» ONLINE STORE
» DIGITAL LINKS
Artists by Genre
» Blues
» Country/Folk
» Jazz
Company Info
» Catalog
List
» Contact
Us
» Demo
Submissions
» Distribution
» Home
» Links
» MySpace
» Photo Gallery
» Services
» Upcoming
Shows
|
|
Hawkeye Herman
 With over
40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman exemplifies
the range of possibilities in acoustic blues, and personifies versatile
musicianship, originality, and compelling artistry as a blues
storyteller. His dynamic performances have won him a faithful
following, and he leads a very active touring schedule of performances
at festivals, concerts, school programs, and workshops. Hawkeye
performs a wide variety of traditional blues, ballads, swing, and
original tunes, on six-string and twelve-string guitar, and is an adept
and exciting practitioner of slide guitar and slide mandolin. His music
has been included in video documentaries and in three hit theatrical
productions, and his solo CD, Blues Alive!,
released in 1998, was greeted by rave reviews and greatly increased the
demand for his live performances at major blues and folk festivals. His
newest CD, It's
All Blues To Me!, was released in May of 2005.
Hawkeye was born in Davenport, IA, on January 11th, 1945. As a
teenager, he discovered a broad variety of blues music in late night
radio broadcasts from Memphis, Shreveport, Dallas, New Orleans, Little
Rock, Chicago, Detroit, and other points beyond the Iowa/Illinois Quad
Cities, in the upper Mississippi River Valley area where he was growing
up. Hawkeye got his first guitar in 1959, at the age of fourteen, and
was performing two years later. Seeking to broaden his musical
horizons, he relocated in the San Francisco Bay area in 1968. He sought
out, and learned at the feet of many icons of the blues, including: Son
House, Brownie McGhee, Bukka White, Mance Lipscomb, Furry Lewis,
Lightin' Hopkins, John Jackson, K.C. Douglas, and Sam Chatmon. He
became a staple in the Bay Area blues scene as both a solo artist and a
back-up guitarist and worked with Charles Brown, Haskell "Cool Papa"
Sadler, Sonny Rhodes, Jimmy McCracklin, Buddy Ace, Charles Houf, Little
Joe Blue, Boogie Jake, and many others.
Hawkeye began touring outside of California in 1984, and has performed
at blues and folk festivals, and in concert, across the US/Canada and
Europe. His dynamic performances have won him a faithful following and
he leads a very active touring schedule. Hawkeye performs a wide
variety of traditional blues, ballads, swing, and original tunes, on
six-string and twelve-string guitar, and is an adept and exciting
practitioner of slide guitar and slide mandolin. His 1989 album, Everyday
Living, featuring Charles
Brown and Cool Papa, received much
critical acclaim. His song, The Great Flood of '93, has been used on
the sound-tracks of two video documentaries on that Midwest disaster,
and has been included in a compact disc anthology of singer/songwriters
produced by the New York based music magazine, Fast Folk.
As a music educator, Hawkeye has taken his love of blues music to
students of all ages, from pre-school to university campuses through
his enthusiastically received "Blues
in the Schools" programs, which he initiated in 1980. He
has taught guitar for over 25 years, and has presented blues and slide
guitar instructional workshops at major folk and blues festivals as a
part of his frequent concert touring schedule. In May of 1998, Hawkeye
received the "Keeping the
Blues Alive" Award for achievement in education from the
Blues Foundation in Memphis. The award was the result of many years of
blues educational programs he has done for students of all ages. He
began this effort long before most blues support organizations and
blues festivals even existed. Hawkeye has helped to initiate in-school
educational programs for many blues societies and has single-handedly
introduced blues music workshops to major festivals. He is the
co-founder of the Rogue Valley Blues Festival in his home area of
Southern Oregon.
Hawkeye was the composer/musical director/musician for the hit play El
Paso Blue, which has had successful runs in San Francisco, Seattle, San
Diego, Chicago, Portland, at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC,
Philadelphia, where he was awarded the prestigious Barrymore Theater
Award for Best Original Music in a play for the '99/'00 season, and at
the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR, the largest theater
complex in the US. In 2004, Hawkeye performed off Broadway in the New
York City production of El Paso Blue. He collaborated with Pulitzer
Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan on the music for the 2002
West Coast premiere of Schenkkan's play, Handler, also produced at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Hawkeye served for six years on the Board
of Directors of the Blues Foundation in Memphis, and was chairperson of
the Foundation's education committee. He has contributed blues
historical articles and personal memoirs to many national and regional
blues magazines, as well as contributed to the recent book/CD
anthology, Up the Mississippi/A Journey Of The Blues, published by the
Mississippi Valley Blues Society in 2003.
