Fellow saxophonist Lester Young, known as "Pres", commented in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review: "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one." Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads."
One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn".
Hawkins was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, in 1904. Although some sources say 1901, there is no evidence to prove an earlier date; instead, there is record of Hawkins's parents' first child, a girl, being born in 1901 and dying at the age of two, possibly basis for the mistaken belief. He was named Coleman after his mother Cordelia's maiden name.
He attended high school in Chicago, then in Topeka, Kansas at Topeka High School. He later stated that he studied harmony and composition for two years at Washburn College in Topeka while still attending high school. In his youth he played piano and cello and started playing saxophone at the age of nine; by the age of fourteen he was playing around eastern Kansas.
Hawkins's first major gig was with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds in 1921, and he was with the band full time from April 1922 to 1923, when he settled in New York City. In the Jazz Hounds, he coincided with Garvin Bushell, Everett Robbins, Bubber Miley and Herb Flemming, among others. Hawkins joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, where he remained until 1934, sometimes doubling on clarinet and bass saxophone. Hawkins's playing changed significantly during Louis Armstrong's tenure with the Henderson Orchestra (1924–25). In the late 1920s, Hawkins also participated in some of the earliest interracial recording sessions with the Mound City Blue Blowers. During his time with Henderson, he became a star soloist with an increasing amount of solos space on records. While with the band, he and Henry "Red" Allen recorded a series of small group sides for ARC (on their Perfect, Melotone, Romeo, and Oriole labels). Hawkins also recorded a number of solo recordings, with either piano or with a pick-up band of Henderson's musicians in 1933–34, just prior to his period in Europe. He was also featured on a Benny Goodman session on February 2, 1934 for Columbia, which also featured Mildred Bailey as guest vocalist.
In late 1934, Hawkins accepted an invitation to play with Jack Hylton's orchestra in London, and toured Europe as a soloist until 1939, performing and recording with Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter in Paris in 1937. Following his return to the United States, on October 11, 1939, he recorded a two-chorus performance of the pop standard "Body and Soul", which he had been performing at Bert Kelly's New York venue, Kelly's Stables. In a landmark recording of the swing era, recorded as an afterthought at the session, Hawkins ignores almost all of the melody, with only the first four bars stated in a recognizable fashion. In its exploration of harmonic structure it is considered by many to be the next evolutionary step in jazz recording after Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" in 1928.
After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a big band, he led a combo at Kelly's Stables on Manhattan's 52nd Street with Thelonious Monk, Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, and Max Roach as sidemen. Hawkins always had a keen ear for new talent and styles, and he was the leader on what is generally considered to have been the first ever bebop recording session in 1944 with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. Later he toured with Howard McGhee and recorded with J. J. Johnson and Fats Navarro. He also toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic.
After 1948 Hawkins divided his time between New York and Europe, making numerous freelance recordings. In 1948 Hawkins recorded "Picasso", an early piece for unaccompanied saxophone.
Hawkins directly influenced many bebop performers, and later in his career, recorded or performed with such adventurous musicians as Sonny Rollins, who considered him as his main influence, and John Coltrane. He appears on the Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Jazzland/Riverside) record. In 1960 he recorded on Max Roach's We Insist! suite.
In the 1950s, Hawkins performed with more traditional musicians such as Henry "Red" Allen and Roy Eldridge with whom he appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival and recorded Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster with fellow tenor saxophonist Ben Webster along with Oscar Peterson (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Alvin Stoller (drums). In the 1960s, he appeared regularly at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Hawkins had began to drink heavily and his recording output began to wane. However, he did manage to record some notable albums, including an album for the Impulse! label with Duke Ellington. His last recording was in 1967.
With failing health, Hawkins succumbed to pneumonia in 1969 and is interred in the Yew Plot at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
The Song of the Hawk, a 1990 biography written by British jazz historian John Chilton, chronicles Hawkins's career as one of the most significant jazz performers of the 20th century.
Running Wild
Coleman Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm all by myself
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
I'll lay right on the shelf
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't sit home, all alone
She'll soon find that I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
When I first met that gal of mine
It seemed just like a dream
But when she tho't she had me right
She started actin' mean
Like mary led her little lamb
She led me all the time
Until the worm had to turn
That's the reason I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
No gal will ever make a fool of me
No gal! I mean just what I say
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
Wonder how I got that way
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
But now I got a cruel heart
With all that other foolishness I'm through
Gonna play the Villain part
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
The song "Running Wild" by Coleman Hawkins describes a man who has been left alone after a fight with his girlfriend. He is determined to show her that he is not going to sit at home and be lonely. He starts running wild, living his life carefree and without any commitment. He is enjoying his newfound freedom and is feeling gay and reckless. The song showcases the singer's confidence as he proudly proclaims that no girl will ever make a fool of him.
The lyrics suggest a sense of liberation and defiance. The singer is determined to take control of his life and not let anyone else dictate his actions. The line "Don't love nobody, it's not worth while" shows that he has become disillusioned with love and relationships. The song is also an ode to the Roaring Twenties, a time when people lived life to the fullest and broke free from traditional norms.
Line by Line Meaning
My gal and I, we had a fight
My girlfriend and I had an argument
And I'm all by myself
I am alone now
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
She probably thinks I'll be lonely without her
I'll lay right on the shelf
But I won't be idle or distressed
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
I'll prove her wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't be lonely like she expects me to be
I won't sit home, all alone
I won't stay at home feeling sad and lost
She'll soon find that I'm
She will see that I am
Runnin' wild, lost control
I am living recklessly and impulsively
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
I am bold and daring
Feelin' gay, reckless too
I am carefree and enjoying myself
Care free mind all the time, never blue
I am never unhappy, my mind is free from worries
Always goin' don't know where
I am always on the move without a specific destination
Always showin', I don't care
I am constantly showing that I don't care about anything or anyone
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
I don't love anybody, it's not worth the effort
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
I am alone and living recklessly
When I first met that gal of mine
When I first met my girlfriend
It seemed just like a dream
It felt perfect and ideal
But when she tho't she had me right
But when she thought she had me figured out
She started actin' mean
She began to act unkindly towards me
Like mary led her little lamb
She used to lead me blindly
She led me all the time
She used to control me all the time
Until the worm had to turn
Until I had to stand up to her
That's the reason I'm
That's why I am now
No gal will ever make a fool of me
No woman will ever take advantage of me again
No gal! I mean just what I say
I mean it when I say no woman will be able to control or manipulate me
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
I am no longer naive or gullible
Wonder how I got that way
I'm not sure how I changed
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
I used to be sentimental and emotional
But now I got a cruel heart
But now I have grown cold and unfeeling
With all that other foolishness I'm through
I am done with all that other foolishness, like love and sentimentality
Gonna play the Villain part
I am going to play the role of the villain in this situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR GIBBS, ARTHUR HARRINGTON GIBBS, JOSEPH GREY, JOSEPH W GREY, LEO WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eduardo Souza
O maior de todos os Saxofonistas de todos os tempos
Sista Coopie
Earl Knight ?OMG! I'm in love!! lol
Kikko Zanaboni
this tune is not RUNNING WILD , that is a very fast tempo
Joe Carbery
This is "I'll String Along With You."
John Rothfield
Not Gibbs Runnin Wild.