TED HAWKINS
The Kershaw Sessions (Fuel 2000)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes

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Hobo, convict, drifter and busker, Ted Hawkins might have been the best soul/blues singer since Sam Cooke. And in the naked beauty of the recordings on The Kershaw Sessions, you probably have the best recorded legacy of his work. Hawkins did not find success until late in life, and then tragically died five years ago, just as his star was about to shine most brightly. But the affect his music had upon anyone who heard it is just as spellbinding today. I can vouch for that myself; I first heard Ted singing on a bad copy of what was eventually released as The Venice Beach Tapes, and I was spellbound and haunted by his voice. I was astounded that this man was an obscurity and not a household word.

His style defied categorization; blues, country and soul melted into one in his hands. He interpreted works of others like they were his own, and then wrote a few songs to match. These tracks, culled by radio DJ Andy Kershaw (hence the record's title) contain brilliant performances, recorded in Ted's house, hotel rooms and other intimate settings over the years. "Cold And Bitter Tears", "All I Have To Offer You Is Me" and the uptempo (for Ted) "Watch Your Step" are riveting, as is the cover of Merle Haggard's "I Started Loving You Again". Even a chord misstep in "Just One Look" is rectified by his smoothed sandpaper tones. Someone should send this record to Rod Stewart to remind him what he threw away all those years ago.

Unlike Michael Jackson, Ted wore one glove for good reason (he played hard), and he needed no more than his guitar, a milk crate for a stool and an audience to sing to. When he chose titles for his original material, "Nowhere To Run" and "Who Do You Love" weren't exactly unique. But everything else about Ted Hawkins was.

© 2000 - Bill Holmes