Walter Hawkins
When I reflect on the reason for those feelings, I have to go back to my youth. Being forced to go to church like many as a child, I was there Sunday after Sunday because I didn’t have a choice. I did what children do in church during the service and afterward anxiously awaited going home to play with my friends. The rule of the house was clearly, ‘no church’, ‘no play’. Well that was motivation enough for a child with a child-like mindset.
Well one Sunday, I couldn’t really say when, but the choir began singing something other than what I considered ‘old people music’. Specifically hymns and old gospel songs that I couldn’t really relate to. I wanted to be a part of that. I joined the choir by choice at a young age and grew up in the choirs of my local church from youth to my adult years. Walter Hawkins and the music he produced and recorded was a huge part of that. I can say unequivocally that Walter Hawkins music is where I first fell in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. After all those years of church services, bible study, Sunday school, I fell in love with Jesus singing the songs of Walter Hawkins which gave birth to loving the rich history of music of the black church at large.
I can vividly remember as I became older and getting a little job at Hochschild Kohn Department Store, purchasing my own albums (yes albums, not CDs) of Walter Hawkins. I would go home play them on the record player, grab my brush and sing into it like I was a part of the Love Alive Choir and surely a Hawkins family member on stage before thousands. His music touch me in places that I’d not experienced before. I could relate. Songs like, Changed, When the Battle Is Over, I Love You Lord, He’s That Kind Of Friend, Until I Found the Lord, There’s a War Going On, Goin’ Up Yonder, What Is This, Jesus Christ is the Way, I’m Going Away, I Won’t Be Satisfied, and God Has Signed My Name. Those songs, singing them, hearing and embracing the words began to develop in me a mind to want to know Jesus. I wanted to live the words of the songs I was singing about. I began to listen more intently in church to the preached word now and my journey of loving Jesus and wanting to be like Him soared. That was a lot of years ago for me now. I am so grateful for the life and ministry of Walter Hawkins. His ministry through song is what God used to get my attention and cause me to FALL IN LOVE with HIM. It truly was about attraction to Jesus the Christ and not about the promotion of Walter Hawkins.
It was not only my testimony but even that of my family unit. As I matured, my family and I discovered we were blessed with some fair vocals and talented, gifted and anointed musicians as well. We had our little family group and began singing in local churches and events. Walter Hawkins music amongst many were those that we sang. We didn’t try to imitate the Hawkins family, that would’ve been out and out wrong and a health risk for many of us truthfully. I probably wouldn’t be able to speak today if I tried to do what Tramaine, Lynette and Walter and others in his music ministry did, but I tried to do my little bit. It was a joy to just minister through song and hopefully cause someone to yield to the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus the Christ. That helped me close my eyes at night knowing I had done the will of the Father.
If you don’t have in your musical collection any of the Hawkins music, let me encourage you to go get a CD of Walter Hawkins music ministry soon. His ministry in song still moves you to want to be better, do better, give more, love more, to be a blessing rather than look for one all the time.
Walter Hawkins was a living testimony to the scripture ‘”Your gift will make room for you”. He has gone from labor to reward and his attributes are many. Surely he was an American singer and pastor. He is credited with 116 songs that topped or found their way on the Gospel Billboard charts. He won 3 Dove Awards and was nominated for nine Grammy’s, winning one. He has helped musicians, aspiring songwriters and producers probably in the thousands. There are many other awards and accolades that I’m sure he earned and will be remembered for, but for me I will always remember him for being the vessel by which I began my love affair with Jesus the Christ. One can never forget their first anything and Walter’s death impacts me so much because the first memory I have of surrendering my life over to the will and care of God is connected to his ministry through song. I can’t think of any of his many honors that top that.
I send my heartfelt condolences to the Hawkins family.
Mahalia Jackson sang many years before you Walter, “If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living is not in vain”. Rest In Peace Walter Jamie Hawkins, Sr., your living was not in vain and I am here to bear witness to the impact your ministry had on my life at a very young age and to this very day!!
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I live in the San Franciso Bay Area and was not aware that Bishop Hawkins passed. My fondest memory of him was a joint effort that we both participated in on the campus of Santa Clara University, here in Santa Clara California. The contributions by both Bishop Hawkins, Edwin, the Northern California Mass Choir, the Hawkins Singers, the Love Center Church …, to the collective memory of the worlwide church can never be overlooked!
My first time seeing Walter Hawkins was here in Baltimore at the old Rash Field(Inner Harbor area) where they used to have Afram(a black festival). I took my mom and was blown away by two songs. "I'm Going Away" and "Be Greatful". Two very, very powerful songs from Mr. Hawkins. Two very sobering and cleansing pieces.