Dave Hawley

David Hawley, better known as Dave Hawley, was a prominent guitarist who was part of the late 1950s and 1960s Sheffield rock music scene. On his death, he was described as being "a leading light" and "an outstanding guitarist"; the Sheffield Star called him a "Sheffield music legend". Thom Jurek described him as "a lifelong Teddy Boy from the first generation of the Edwardian youth subculture in the '50, was a gone rockabilly cat who worshipped Gene Vincent (smart man) and played music his entire life." He was the father of English singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Hawley. Early years Hawley grew up in Sheffield; his father was a music-hall musician and performer who had an act where he used to play the violin behind his back while he stood on his head. As a blues and country guitarist, Hawley first played in working men's clubs in the city whilst still under-age. His contemporaries while learning their trade in the clubs were Joe Cocker and Dave Berry. Success as an artist As described by his son Richard, Hawley "had this three-finger claw-hammer style he learned from watching Earl Scruggs. He combined that with an R&B influence and came up with something really original".