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Rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins died on Saturday (Feb 13th) at the age of 73 after several years battling colon cancer.

Dale Hawkins was born Delmar Allen Hawkins on August 22, 1936, on a plantation in Gold Mine, La. His father was a country musician and his mother was a teacher and day worker. He earned his place in rock history for co-writing and recording the 1957 hit “Suzie Q.” The song was recorded at radio station KWKH in Shreveport, La in 1957. The memorable guitar riff on “Suzie Q” was played by 15-year-old James Burton, who went on to play guitar for Ricky Nelson and to lead Elvis Presley’s TBC band in the 1970s.

“Susie Q” has the distinction of being the first single by a white artist ever distributed by Chess Records. It reached the top 30 and was later covered by several artists, including the Rolling Stones on their 1965 album, 12 x 5, and perhaps most memorably by Creedence Clearwater Revival, who had a top 20 hit with it in 1968.

Dake Hawkins turned to producing in the 1960s and had top ten success with Bruce Channel (“Hey! Baby”) and the Five Americans (“Western Union”).

In 1999, Dale Hawkins released “Wildcat Tamer,” which was his first album of new material in 30 years. The album was very well received by critics, including Greil Marcus who gave it a four star rating in Rolling Stone.

Hawkins’ funeral will take place on Thursday, February 18 in Little Rock, AR.

Dale Hawkins – “Susie Q”

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