Daredevil

Rockabilly icon Dale Hawkins is best known for his infectious hit “Suzie Q,” and though he would never have another hit of “Suzie Q’s” magnitude he was a top-flight guitarist and veteran Louisiana bandleader who served as a mentor to some of the finest rock and rollers of the era. Members of Hawkins band would go on to form Los Angeles' infamous Wrecking Crew, an assemblage of studio musicians who would play on some of the most important American recordings of the ‘60s. Daredevil eschews Hawkins better-known work for an illuminating look at some of his earliest studio demos. The set includes a beat heavy run through of “Suzie Q” that reveals the deep blues origins of Hawkins best known number. Meanwhile rockabilly rave-ups like “Daredevil,” and a fiery run through of Tarheel Slim’s epochal “Number Nine Train” prove that Hawkins’ band was particularly adept at refashioning low-slung, swamp-bound grooves into rock ‘n’ roll hits. The rhythms that Hawkins created here would have a lasting influence on popular music for decades to come.