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Show 4 Mountainwest Minority Reporter & Sentinel, April 19, 1991 Awards, Fashion Continued from page I The evening’s activities were a sit- Plaza, 2288 East 3300 South, Salt down dinner and an excellent fashion Lake City. It was truly an evening of , show, presented by beautiful ladies elegance and beauty. and handsome men, under the direc- tion of Mrs. Bonnie Burley and Ms. Anne Tarrant. In addition to modeling their own clothes, the male models also modeled clothes from the fashionable Spencer Clothiers of Hyland Park The speaker was Mr. Roy Jeffer- son of the Washington, D.C. area, former Ute football player from the University of Utah. Special achievement awards were presented to various ones in the com- munity in the fields of education. Bey att The Hawkinses, gospel’s eternal family most by James T. Jones IV USA TODAY Watch out, Winans. The Hawkins clan is out to reclaim its title as the first family of contemporary gospel. ‘Two decades after Edwin Hawkins’ top five pop hit, 1969’s ‘‘Oh Happy Day,’’ turned his family into crossover stars, they’re still singing heavenly praises. Edwin, his siblings Walter and Lynette Hawkins Stephens, and Walter’s ex-wife, Tramaine, all have current, acclaimed solo recordings. Tramaine, 38, considered one of gospel’s top divas, will perform on the Dove Awards on TNN tonight. Her Grammy-winning album ‘‘Live’’ — a family affair with Edwin, 47, *‘Live’’ produce Walter, 41, and Walter Jr., 18 — is up for a Dove. Walter’s ‘‘Love Alive IV’”’ is near- of the Hawkins projects. The Hawkinses, who still live near each other in their hometown of Oakland, California, began singing in the choir of the Ephesian Church of God in Christ, whose pastor is Tramaine’s grandfather. When ‘‘Oh Happy Day,”’ with its modern sound and instrumentation, became a hit, it ‘helped take gospel to another level in sales and acceptance,’ says Billboard gospel columnist Lisa Collins. ‘‘Edwin was a trendsetter in bringing in pop chord structures in gospel, with the horns and strings,’’ says Smith. But Edwin remembers the criticism. ‘“‘Church people thought it was an abominable sin. I was just trying to preach the gospel to the masses.”’ ‘‘We’ve been singing in some unit or other for 40 years,’’ 9 says Walter. Lynette was especially adventurous on her new album, ranging from very pop to very traditional. ‘‘I want to reach as many people as possible.”’ For the first time, her brothers did not produce her. “‘I wanted to venture out from the comfort zone.’’ But she says she’s still close to her family. And they all plan to record their fifth album as The Hawkins Family later this year. : Though divorced from Walter, tramaine is still considered part of the family. ‘‘She was my girlfriend from age 10 until we got married,’’ says Walter. ‘‘We grew older and apart in our philosophy. But we’re still best friends.’’ Walter says he plans to work with ing an astounding 70,000 copies sold (50,000 is a gospel hit), after four months atop Billboard’s gospel chart. Edwin has two albums: ‘‘Face to Face’’ and *‘Music and Arts Seminar Chicago Mass Choir.’’ Lynette, 36, the youngest of the six Hawkins sibl- TRAMAINE: Walter's ex-wife, still considerea one of the family, is | up for a Dove and is scheduled to sing on the show tonight. her on her next project. The Winans may be getting a lot of attention now, but they might want to lying dead. There’s too much talent start looking over their shoulders. ‘‘There have been a lot of changes in the gospel market,’’ says Collins, has opened the door to contemporary ings, has just released her second Source, artists like the Winans and about the Lord, it’s still gospel.”’ NEIGHBORHOOD: trade magazines. ‘“Choirs around the country company their style.”’ Edwin and Walter, the masterminds and main musicians, collaborate on The Hawkins’ commercial success rap, has become. ‘‘Some of it sounds very worldly, but if the lyrics speak albums simultaneously. ‘“We don’t try to compete with each other,’’ says Edwin. ‘“We are a large family and raised to be very close.”’ That closeness has helped them revolutionize gospel. ‘*People have always been influenced by the Hawkins sound,”’ says Tim. Smith, gospel editor for Black Radio and in that family.”’ Commissioned. Le Even Edwin is surprised at how commercial gospel, including gospel album, ‘Walking in the Light.”’ This is the first time Edwin, Walter, Lynette, and Tramaine have released Exclusive ‘but you’ll never see the Hawkinses oe Sere EDWIN: Released the top 5 hit LYNETTE: Her second album ‘Oh Happy Day’ 22 years ago ranges from pop to traditional. WALTER: His ‘Love Alive IV’ has sold almost 70,000 copies. |
