Chris Hawkes

Chris Hawkes is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, recording engineer and producer. He performs solo, as a band member and teamed up in 2011 with Miranda Dawn forming the duo Dawn and Hawkes.

Beginnings and Redtag

As a musician Chris Hawkes was first recorded and released on a 1998 compilation Garage Nights at Laser Trax released on Cannon Riggle Records.

In late 1999 Hawkes formed a band with fellow high school students called Redtag and continued to perform with college friends while attending the University of North Texas.

He graduated with an audio engineering degree from the Dallas Sound Lab in Los Colinas, Texas in 2000. Following an internship with Grammy Award winning producer Eric Delegard, Hawkes became an engineer for the University of North Texas College of Music.

Five Times August

Hawkes switched roles of frontman/songwriter to produce and play lead guitar for Five Times August a previously solo project of singer/songwriter Brad Skistimas. Hawkes first produced and performed for 2004's EP Something Clever, with Redtag drummer Cason Clifton on drums, and started One Road Studio.

The single "Better With You" was featured on MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County in its inaugural season.

A full length 2005 follow up album Fry Street, with performance and production by Hawkes, also included Redtag bassist Jake Baxter and received more play on cable and broadcast television. In 2007 tracks from Something Clever and Fry Street were compiled and released as The Independent breaking ground as an independent release available at Walmart.

The Color Gray

In 2005 Hawkes and other members, also known as Redtag, departed Five Times August and renamed as The Color Gray releasing 2005's self-titled EP and 2006 Control LP. The release of The Color Gray's full-length album Control was preceded with the single "Nothing to Lose" released to commercial rock radio KTBZ-FM, KLAQ, KNCN, KEYJ and playlist rotation on KDGE The Edge Dallas.

Solo career

In 2007 Chris Hawkes released his first solo acoustic album Guitar and Voice MTV featured "Falling Into Doubt" on episodes of the television series The Hills. and on Animal Planet show Jockey's in the 2008 season.

Hawkes released a second independent album Because I Feel That Way Too in 2009. The sophomore release features more production with a roster of Hawkes's musician friends. Tracks from the album, "Again", "Falling Into Doubt", "Finally Free" and "Control" were pre-loaded in AT&T smart phones and featured on MTV's "Teen Mom 2. By late 2009, Because I Feel That Way Too was supported with commercial and independent radio play on 165 stations in the U.S. and spurred national touring for the album.

While touring in 2010, Hawkes co-wrote and recorded "Mystery" with Annemarie Jensen (a.k.a. Mary May Love of Copenhagen, Denmark) releasing the song on her debut album, Melodies and his third album, Broken Record. Shortly after its release, "Mystery" was added to rotation on Danish popular radio station DR P4. Texas Music magazine featured another track from Broken Record, "From Love (Momma Song)", in their winter 2012 issue, while the title track "Broken Record" was included on MTV series Teen Mom 2 and "Watch It Fall" and "Little Too Long" were played in the The CW's 90210 (TV Series).

In mid-2011 Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes collaborated for the recording of Dawn's debut album, Reason to Feel Alive.

Dawn was recognized as a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting competition for her songs "Forever Happily" and "Made to Roam" and performed with Hawkes at the festival in May 2012. Dawn and Hawkes continued co-writing and touring together and released a collaborative effort, Golden Heart, in June 2012.

In 2013, the duo auditioned for season 6 of the American reality talent show The Voice. Their audition was broadcast on NBC on February 24, 2014, on the inaugural episode of season 6 singing an acoustic version of The Beatles song "I've Just Seen a Face". Two of the four judges, Adam Levine and Shakira pressed the "I Want You" button turning their chairs. "That was my favorite performance I have ever seen — ever — on 'The Voice'" said Levine. After a brief consultation, they picked to be on Team Adam.

Their iTunes single for "I've Just Seen A Face" charted #1 in iTunes Rock sales and #22 across all genres selling 24,000 copies in the first week as a Billboard charts "Hot Shot Debut". Their previously released "Golden Heart" EP followed, climbing to #2 in the singer/songwriter chart and Billboard Magazine's top 25 folk chart.

Dawn and Hawkes toured throughout 2014 including Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Texas to capacity crowd, California tour and appearance on The Voice Season 7 supporting their friend Luke Wade's audition, summer tour with Austin, TX singer/songwriter Bob Schneider, performances at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, Austin City Limits soundstage at Moody Theater, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and performances with Chris Isaak, Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Robert Earl Keen, Hayes Carll and former host of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno. The duo continued touring throughout 2015 with appearances at music festivals like Folk Alliance International and South by Southwest while recording their first full-length album Yours and Mine.

Dawn and Hawkes announced their marriage with the release of their new music video and single, "Yours and Mine", on August 21, 2015 via Huffington Post. Their full-length album, also titled Yours and Mine, went on sale October 2 and followed with a second video release "Almost Mine" from Texas Monthly, and third video for "Silver Line" from Acoustic Guitar (magazine). Yours and Mine debuted in the top 10 folk albums chart at #7 and hit #3 on Roots Music radio report.

In 2003 Chris Hawkes started One Road Studio, for the recording and production of his own bands and other regional acts.

One of the early projects, Five Times August, received play on MTV, Fox, ABC, HBO, CW, Oxygen and Lifetime. Efforts from The Color Gray were added to major market radio station playlists including KDGE in Dallas and KEYJ in Abilene. Hawkes's self-produced solo records were featured on MTV, Animal Planet and The CW.

In 2006 Hawkes partnered with Disclive, a Dallas-based recording company, as head engineer to record live performances of: Thirty Seconds to Mars, Flyleaf, The Toadies, Sonic Youth, Cooder Graw, Spoonfed Tribe, and Edgewater.

2007 Hawkes collaborated with several acts, producing, performing and co-writing with Lisa Apple, Killing Caroline, The Rankin Twins and Faktion

While producing other projects, Hawkes starting recording his second solo album "Because I Feel That Way Too" in 2008. The album was completed and released in March 2009.

Hawkes then produced and performed on three albums for Austin-based singer-songwriters, Zach Arrington, Colin de los Santos, and Philip Q. Morrow. All three featured cello and violin arrangements; a production element that appeared on his own 2011 album, "Broken Record".

While collaborating and performing with Miranda Dawn, Hawkes first recorded and produced with Dawn on her debut album "Reason To Feel Alive" in 2011. The majority of performances, both duo and solo acoustic, were recorded live to demonstrate the natural life in her emotive songwriting.

The duo later co-wrote, recorded and released "Golden Heart", produced and engineered by Hawkes. The 6 song EP features production with their full band and their more stripped down live acoustic sound.

Chris Hawkes mixed "The Cabin Sessions" by Ben Smith in 2013

In 2014 Hawkes started production and engineering for Dawn and Hawkess first full-length album "Yours and Mine" - released in October 2015

Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes co-produced an EP for Colorado based Lost Luggage – duo including filmmaker/videographer Jeff Arnold – in 2015 with mixing and session performances by Hawkes.

Hawkes mixed, co-produced, mastered and performed on Summer Dean's debut EP "Unladylike" in 2016

Albums

Singles

• "I've Just Seen A Face" (2014 Republic Records) #13 Rock Digital Singles #22 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
• "Stuck in the Middle with You" (2014 Republic Records)

Produced / engineered / mixed albums / EPs