[3] He moved to Chicago in 1955,[4] where he worked in a box factory, started to play in local blues clubs, and gained a reputation as a session musician.

In 1969, thanks to the efforts of his friend Magic Sam, his first album, Fast Fingers, was released by Delmark Records.

[4][5] In 1971, Delmark released his second album, All for Business, with the singer Andrew Odom and the guitarist Otis Rush.

[1] Dawkins toured in the late 1970s, backed up by James Solberg (of Luther Allison and the Nighthawks) on guitar and Jon Preizler (the Lamont Cranston Band, Luther Allison, The Drifters, and Albert King), a Seattle-based Hammond B-3 organ player.

Other musicians that toured with Dawkins in the late 1970s include Jimi Schutte (drums), Sylvester Boines (bass), Rich Kirch and Billy Flynn (guitars).