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William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company in the 1950s to the 1970s, composing and recording many stock tracks that have been used extensively in film and TV. He was the composer of a number of theme tunes including ''
Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...
'' (originally library music recorded in Munich known as "Chicken Man") and ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
''. In addition, he was an arranger and pianist, and in the United States with the studio group
Love De-Luxe Love De-Luxe was a disco studio group assembled by United Kingdom, British Record producer, producer Alan Hawkshaw (the father of Kirsty Hawkshaw). They had one chart entry: "Here Comes That Sound Again", which spent a week at #1 on the Hot D ...
scored a number 1 single on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...
chart with "
Here Comes That Sound Again Here Comes That Sound Again is a 1979 disco single by Love De-Luxe, a dance studio group formed by British producer, Alan Hawkshaw. Vicki Brown (singer), Vicki Brown and Jo-Ann Stone were the lead vocalists on the single. The single hit number one ...
" in 1979. His song "Charlie" is heard on '' Just for Laughs Gags''. He was the father of singer-songwriter
Kirsty Hawkshaw Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 26 October 1969) is an English electronic music vocalist and songwriter. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she is known as the lead vocalist of early 1990s dance group Opus III, and her collaborative work with oth ...
(a member of the
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
group Opus III from 1991 to 1995) and also worked with artists such as Tiësto, Delerium, BT, Seba and Paradox.


Career

Born in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, Hawkshaw worked as a printer for several years before becoming a professional musician, first joining the pop group The Crescendos. In the early 1960s, he was a member of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
group
Emile Ford and the Checkmates Michael Emile Telford Miller (16 October 1937 – 11 April 2016), known professionally as Emile Ford, was a musician and singer born in Saint Lucia, British Windward Islands. He was popular in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early ...
. He also formed the Mohawks band and Rumplestiltskin with some
session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
s. At that time, Hawkshaw was an exponent of the
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, heard in the Mohawks' music, and also on the UK recording of the musical ''
Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
''. In 1965 Hawkshaw played piano on The Hollies group composed album track; "Put Yourself in My Place" included on the EMI/Parlophone album; ''Hollies'' (1965) being featured on a piano solo during the song. Hawkshaw was also featured playing with
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
on the ''
Bowie at the Beeb ''Bowie at the Beeb'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three-CD set, the third, bonus CD being a live recording made on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre. Later e ...
'' album, in a performance recorded for the "John Peel in Top Gear" show on 13 May 1968, in which he played a longer than expected solo on "In The Heat of the Morning". In 1969,
Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...
recruited Hawkshaw into
The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
to tour Japan in which one concert was recorded and subsequently released in Japan, ''The Shadows Live in Japan'' (1969), taking a featured lead on piano on "Theme from Exodus". In 1970, Hawkshaw recorded one more studio album with The Shadows, ''
Shades of Rock ''Shades of Rock'' is the eighth rock album by British instrumental (and sometimes vocal) group The Shadows, released in 1970 through Columbia (EMI). Track listing Personnel *Hank Marvin - Lead and rhythm guitar * John Rostill - Bass guita ...
'' before leaving this band. He also did appear as keyboardist on The Shadows' spin-off vocal group Marvin, Welch, & Farrar's self-titled debut and follow-up ''Second Opinion'' albums both released on EMI's reactivated Regal Zonophone label in 1971. In the 1970s, he played in
The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
; he worked for
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
,
Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin, Order of British Empire, OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She als ...
, and
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...
(including on "
L'homme à tête de chou ''L’Homme à tête de chou'' is a concept album by Serge Gainsbourg, released on Philips Records in 1976. Concept ''L'Homme à tête de chou'' (1976) is a concept album by Serge Gainsbourg. Like its predecessors '' Histoire de Melody Nelso ...
") as a musical director, arranger and pianist and was a keyboard player for
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
, for whom he also co-wrote (with Douggie Wright) "The Days of Love", one of six shortlisted songs which Richard performed in ''
A Song for Europe A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'' that year. He also played keyboards on
Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
's 1977 double album ''
Once Upon A Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
''. One of his best-known compositions is "Blarney's Stoned" (originally recorded for KPM in 1969 under the title "Studio 69") which was used as the
theme tune Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
for Dave Allen's television shows ''The Dave Allen Show'' and ''Dave Allen at Large''. In 1975, he wrote the theme tune to the BBC's '' On the Move'' educational programme, which featured
Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...
as an illiterate lorry driver; the song was sung by
The Dooleys The Dooleys were a British male–female pop group comprising at its peak eight members – six of them in the Dooley family. The group achieved several UK chart hits between 1977 and 1981, including top-ten hits " Wanted", "Love of My Life" ...
. In 1977, he composed "New Earth Parts 1 & 2" for Hank Marvin's Guitar Syndicate LP project. This was subsequently sampled over 30 years later by Jay-Z for his song "Pray". Also, during the late 1970s, music by Hawkshaw appeared in several films by
Radley Metzger Radley Metzger (also known as Radley Henry Metzger, Radley H. Metzger and by the pseudonyms, "Jake Barnes", "Erich Farina" and "Henry Paris") (January 21, 1929 – March 31, 2017) was an American pioneering filmmaker and film distributor, mos ...
, including '' Barbara Broadcast'' (1977) and ''
Maraschino Cherry A maraschino cherry ( ) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann cherry, Royal Ann, Rainier cherry, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first pre ...
'' (1978). Hawkshaw performed the music ''The Night Rider'' (the theme for
Cadbury's Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after M ...
Milk Tray Milk Tray is a brand of boxed chocolates currently manufactured by Cadbury. Introduced by Cadbury UK in 1915, it is one of the longest running brands in the confectioner's portfolio. Milk Tray is sold in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, N ...
adverts), which was composed by another prolific creator of advertising themes,
Cliff Adams The Cliff Adams Singers were a British male/female vocal group, known for ballads and novelty songs, and especially their regular performances on BBC Radio from the 1950s onwards. The ensemble was established in 1954 by Clifford William Adams ( ...
. Hawkshaw also composed "Best Endeavours", which has been the theme for ''
Channel 4 News ''Channel 4 News'' is the main news programme on British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since Channel 4's launch in November 1982. Current productions ''Channel 4 News'' ''Channel 4 News'' ...
'' since 1982, and was used for the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's ''The National'' news and current affairs programme from 1984 to 1987. His tune " Chicken Man" was used as the theme for ''
Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...
'' from its first series in 1978 until 1989, and revived for the final series of ''Grange Hill'' in 2008. Another recording of ''Chicken Man'' was used contemporaneously with the original ''Grange Hill'' version for the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
quiz show ''
Give Us A Clue ''Give Us a Clue'' is a British televised game show version of charades which was broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1992. The original host was Michael Aspel from 1979 to 1984, followed by Michael Parkinson from 1984 to 1992. The show featured two ...
''. The Countdown "Chimes" jingle used on Channel 4's ''
Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' game show was also composed by Hawkshaw. He composed all the music for the ''
Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World ''Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World'' is a thirteen-part British television series looking at unexplained phenomena from around the world. It was produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and first broadcast on 6 September 1980. ...
'' series, and the theme "Technicolour", which was used for the
BBC Midlands Today ''Midlands Today'' is the BBC's regional television news service for the West Midlands. It was launched in 1964 and is presented by Mary Rhodes, Nick Owen, Elizabeth Glinka, Rebecca Wood and Shefali Oza. Overview ''Midlands Today'' is produ ...
programme from 1984 to 1988, following which it was replaced with a remix of this tune from 1989 to 1991. In the United States, he also scored a number 1 single on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...
chart with "Here Comes That Sound Again", as part of Love De-Luxe With Hawkshaw's Discophonia in 1979. In Canada, it reached number 17. Also in 1979, he released a disco album under the performing name "Bizarre" which was essentially a solo project with the help of executive producer Barry Mason. It was released in the UK on Polydor Records (cat. no. 2383 553) in 1979. He also once more appeared with The Shadows, guesting on their 1979 UK chart-topping album ''String of Hits'' playing piano on a cover of Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In 2018 a new CD - ''Full Circle'', credited to Alan Hawkshaw and
Brian Bennett Brian Laurence Bennett, (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band me ...
, was released on the KPM library music label, recreating the jazz funk style with Hammond organ that they established in the 1970s. The Alan Hawkshaw Foundation, in conjunction with the Performing Rights Society, has provided scholarships to underprivileged music students and media composers at both the Leeds College of Music and the
National Film and Television School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repor ...
since 2003.


