Sophie B. Hawkins

Sophie B. Hawkins

born on 1/11/1967 in New York City, NY, United States

Sophie B. Hawkins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sophie B. Hawkins

Sophie Ballantine Hawkins (born November 1, 1967, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S.) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter. Her biggest hits are "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You", and "As I Lay Me Down".

Career

Hawkins's debut album, Tongues and Tails, was released in 1992. It achieved both worldwide commercial success and critical acclaim, earning her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1993. The single "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles' chart in the USA, and was also a top 20 hit in the UK. As a result of this success Sophie was asked to perform "I Want You" during "Bobfest" a concert held on October 16, 1992 in Madison Square Garden honoring Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary as a musician.

Whaler, her second album, was released in 1994. Produced by Stephen Lipson, it also contained a US Top 10 hit, "As I Lay Me Down," and made gold status. Three singles from the album made the UK top 40, including "Right Beside You" which peaked at #13. It reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40[1]

A 1998 documentary by Gigi Gaston, titled The Cream Will Rise, followed Hawkins during one of her tours and captured her struggle to deal with past troubles with her family, including her mother and brother. Music and riffs by Hawkins were included throughout the film.

Also in 1998, Hawkins's record company at the time, Sony Music, delayed the release of her third album. Its executives were unhappy with the finished product, and wanted Hawkins to rework some of the material. In particular, they were insisting that Hawkins remove a banjo track from one of the songs. Hawkins refused to accommodate them, citing artistic integrity as her main reason. After a lengthy battle between Hawkins and the company, the album, Timbre, was eventually released in 1999, though Sony declined to promote it. Hawkins subsequently left the label and founded her own label, Trumpet Swan Productions. In 2001, Timbre was re-released on Hawkins' label, now as a 2-disc set that contained new songs, demos, remixes, and videos.

Her first independently recorded and released album, Wilderness, was released in 2004.

Personal life

Hawkins's website states that she is bisexual.[2] On November 18, 2008, she gave birth to a son, Dashiell Gaston Hawkins. He was named in part for Hawkins's longtime partner and manager, Gigi Gaston, who directed a documentary about Hawkins titled The Cream Will Rise.

In May 2010, Sophie affiliated herself with Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Sophie is donating 100% of the proceeds of her single "The Land, the Sea, and the Sky" to the organization.

Politics

In August 2007, Hawkins headlined the first Los Angeles Women's Music Festival in support of the festival's dual agenda of supporting animal rescue groups and promoting and supporting female musicians. Hawkins is a vegan and a long-time supporter of animal rights.[3]

In February 2008, Hawkins re-recorded her hit "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" as "Damn, We Wish You Were President" in support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Hawkins also wrote in her blog, "Hillary Clinton's achievements come from her heart. She has initiated so much positive change for families, children, victims of crime and the environment in her struggle for the forward movement of America and the working people of this nation."[4]

In February 2011, Hawkins performed at the Big Gay Party event staged by GOProud, an organization of gay conservatives, as part of this year's Conservative Political Action Conference festivities. After the show, Hawkins was interviewed and expressed her views on issues such as gun ownership, the free market, limited government and "identity politics".[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[6]
AUS
[7]
NL
[8]
NOR
[9]
NZ
[10]
SWE
[11]
SWI
[12]
UK
[13]
1992 Tongues and Tails 51 38 13 38 15 46
  • US: Gold[14]
1994 Whaler
  • Release date: October 18, 1994
  • Label: Columbia Records
65 31 56 13 43 46
  • US: Gold[15]
1999 Timbre
  • Release date: July 20, 1999
  • Label: Columbia Records
142
2004 Wilderness
  • Release date: April 20, 2004
  • Label: Trumpet Swan
2012 The Crossing
  • Release date: February 28, 2012
  • Label: Rocket Science/Red
"" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year Album details
2002 The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins
  • Release date: October 28, 2002
  • Label: Columbia Records
2003 Essential Sophie B. Hawkins
  • Release date: June 10, 2003
  • Label: Columbia Records
'Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
  • Release date: October 6, 2003
  • Label: Columbia Records