Hawkeye has provided musical soundtracks for a number of video
productions, most recently, Tying Bob
Quigley's Signature Flies / Volume One (Pegasus Productions).
Hawkeye served for six years on the Board of Directors of the Blues
Foundation in Memphis, and was chairperson of the Foundation's
education committee. He maintains an active touring schedule performing
in concert and at blues festivals throughout the US/Canada/Europe, and
his original articles
about blues history appear in numerous national and
regional blues magazines and newsletters.
In November of 2004, Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in Des
Moines, IA.
In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane
Blues)", detailing the hurricane disaster on the Gulf
Coast, at the request of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). The
song was aired to over 7 million listeners on BBC Radio news' "Today"
program.
This musician has definitely carved out a spot for himself in the
contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a reputation as
one of the most accomplished artists in the genre. Michael "Hawkeye"
Herman has been called "The Midwest's Blues Ambassador," and audiences
throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate
Hawkeye's talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
Quotes
"One of America's finest acoustic guitarists
and blues educators." -Cascade
Blues Association
"Herman can rock with the best of them. A
solid choice for fans of traditional acoustic blues." -Living Blues
"Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Muddy Waters...live
on
through the evocative, haunting acoustic slide-guitar style he plays." -San Diego Reporter
"Each song is presented with a heartfelt depth rarely witnessed these
days amongst all the amplifiers and studio embellishments...Herman
proves to be a seasoned storyteller above all, as well as an
accomplished guitarist." -Blues
Revue
"Has emerged as one of the most widely respected acoustic blues
musicians around...it's about as real as the blues gets." -Sing Out!
"Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and
inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril." -Blues Access
"Hawkeye Herman is a mean, clean guitar picker." -San Francisco Examiner
Awards/Accolades
1998 - Keeping the Blues Alive,
Blues Foundation award recipient for lifetime achievement in blues
education
2000 - Barrymore Award
for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a theatrical
production
2004 - Inducted into Iowa
Blues Hall of Fame
-Has taught "Blues In The Schools" programs
since
1978, to over 500 schools throughout North and South America and
Europe, teaching blues music and history to over 1/2 million students.
-Collaborated in composing music for the West Coast premiere for the
play "Handler" with Pulitzer Prizez winning playright Robert Schenkkan
-Has written articles on blues history and blues personalities which
have appeared in many music publications
 |
Hawkeye
Herman - It's All Blues To Me
Style: Acoustic Blues
“It’s
All Blues To Me” by Hawkeye Herman is a satisfying live set
of acoustic music in the traditional blues, folk, jazz and even rock
styles. Songs include a chilling version of the classic
“Sixteen Tons,” the traditional “St.
James Infirmary,” and even an acoustic arrangement of Van
Morrison’s “Moondance.” Guests on the
album include Washboard Chaz on washboard and percussion.
Catalog
#4522 (Released August 17, 2010) |
|
|
 |
Hawkeye
Herman - Blues Alive!
Style: Acoustic Blues
“Blues
Alive!” is the latest release from Iowa native Michael
“Hawkeye” Herman, a fixture on the blues festival
and blues education circuits, who plays traditional acoustic blues
guitar, and is a respected blues storyteller with over 40 years of
performing experience. The album features three songs penned by
Hawkeye, but is predominantly covers of traditional blues songs like
the Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting On Top of the
World,” and Robert Johnson’s “Come On In
My Kitchen,” with the occasional contemporary song
interspersed, such as Mose Allison’s tongue in cheek
“Your Mind Is On Vacation.” Rediscover many great
tunes that are the bedrock of blues.
Catalog
#4521 (Released August 17, 2010) |
|
|
 |
Hawkeye
Herman - Everyday Living
Featuring Charles Brown and Haskell Sadler
Style: Acoustic Blues
“Everyday
Living” is a landmark album by traditionalist blues singer
and storyteller Michael “Hawkeye” Herman that
features guest appearances by mellow blues pianist and vocalist Charles
Brown and guitarist Haskell “Cool Papa” Sadler.
Songs include arrangements of delta blues guitarist Tommy
Johnson’s “Big Road Blues,” Charles
Brown’s “Drifting Blues” and a couple of
originals by Hawkeye, including the folk-influenced train-blues song
“Rocket To Chicago.” Find out why Hawkeye is
considered one of the keepers of the flame in the traditional blues and
acoustic guitar communities.
Catalog
#4523 (Released August 17, 2010) |
|
|
This site is ©
Copyright Blue Skunk Music 2005-2011, All Rights Reserved
|
|
