Latest Drum News
The drumming icon Roger Hawkins has passed away (October 16, 1945 – May 20, 2021). If you are not familiar with his name you will be with his work as Hawkins’s drumming can be heard on dozens of hit singles, including: Percy Sledge (“When a Man Loves a Woman”), Aretha Franklin (“Respect”, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” etc.), Wilson Pickett (“Mustang Sally”, “Land of 1000 Dances”), The Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor, Cat Stevens, Duane Allman, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Boz Scaggs, Albert King, Traffic, and Willie Nelson. He also recorded with Eric Clapton in the early 80’s.
Roger was an architect of what became known as the. Muscle Shoals sound. The Muscle Shoals Music Foundation along with his friend and frequent musical collaborator David Hood (Mr. Hood is the last surviving member of that rhythm section.) confirmed his death on May 20th, David added “Mr. Hawkins had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other conditions”. Roger suffered from numerous illnesses later in life.
In the mid-’60s his less-is-more approach to drumming helped to anchor him as a member of the house band at the producer Rick Hall’s FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals (The initials stand for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises.) His colleagues were the keyboardist Barry Beckett, the guitarist Jimmy Johnson, and Mr. Hood, who played bass. Remarkably, none of the four members of the FAME rhythm section could read music. They extemporized their parts in response to what was happening in the studio.
An example of Rogers less-is-more approach can be heard on Percy Sledge’s gospel-steeped “When a Man Loves a Woman,” a No. 1 pop single in 1966 where he used no more than a cymbal and a snare. He was also a driving force behind Aretha Franklin’s imperious “Respect,” a No. 1 pop hit the next year, as well as her Top 10 singles “Chain of Fools” (1967) and “Think” (1968).
Rogers Top 40 US Hits
| Artist | Song title | US charts | highest charting date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percy Sledge | When a Man Loves a Woman | #1 | April 30, 1966 | |
| Wilson Pickett | Land of a 1000 Dances | #6 | August 13, 1966 | |
| James & Bobby Purify | I’m Your Puppet | #6 | October 22, 1966 | |
| Wilson Pickett | Mustang Sally | #22 | December 10, 1966 | |
| Etta James | Tell Mama | #23 | December 30, 1967 | |
| Aretha Franklin | I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) | #9 | March 18, 1967 | |
| Aretha Franklin | Respect | #1 | May 6, 1967 | |
| Aretha Franklin | Chain of Fools | #2 | December 16, 1967 | |
| Aretha Franklin | Since You’ve Been Gone | #5 | March 2, 1968 | |
| Percy Sledge | Take Time to Know Her | #11 | April 6, 1968 | |
| Aretha Franklin | Think | #7 | May 25, 1968 | |
| Clarence Carter | Slip Away | #6 | August 17, 1968 | |
| Wilson Pickett | Hey Jude | #23 | January 4, 1969 | |
| R.B. Greaves | Take a Letter Maria | #2 | October 25, 1969 | |
| The Staple Singers | Heavy Makes You Happy | #27 | March 20, 1971 | |
| The Staple Singers | Respect Yourself | #12 | November 13, 1971 | |
| The Staple Singers | I’ll Take You There | #1 | April 15, 1972 | |
| Mel & Tim | Starting All Over Again | #19 | September 16, 1972 | |
| Paul Simon | Kodachrome | #2 | June 2, 1973 | |
| Paul Simon | Loves Me Like a Rock | #2 | August 18, 1973 | |
| Bob Seger | Mainstreet | #24 | May 4, 1977 | |
| Bob Seger | We’ve Got Tonight | #13 | November 25, 1978 | |
| Bob Seger | Old Time Rock & Roll | #28 | May 5, 1979 |
