K SPECIAL
Sam Hawkins - The Very Best Of (Updated Improved Remastered Expanded Edition) (2025) (2 x CDs)
Sam Hawkins was a US rhythm & blues singer active in New York, NY during the late 1950s and 60s.
He recorded for many different labels during that time: Gone, Decca, End, May, Arnold, Blue Cat, Shell and Epic Records between 1958 and 1969.
As far as I can tell he released 18 singles of which 34 tracks are included here.
This compilation has been a collaborative effort between myself (K) and lemonflag.
These are incredibly rare tracks, and no official CD compilation of his complete recorded output has ever been released.
The majority of the tracks are vinyl rips from the original 45 singles and only a small number have been released digitally or on CD as the master tapes are probably long gone by now.
Discography of 7" vinyl records by Sam Hawkins released in USA on 45cat:
Explore the discography of Sam Hawkins. Shop for vinyl, CDs, and more from Sam Hawkins on Discogs:
If anyone has more information on his biography and can help with these two missing tracks:
Sam Hawkins
B: Sing a Song About Dixie
End, USA, E-1102, 7", Sep 1961
Sammy Hawkins
B: Wobble Mama
May, USA, MY 128, 7", Nov 1962
it would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.
K
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Track lists
CD
1 Sam Hawkins - King of Fools (Gone Records 1958) 2:09
2 Sam Hawkins - The Whatchamacallit (Gone Records 1958) 2:00
3 Sam Hawkins - When Nobody Loves You (Come to Me) (Gone Records 1959) 2:44
4 Sam Hawkins - She Don't Notice Me (Gone Records 1959) 2:51
5 Sam Hawkins - Queen of Hearts (Decca 1959) 2:35
6 Sam Hawkins - Am I Wasting My Time (Decca 1959) 2:13
7 Sam Hawkins - Let Me Dream (Decca 1959) 2:33
8 Sam Hawkins - Does It Really Matter (Decca 1959) 2:47
9 Sammy and the Parliaments - Win Yourself a Lover (Arnold Records 1960) 1:55
10 Sammy and the Parliaments - No Hard Feelings (Arnold Records 1960) 2:15
11 Sam Hawkins - No Time for Tears (Decca 1960) 2:23
12 Sam Hawkins - Let Me Be (Decca 1960) 2:11
13 Sam Hawkins - So I Keep Telling Myself (Decca 1960) 2:44
14 Sam Hawkins - Bewildered (Decca 1960) 2:51
15 Sam Hawkins - Nobody But You (Decca 1960) 2:10
16 Sam Hawkins - You're Something Out of This World (Decca 1960) 2:14
17 Sam Hawkins - You're the Reason (Decca 1961) 2:18
CD2
1 Sam Hawkins - I'd Be a Fool Again (Decca 1961) 2:30
2 Sam Hawkins - Landlord (End 1961) 2:09
3 Sammy Hawkins - Standing on the Sidelines (May 1962) 2:19
4 Sammy Hawkins - I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (May 1963) 2:28
5 Sammy Hawkins - Are These Really Mine (May 1963) 2:51
6 Sam Hawkins - Goodbye Darling (Arnold Records 1963) 2:31
7 Sam Hawkins - Candy Yams (Arnold Records 1963) 2:38
8 Sam Hawkins - Hold on Baby (Blue Cat 1965) 2:48
9 Sam Hawkins - Bad As They Come (Blue Cat 1965) 2:35
10 Sam Hawkins - I Know It's All Right (Blue Cat 1965) 2:45
11 Sam Hawkins - It Hurts So Bad (Drip Drop) (Blue Cat 1965) 1:41
12 Sam Hawkins - Run to Me (Shell 1966) 2:43
13 Sam Hawkins - Bring It to Me (Shell 1966) 2:26
14 Sam Hawkins - Dream Lover (Epic 1969) 2:54
15 Sam Hawkins - Sugar Man (Epic 1969) 2:26
16 Sam Hawkins - Just to Make Me Cry (Ace Records Previously Unissued 2002) 2:26
17 Sam Hawkins - Where the World Begins (Ace Records Previously Unissued 2002) 1:49
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Many thanks to you and lemonflag for this superb piece of work. From a quick listen the rips sound great! This is such an important historical document - is there any chance it could be made available in FLAC? As my old Mum used to say, If you haven't got it in an uncompressed audio format, you haven't got it.
ReplyDelete@ Easily Confused
DeleteThanks for your comments. 6 tracks are from digital sources (the Blue Cat recordings and the previously unreleased Ace Records tracks), the rest are vinyl rips from the original 45 singles. Because these tracks have been pulled together from various different contributors and different sources a FLAC version is impossible as all of the tracks were ripped to the mp3 format in the first place.
Many of these extremely rare crackly old 45 singles will not sound better in FLAC compared to mp3 because of the limitations of the original source material.
This has been a massive effort and undertaking by many including Summer Souvenir who was able to track down the Sammy and the Parliaments ‘No Hard Feelings’ track and offer it at the very last minute.
Just enjoy the music for what it is.
K
Thanks for this - I understand entirely and can and will enjoy the music as it is. Many thanks for your efforts, and those of all who collaborated with you.
DeleteI would just leave you with the thought that, although AI is rightly regarded with suspicion by many, one thing it does really well is clean up surface noise and other artefacts from vinyl rips.
Here's an example of AI noise removal:
Deletehttps://workupload.com/file/QNudTTvPVsY
And my ma said, ifyou don't have the Vinyl, you got to frisbee with something else. Enjoy good music. Remember when you listened to a cheap transistor-radio and a great tune came along?
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with the concept. I first heard many a great record on Radio Luxembourg (a famously low quality station us cool kids in the UK used to listen to in the early sixties, fading in and out of the static). That was a special kind of magic, but doesn't mean I don't want to hear the same songs in high quality now.
ReplyDeleteHi K, thank for this interesting collection
ReplyDeleteI did a quick search on a website (that you maybe know well), "archive.org "...
... unfortunately only 'King Of Fools' and 'The Whatchamacallit' were there:
https://archive.org/details/king-of-fools
https://archive.org/details/the-whatchamacallit
In any case, it is always a good place to find rare stuff, as for instance in the collection '78rpm Records'
https://archive.org/details/georgeblood
Cheers
Giulio
Fabulous. Many thanks to K and to lemonflag. Seems like this BB's blog should be protected as Unesco World Heritage.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredible! "Hold On Baby" has been a favorite for years. I tryly had no idea Hawkins recorded this much. Thanks for the work.
ReplyDeleteGood News!
ReplyDeleteThanks For Sharing
Thanks so much - what a treasure trove!!
ReplyDeleteK thanks for sharing Sam with a wider audience.
ReplyDeleteHi BB
Phew ! there's rare and then there's ultra rare ... I bet there are few people who have heard of Sam Hawkins and many who have only heard maybe ...King of Fools ...I am blown away by his output, so well done.
ReplyDelete