured his first real gig in 1976 as a member of the Loggins and Messina band. He recorded his first solo album, an Intercord Record Service release called Every Dog Has Its Day, twenty years later.
During the interim, Hawkins sang and played bass and other instruments for a host of world-class talent, including Don Felder, Firefall, Roger McGuinn, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Reed, Big Mama Thornton, George “Harmonica” Smith, Albert King, Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Burnette, David Sanborn, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Jarreau, Richard Marx, Bill Champlin, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Delbert McClinton, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John Fogerty and dozens more….and recording with scores of artists from Rod Stewart and Bob Seger to The Monkees.(!)
In 1975, Hawkins was living in Ojai, California, Jim Messina (whom Hawkins refers to as one of his biggest influences) bought a ranch just outside of town where his band would rehearse and record. Kenny Loggins and Hawkins struck up a close friendship, and Hawkins played bass and sang for the 1976 L & M “Farewell” tour and 1977 L & M album Finale. Later that year, Loggins parted ways with Messina, and formed his own band, appointing Hawkins band leader.
Over the next four or five years, the Kenny Loggins band toured extensively and recorded some of the decade's biggest albums, including Celebrate Me Home, Nightwatch (featuring the smash hit single "Whenever I Call You Friend," with vocals by Stevie Nicks), Keep the Fire, and the 1980 live album Kenny Loggins Alive. "A fantastic band and one of the happiest periods of my life”.
In 1980, Mick Fleetwood called. He wanted to journey to Africa to record its native drummers. Fleetwood, producer Richard Dashut, guitarist Todd Sharp and Hawkins set off for Ghana, West Africa. Released in 1981, The Visitor was a beautiful collaboration of African drumming and melodies and American rock & roll. Hawkins played bass, guitars, keyboards, and vocals and remained active with Fleetwood's part-time band, The Zoo, for the next few years releasing thier first album, “I’m Not Me” in 1983. Another Fleetwood Mac member, Lindsey Buckingham, while recording his first solo album in 1981, tagged Hawkins and Fleetwood to play bass and drums on the hit single, "Trouble", which made it to the top of the pop charts that summer. In 1984, Hawkins joined Christine McVie on her first solo album, titled simply Christine McVie. The album was a major hit. Later that year, Hawkins was musical director, played bass and sang on one of the most critically acclaimed tours of the year, in support of Rickie Lee Jones' inventive and mysterious The Magazine. Touring with Michael McDonald followed and continued through 1987, and work with Dan Fogelberg culminated in Fogelberg's 1990 album Wild Places.
Hawkins headed to Japan in 1988 with Boz Scaggs. While overseas, two friends from the Doobie Brothers, John McFee and Keith Knudson, hooked Hawkins up with one of the most popular rock stars in Asia, Eikichi Yazawa. Hawkins toured and recorded with Yazawa off and on for a decade. In ‘89 George joined an original band called The Emotional Rex (later re-named “King Of Hearts”) with writer-guitarist Bruce Gaitsch and drummer-vocalist Kelly Keagy of “Night Ranger”. Later that year producer Glyn Johns, recommended Hawkins for a project in England with “Bad Company” singer Paul Rogers and “The Who” drummer Kenney Jones. The result was the album, “The Law”.
In the mid-1990s Hawkins toured and recorded with Richard Marx. "Richard is a sensational singer, writer and performer, and one of the funniest people in the universe," Hawkins said of the popular voc alist. Hawkins recorded his first album, Every Dog Has Its Day, which was released in December 1996, produced by his friend from Emotional Rex, Bruce Gaitsch. After moving to Nashville with his family in 1997, he "totally scored the best gig in town” with the awesome Texas blues and R&B legend Delbert McClinton, with whom he played for 6 years, recording two grammy-winning albums.
The list of Hawkins' musical contributions is as long as it is varied. His bass playing, vocals and guitar playing can be found on Don Felder's Airborne, Firefall's Clouds Across the Sun, Best of Firefall and Greatest Hits, Bruce Gaitsch's Lyre in a Windstorm, Roger McGuinn's Back from Rio, Troy Newman's Gypsy Moon, Juice Newton's Quiet Lies, Sanford and Townsend's Smoke from a Distant Fire, Gary Wright's Right Place, Billy Burnette's new album Are You With Me Baby. Most recently, George was with John Fogerty for 3 years, and now has a band with Rick Vito, Billy Burnette, and Mick Fleetwood called “The Mick Fleetwood Band”.
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