Live albums

Year Album details
2006 Live: Bad Kitty Board Mix
  • Release date: August 22, 2006
  • Label: Trumpet Swan

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[16]
US AC
[17]
US Adult
[18]
US Pop
[19]
AUS
[20]
UK
[13]
1992 "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" 5 7 14 Tongues and Tails
"California Here I Come" 53
"Mysteries We Understand"
1993 "I Want You" 49
1994 "Right Beside You" 56 24 41 13 Whaler
"Don't Tell Me No" 36
1995 "As I Lay Me Down" 6 1 1 3 7 24
"Did We Not Choose Each Other"
1996 "Only Love (The Ballad Sleeping Beauty)" 49 22 19 22
1999 "Lose Your Way" 26 Timbre
2001 "Walking in My Blue Jeans" 23
2004 "Beautiful Girl" Wilderness
"Walking on Thin Ice"
2010 "The Land, The Sea, and The Sky" Non-Album Single
2011 "Flying At Half Mast" Digital Only Single
"Betcha Got A Cure"
2012 "Life is a Bomb"
"Sinnerman"
"" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

  • "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" Banned Version
  • "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"
  • "California Here I Come"
  • "I Want You"
  • "Right Beside You"
  • "As I Lay Me Down"
  • "Only Love"
  • "Lose Your Way"
  • "Walking In My Blue Jeans"
  • "The One You Have Not Seen"
  • "No Connection"
  • "Beautiful Girl"
  • "Beautiful Girl (Junior Vasquez Mix)"
  • "Walking On Thin Ice"
  • "The Land, The Sea, and The Sky"
  • "Flying At Half Mast"

Filmography

  • The Cream Will Rise (1998)
  • Beyond City Limits

References

  1. http://www.top40.nl/search.aspx?keyword=Sophie%20B%20Hawkins&jaar=2010&maand=5&week=19#
  2. Album review on her official site mentioning her sexuality. Sophiebhawkins.com. Retrieved on 2010-02-04.
  3. Los Angeles Womens Music Festival official website. Lawmf.com. Retrieved on 2010-02-04.
  4. http://www.sophiebhawkins.com/ Blog entry of 16 02 2008 from her official site
  5. "Liberal in Bed, Conservative in the Head: Sophie B. Hawkins" video report from Reason.tv, on YouTube
  6. Sopie B. Hawkins Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  7. australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  8. dutchcharts.nl - Dutch charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  9. norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  10. charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  11. swedishcharts.com - Swedish charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  12. Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Peak chart positions for releases charting in the UK:
    • Chart Log UK: H & Claire - Hysterix. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
    • Chart Stats - Sophie B. Hawkins. chartstats.com. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  14. RIAA - Gold & Platinum - January 31, 2011: Tongues and Tails certified awards. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  15. RIAA - Gold & Platinum - January 31, 2011: Whaler certified awards. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  16. Sophie B. Hawkins Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  17. Sophie B. Hawkins Album & Song Chart History - Adult Contemporary. Billboard. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  18. Sophie B. Hawkins Album & Song Chart History - Adult Pop Songs. Billboard. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  19. Sophie B. Hawkins Album & Song Chart History - Pop Songs. Billboard. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.
  20. australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved on January 31, 2011.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sophie B. Hawkins

  • Official website
  • Sophie B. Hawkins at the Internet Movie Database
  • The Cream Will Rise (1997) - reviews, clips, & commentary
  • Billboard Artist Chart History
  • Huffington Post BP Blog (2010) - BP Is Still Pointing Fingers -- Time for Us to Act
This page was last modified 14.02.2012 03:16:06

This article uses material from the article Sophie B. Hawkins from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.