Jennell Hawkins

Los Angeles R&B diva Jennell Hawkins remains best remembered for her 1961 pop crossover hit "Moments to Remember." Born in L.A. on April 8, 1938, Hawkins began her career as a member of the Fidelitones, a group she co-founded with Jefferson High School classmates Marc Gordon, Ray Brewster, and Bill Piper. At Jefferson she also met aspiring songwriter Richard Berry, who in 1954 invited Hawkins to accompany him to a recording session under the auspices of arranger Maxwell Davis. The studio date resulted in an impromptu duet performance of Berry's "Each Step," issued on the Flair label and credited to Ricky and Jennell. Berry also persuaded Hawkins to join the Dreamers, the Fremont High School girl group that regularly backed him on sessions. She went on to sing lead on the Dreamers' 1957 effort "Since You've Been Gone," later cutting a series of Combo label releases with the Combonettes as well. Hawkins did not mount a proper solo career until signing to the Titanic label in 1961. The Berry-penned "Moments to Remember" (later reissued as simply "Moments") ultimately reached the R&B Top 20 while climbing to number 50 on the Billboard pop charts. The follow-up, a cover of the Barrett Strong perennial "Money (That's What I Want)," earned Hawkins a second R&B Top 20 entry, but upon signing with DJ Rudy Harvey's Amazon label, her career foundered. Harvey's infamously shady business practices also wore heavily on the singer, and after issuing "In the Groove" on his Azuza subsidiary she quit the recording business for good. Dedicating herself to family and faith, Hawkins regularly played the organ at church funerals, and for several years served as a hearse driver for a number of Los Angeles-area funeral parlors. Renewed interest in L.A.'s postwar R&B culture finally spurred Hawkins out of retirement in the late '90s, and in the years to follow, her Jennell Hawkins Sextet was a fixture of the Southern California club circuit, often appearing in conjunction with the great Big Jay McNeely. In 2002, she also reunited with the Dreamers at a Los Angeles Doo Wop Society showcase. After suffering a stroke in 2005, Hawkins' health declined. She died October 13, 2006, the same day she was scheduled to receive a mayoral certificate of recognition for her contributions to local music. ~ Jason Ankeny