Congresswoman Barbara Lee Mourns the Death of Bishop Walter Hawkins
July 12, 2010
Contact: Ricci Graham
(510) 763-0370
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement today upon learning of the death of Bishop Walter Hawkins:
“Today, we mourn the loss of my friend Bishop Hawkins, an American icon and a gospel music trailblazer who inspired and touched many as a Granny Award-winning singer, composer and pastor. Hawkins started his career as a gospel singer with one of his brother’s chorales, “The Northern California State Youth Choir” of the Church of God, and later joined the legendary Edwin Hawkins Singers with his brother Edwin.
“Bishop Hawkins followed his spiritual calling in 1973, when he left the Edwin Hawkins Singers and founded Love Center Church in Oakland, where the award-winning gospel singer and composer enjoyed considerable success with the church’s “Love Alive” series of recordings that sold over a million copies from the 1970s through the 1990s. Bishop Hawkins’ ministry in Oakland enriched and touched the lives of many residents throughout the 9th Congressional District.
“Personally, Bishop Hawkins was a close friend. One of the great joys came when Bishop Hawkins accepted my invitation a few years ago to perform at the prayer breakfast during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. We all sat transfixed as Bishop Hawkins moved us by performing old gospel classics. It is a memory that I will forever cherish.
“Bishop Hawkins will be remembered as one of the most beloved figures in contemporary gospel music, and he will be greatly missed. I wish to express my sincere condolences to Bishop Hawkins’ brother Walter, his children and his grandchildren. May Bishop Hawkins’ family find comfort in their deep and abiding faith during this time of loss.”