He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up singing, playing piano, and listening to the blues.
Under the guidance of manager Clifford Doubledee, he formed his own group, the Billy Hawks Organ Trio, in Philadelphia in 1964, with guitarist Maynard Parker and drummer Henry Terrell.
), on which he, Parker and Terrell were joined on some tracks by tenor sax player Buddy Terry.
[2][3] The album was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in December 1967.
In 1968, the track "O Baby (I Do Believe I'm Losing You)" was released as a single in France on Stateside (FSS 604)[4] and in 1988 the same track appeared on a BGP Records compilation LP "Dance Juice Vol.2" (BGP 1016) and subsequently, the tune became well-played on the Acid Jazz scene in the UK.