I've written before about the 1959 plane crash at Clear Lake, which claimed the lives of three rock and roll stars — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. I've also written about an eerily-similar accident that occurred a few years later, one involving country music headliners Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline. But there was a third victim at that crash too, and it's time to tell the story of Hawkshaw Hawkins.
Harold Franklin 'Hawkshaw' Hawkins was the personification of an old expression, usually uttered with a touch of awe; he was a 'tall drink of water'. But even though he did measure six feet, six inches — and his 
Western hat made him look even bigger — he wasn't just tall. He also possessed a strong, deep singing voice and a ton of warmth and charisma. (You can see his stage presence in the video below, which shows him in a decidedly non-PC moment with 'Little' Jimmy Dickens, who often poked fun at his own small stature.)
Hawkins grew up in Depression-era West Virginia, where a neighbor gave him the name of a popular comic strip detective after young Harold helped him find some lost fishing tackle. Hawkshaw Hawkins turned out to be a perfect name, especially when he began making appearances on local radio while still a teenager.
As he grew to adulthood, young Hawkins continued to work his way up in radio and even toured for a while. When World War II started he joined up and was sent to the Far East, where he managed to make some appearances on Army radio. After his discharge and return to West Virginia, he began again working in regional radio and eventually became a regular on the popular program, Wheeling Jamboree.
Article comments
1 - Patsy Fan
Thank you so much for shining a light on Hawk and Cope. While I adore Patsy, the guys are too often forgotten. Randy Hughes, Patsy's Manager and Copas' son in law, was also piloting that plane. Yet little is ever written about the other three people on the plane with Patsy. I really appreciate you remembering these fine men. One point of correction, the plane did not crash in a ball of fire as was depicted in the Cline biopic "Sweet Dreams." Rather the plane crashed in a hilly area near Camden, TN. No fire was discovered or reported at the time of the crash and the crash was related to weather and the pilots lack of instrument rating. Just wanted to point out that one tiny error in an otherwise great article.
2 - Susan Marlene (Hawkins) Gilliam
"But the star ?" who had left behind a pregnant wife ?" didn't live to see it." He left behind a pregnant wife, a son, Don Robin and a daughter, Susan Marlene. Please stop leaving the rest of his family out of his bios. He was an important part of our lives, too.