Album Notes

Annie Hawkins
520-861-2779
annchawkins@comcast.net
939 N 2nd Ave Tucson AZ 85705


Annie Hawkins has been songwriting since she was twelve. Banging away on the piano and singing at the top of her lungs. She transferred later her song writing practices on the guitar. She found more inspiration in writing with the guitar, due to her influences. In her late teens, she fell in love with Joni Mitchell, Ani Difranco, and Tori Amos. They were people whom she wanted to emulate.

Around the same time, she went off to music school where she studied guitar with an emphasis on jazz. She copied styles of Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, mostly importantly, Emily Remler. All this expanded her pallet for her canvasses on which she would write. In Boston while attending Berklee College of Music, she played guitar in a dominantly female funk rock hybrid band.

Annie later transferred to the University of Arizona, where she studied under Jeff Haskell. It was a unique experience, to learn from a pianist, sounding out complex chords by ear, to transfer on guitar. There she played in jazz trios and quartets around the Tucson area. Jeff Haskell set her up to record her songs in the UA studio. There she made her first CD. With that she performed in New York and New Jersey venues, as well as Tucson.

Later she formed a trio with bassist Brandon Gonzales, and drummer Davie Murray. Together they made her second CD produced by Jim Waters. With that they toured the west coast and performed in the club and college circuits. They also played at the EAT EM, and LMNOP, music conferences. She has performed with Groove Collective, Richard Buckner, Melissa Ferrick, Rachael Sage, and Jem. Annie has won TAMMIE awards for best female vocalist, acoustic guitarist as well as best pop band in Tucson.

Annie has made two other albums along the way. Each one has a different personality. Looking back the lyrics represent the struggles of identity and purpose in this addictive world of love and fear. She tries to determine the relationship with herself through relationships to others and the environments around her.

Annie has been teaching guitar for twelve years. She began teaching at a music camp called the National Guitar Summer Workshop. In Tucson she gives private lessons, mostly to really awesome kids, but anyone is welcome. This is where she feels like she is giving back what she has learned with the talents she has been given. She also taught a rock camp session at the Prime School in Tucson. Again this was one of the more fulfilling times of her career. It is wonderful to watch the ways in which music moves people.