Personal life

After a brief early marriage, Hawkshaw married
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
-born Christiane Bieberbach in 1968; they had two children; singer, composer and musician
Kirsty Kirsty or Kirstie is a feminine given name and nickname. It is a Scottish diminutive of Christine in English-speaking countries and is also linked to Kirsten — the Scandinavian version of Christine. People * Kirstie Alley (1951–2022), Ame ...
(b. 1969), and Sheldon (b. 1971). He suffered his fourth stroke in July 2021, and died from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on 16 October, at the age of 84.


Honours and awards

* Fellow of the Leeds College of Music * Best Arrangement 1973 "
I Honestly Love You "I Honestly Love You" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John released in 1974 on the album '' Long Live Love'' in United Kingdom and ''If You Love Me, Let Me Know'' in the United States. The song became a worldwide pop hit, her first number ...
" for
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
* Ivor Novello Award best film score ''The Silent Witness'' 1979 * BASCA Nomination Best Television Score for ''
Love Hurts "Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazare ...
'' 1991 * Gold Badge Award 2008 for services to the industry * Doctorate for services to the music industry by Hull University and Leeds College of Music Hawkshaw was awarded the
British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...
(BEM) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to music and composing.


Selected discography


Emile Ford and The Checkmates Michael Emile Telford Miller (16 October 1937 – 11 April 2016), known professionally as Emile Ford, was a musician and singer born in Saint Lucia, British Windward Islands. He was popular in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early ...

*1961: ''New Tracks With Emile'' *1962: ''Emile''


The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

*1969: ''Live in Japan'' *1970: ''
Shades of Rock ''Shades of Rock'' is the eighth rock album by British instrumental (and sometimes vocal) group The Shadows, released in 1970 through Columbia (EMI). Track listing Personnel *Hank Marvin - Lead and rhythm guitar * John Rostill - Bass guita ...
''


The Mohawks

The Mohawks were a band formed from session musicians. * ''The Champ'' (1968) * ''Mo'Hawk - The Essential Vibes & Grooves 1967-1975'', RPM Records (2003)


Brian Bennett

* ''A Change of Direction'' (1967) * ''The Illustrated London Noise'' (1969) * ''Misty'' (Brian Bennett's Collage, 1973) * ''Full Circle'' (Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett, KPM 2084, 2018)


Library Music

* ''Speed and Excitement'' (KPM 1076, 1970) * ''Music for a Young Generation'' (KPM 1086, 1971) * ''Move with the Times'' (KPM 1123, 1973) * ''Sounds of the Times'' (KPM 1170, 1975) * ''Frontiers of Science'', Bruton BRI 6, 1979)


References


External links


Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkshaw, Alan 1937 births 2021 deaths English session musicians English composers English Latter Day Saints English television composers English male composers Musicians from Leeds The Shadows members Recipients of the British Empire Medal Deaths from pneumonia in the United Kingdom