Biography
Roy Theodore Hawkins was an American blues singer, pianist and songwriter. Born in Jefferson, Texas, he performed in the Oakland, California area from the mid-1940s and began recording in 1948.
His 1950 single 'Why Do Things Happen to Me' and 1951 release 'The Thrill Is Gone' (co-written with Rick Darnell) became R&B hits. The latter was later covered by artists including B.B. King, Ray Charles and James Brown, and featured on film soundtracks such as Casino (1995), Heat (1995), Heaven's Prisoners (1996) and Lost in Translation (2003). Hawkins died in Compton, California, in 1974.
