[1] He recorded only 12 songs, between 1927 and 1929,[2] but Paul Oliver opined that "Hawkins was a major figure in black country music".
[3] AllMusic noted that he was "one of the most distinctive country-blues performers of the pre-war era, a gifted vocalist whose taste for slow, dirge-like songs was ideally suited to his intricate guitar work.
[1] The date and place of his birth are unknown, but there is consensus among blues historians that Hawkins probably originated in either Alabama or, somewhat less definitely, the northern Mississippi Delta.
[2] "A Rag Blues" contained lyrics that hinted that its origins lay in Jackson, Mississippi, although it was performed in a Spanish-inflected style.
[1] Given their rarity and the length of time that has passed since they were made, an original Hawkins gramophone record in used condition is worth somewhere between $500 and $1,500.