Kaz Hawkins Explained

Kaz Hawkins
Birth Name:Kaz Hawkins
Birth Date:21 January 1973
Birth Place:Belfast, Northern Ireland
Occupation:Singer-songwriter
Genre:Jazz, blues, soul, folk, Americana
Instrument:Vocals, guitar, piano, bodhrán drum
Label:Dixiefrog Records

Kaz Hawkins (born 21 January 1973) is a Northern Irish blues, folk, jazz and soul singer and songwriter signed to Dixiefrog Records in Paris, France.

Career

Hawkins sang in cover bands for 20 years before she began creating original material.[1]

She has released four studio albums, two EPs (no longer available), and one live album (digital only). She has also released a compilation album exclusively on vinyl.[2] Upon signing with Dixiefrog Records, an anthology of her back catalogue called My Life and I,[3] was released. A seventeen track CD and double vinyl was released in 2022. In 2023 Until We Meet Again was released on Dixiefrog.

Collaborations with other artists have helped her enter other genres. The latest in January 2024 with French soul artist Thomas KAHN in a duet called A Place Like Home on. In December 2023 she featured on Italian duo Superdownhome's song Life Is A Road. In 2019, she featured on French house & funk Dj Eugène de Rastignac's single Won't You Save My Soul released on SPACE PARTY Records. In 2020, On The Little Island was released as a duet with German composer Mathis Richter-Reichhelm (Swimming The Nile), on Early-Bird Records in Germany. This further cemented a songwriting partnership between the two.

In 2017, Hawkins began presenting a blues show on BBC Radio Ulster, called Kaz Hawkins Got The Blues,[4] produced by Ralph McLean. As of 2022, a total of eight series have been recorded by Hawkins for BBC Radio.

Hawkins was invited to Florence Academy of Art in Alabama, to join in a various artists album Something In The Water, to help highlight children not having access to arts in Alabama. The album included one of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, David Hood and musicians Clayton Ivey and Will McFarlane - supporting a line up of international artists covering songs recorded in Alabama.[5]

In April 2022, Hawkins was given the honorable title of Godmother of the oldest blues festival in France. Cahors Blues Festival asked her permission in front of gathered press at the launch of the 40th anniversary of the festival.[6] She accepted the honour of 'Marraine du festival'. She joined Grammy Award winning Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Popa Chubby and Kirk Fletcher as festival headliners in July 2022, in the town of Cahors, France.

Hawkins has regularly been invited by the Irish composer and Golden Globe nominee Brian Byrne, to perform in Ireland and Los Angeles on his compositions. She joined an international cast including Fra Fee, Joe Rooney, Adele King, as well as a 70-member choir, and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for the launch of the production of Angel of Broadway in Dublin.[7]

In 2017, Hawkins won the trophy at the European Blues Challenge in Horsens, Denmark representing the United Kingdom. It was the first time when the UK Blues Federation had an artist win at the challenge, beating 21 countries.

Awards

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Appears on

Notes and References

  1. News: 7 October 2018. 13 April 2017. Irish News. Arts Q&A: Kaz Hawkins on Van Morrison, Gladys Knight and her new radio show.
  2. Web site: Kaz Hawkins. Discogs.com. 2 May 2022.
  3. Web site: “My Life and I”, le nouvel album de Kaz Hawkins disponible . Dixiefrog.com. 8 April 2022. 25 March 2023.
  4. Web site: Kaz Hawkins Got The Blues. BBC Ulster.
  5. News: Kaz Hawkins Here For A Reason . Times Daily .
  6. News: The Cahors Blues Festival 2022 will send heavy for its 40th anniversary . Medialot, France .
  7. News: Rte.ie . 3 June 2019 . Birth of a musical - Brian Byrne's Angel of Broadway . 3 June 2019.
  8. News: 8 April 2017 . Kaz Hawkins at the European Blues Challenge, Denmark – Blues Matters Magazine . en-GB . Blues Matters Magazine . 9 October 2018.
  9. News: 10 April 2017 . Kaz Hawkins Brings European Blues Challenge Trophy Back Home – Bluesdoodles . en-GB . Bluesdoodles.com . 9 October 2018 . 9 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181009212946/https://bluesdoodles.com/bluesdoodles/kaz-hawkins-brings-european-blues-challenge-trophy-back-home/ . dead .
  10. Web site: International Blues Challenge - Blues Foundation . 11 October 2018 . Blues.org.
  11. News: 28 February 2017 . Kaz Hawkins Rising to The Challenge, Memphis and More – Bluesdoodles . en-GB . Bluesdoodles.com . 9 October 2018 . 5 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170505065010/http://bluesdoodles.com/bluesdoodles/kaz-hawkins-rising-to-the-challenge-memphis-and-more/ . dead .
  12. News: 15 November 2016 . 2016 UK Blues Challenge The Winner IS….. – Bluesdoodles . en-GB . Bluesdoodles.com . 9 October 2018 . 9 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200809080616/https://bluesdoodles.com/bluesdoodles/2016-uk-blues-challenge-the-winner-is/ . dead .
  13. Web site: 2018 Pure M Awards Nominees (Ireland) - PureMzine. Puremzine.com. 11 October 2018.
  14. Web site: Winners and Runners Up the British Blues Awards 2015. British Blues Awards. 7 October 2018.
  15. Web site: Kaz Hawkins – Get Ready!. Discogs. en. 9 October 2018.
  16. Web site: Kaz Hawkins Band – Feelin' Good. Discogs.com. en. 9 October 2018.
  17. Web site: Kaz Hawkins – Feelin' Good. Discogs.com. en. 9 October 2018.
  18. Web site: Kaz Hawkins - Feelin' Good. 2 May 2022. Discogs.com.
  19. Web site: Kaz Hawkins. Discogs.com. 7 October 2018.
  20. Web site: Kaz Hawkins Announces New Live Album. 16 February 2018. Nova-nn.com. 7 October 2018.
  21. Web site: Kaz Hawkins annonce l’album "Memories Of". Soulbag.fr. 19 May 2020. 2 May 2022.
  22. News: Blues and soul at the top with Kaz Hawkins, Popa Chubby and Fred Chapellier . La Voix Du Nord . April 2, 2022 .
  23. News: "My Life and I", the new Kaz Hawkins album available . Dixiefrog Records . April 8, 2022.
  24. Web site: Mathis & Kaz. Earlybird-records.de. 2 May 2022.
  25. Web site: Various – The Best Of 2014. Discogs. en. 9 October 2018.
  26. Web site: Let It Be. 8 August 2015. 2 May 2022. Open.spotify.com.
  27. Web site: Won't You Save My Soul. 1 November 2019. 2 May 2022. Open.spotify.com.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kaz Hawkins".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.