John Hawken

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John Hawken (born John Christopher Hawken, May 9th, 1940, at Chistchurch General Hospital, Bournemouth, Dorset) is a British keyboard player. He studied classical piano between the ages of five and eighteen at which point he succumbed to the lure of rock and roll.

John's first band was the Cruisers Rock Combo (1960 to 1962) but he is possibly best known for his contributions to various versions of the Nashville Teens (1962 to 1968). He was then a founder member of Renaissance in 1969.

He also played in Spooky Tooth, Third World War, Vinegar Joe, Strawbs and Illusion, as well as being a regular session player.

John appeared briefly in the David Essex movie That'll Be The Day (1973).

In 2001, he teamed up with his surviving band-mates from Renaissance to produce an album titled Through the Fire, under the name Renaissance Illusion, and has toured with a re-united Strawbs in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

John moved to the US in 1979 and plays with Bluesday in central New Jersey.

[edit] A near-death experience

Fellow Nashville Teen Ray Phillips related a tale from the band's involvement with manager Don Arden. Arden was notoriously reluctant to part with money owed to his clients, and Hawken decided that things had gone too far. According to Phillips, John had arranged to collect £120 from Arden’s Carnaby Street office, but was given a cheque for only £20. Hawken, indignant, demanded the full sum, but Arden leapt from his chair, seized Hawken by the throat, pinned him against the wall and screamed: ‘I have the strength of 10 men in these hands’. The pressure of Arden’s fingers on his neck persuaded Hawken that this was no idle boast. Within seconds, Arden had dragged Hawken towards his second floor window and said: ‘You’re going over, John, you’re going over’. Hawken managed to free himself from Arden’s grip and fled from the office, having learned the hard way that Arden demanded respect.