[2] Thom Jurek described him as "a lifelong Teddy Boy from the first generation of the Edwardian youth subculture in the '50, was a gone rockabilly cat who worshipped Gene Vincent (smart man) and played music his entire life".
Hawley grew up in Sheffield; his father was a music-hall musician and performer who had an act where he used to play the violin behind his back while he stood on his head.
[citation needed] In the book "Not Like a Proper Job: The Story of Popular Music in Sheffield 1955-1975 as Told by Those Who Made it",[8] Hawley states, "I stuck rigidly to what I wanted to do".
Hawley remained with the band for a year, earning £12 a night, during which time they toured Germany, Malta and the Middle East, and appeared on BBC Radio's Country Meets Folk.
[9] At the age of 19, Hawley had played alongside Bill Monroe, who wrote "Blue Moon of Kentucky", and was commonly referred to as the 'Father of Bluegrass'.
[13] The birth of son Richard in January 1967 forced Hawley to return to a more settled life in Sheffield, where he continued to play part-time.
[14] Both his father and his uncle Frank White were to prove a great influence on his son,[15] who later found success as a member of Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s.
[17] As a solo musician, son Richard Hawley has subsequently released eight studio albums and has been nominated for a Mercury Prize twice and once for a Brit Award.
[19] And following Hawley's death, Richard on occasion also wore his father's leather jacket on stage, such as on BBC TV's Later... with Jools Holland.