| Walter
Hawkins Bishop Walter L. Hawkins has preached the gospel in practically every state in the country, as well as toured the world with the Edwin Hawkins Singers and the Hawkins Family. As a Producer, he has had such accomplishments as the Love Center Choir's recordings of Love Alive 1-4, also the Hawkins Family recordings as well as other renowned gospel greats. Bishop Hawkins' number one love is his church. God has given him a sincere and relevant approach to ministry. He loves the word and the people of God. He encourages his flock to constantly seek the word for answers to life's journey. In addition to his talents as a renowned gospel singer, musician, songwriter and producer, his most important job is teacher and preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as a caring shepherd. An Honorary Doctorate of Divinity Degree was bestowed upon Bishop Hawkins in 1991 by the United Baptist Seminary college. Bishop Walter L. Hawkins was consecrated a Bishop of Love Center Ministries, Inc. in 1992. Bishop Hawkins is the loving father of two children, "Jamie" Walter L. Hawkins Jr. and Tristan Lynette Hawkins. With great expectations by the industry and fans alike of his most recent release, Love Alive V, The 25th Reunion, Bishop Walter Hawkins says he's glad to be part of contemporary Gospel music's worldwide growth. "There's always been controversy around modern versus traditional Gospel. What is tradition anyway? Gospel music doesn't have a particular style. Gospel's got to progress," say Hawkins. "We (The Edwin Hawkins Singers) had probably one of the major crossover Gospel songs of all time with 'Oh Happy Day', and it brought in a whole new generation of listeners". That song broke more than Gospel music barriers, it helped launch Hawkins' career. At the age of 19 this San Francisco Bay Area native hadn't considered a musical life. His recording debut actually came anonymously when he sang in the Ephesian Church of God in Christ youth choir, a Berkeley, California-based church. To raise money to attend a convention in Washington, DC, the choir, directed by Hawkins' older brother Edwin, recorded an album, Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord in 1968 to sell locally. Astonishingly, a song from that album, "Oh Happy Day", became a pop hit the following year, selling over a million copies. In the next few years, the Edwin Hawkins Singers toured nationally and internationally before Walter set out on his own. He entered the ministry and, in 1973, founded the Love Center Church in Oakland. With $1,800 borrowed from his mother-in-law, Hawkins returned to Ephesian with his Love Center Choir and recorded a live album, Going Up Yonder (released on Light Records) which rode the Gospel charts for months in 1975 and became a mainstay on billboard's Gospel Top 40 Chart for three consecutive years, making it one of the decade's biggest selling Gospel albums. Beside his own recordings, Hawkins has collaborated with a number of other artists. With the Love Center Choir he appeared on Edwin Hawkins' Live with the Oakland Symphony LP and on recordings by Celt rockers Van Morrison and Lee Oskar. Hawkins himself has worked with Diahann Carroll, the late House music king Sylvester, R&B star Jeffrey Osborne as well as Gospel artists Vanessa Bell Armstrong, the Williams Brothers, and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. His current CD Live Alive V The 25th Reunion, on Gospo Centric Records, reunites Hawkins with Gospel greats such as Grammy award winners Tramaine, Edwin, and Lynette Hawkins, Pastor Yvette Flunder and Shirley Miller. Recorded at Oakland's historic Paramount Theatre on October 24 and 25, 1997, the collection features Hawkins' Love Center Choir. The concert celebrated the 25th anniversary of Hawkins ordination as a pastor. Love Alive V embraces a central theme-- giving praise and thanks to God. Excitement surrounding this self-produced album ran high in Gospel music circles, and was heralded as one of the most anticipated Gospel albums. This came as a surprise to Hawkins. "I am shocked at all the buzz we're getting, but I think this will be my biggest album." When looking back at his musical endeavors, Hawkins understands their place in his ministry. "Early on I thought my ministry and my music were apart from each other. But now I see they work hand-in-hand", he observes. "I can go a lot of places with my music that I can't as a pastor and vice versa. The purpose of both is getting the message out to people. I've had some material blessings and it's okay to have them, but to be blessed with peace of mind and joy into your life, that's when you will be truly fulfilled." |
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