Garrison Hawk

GARRISON HAWK
Garrison Hawk was born and raised in Manchester, Jamaica. Part of a large family, growing up amongst six brothers and sisters did have its advantages –
namely one of a built in audience; for as soon as he could use the system at home, Hawk got a hold of a microphone and some records and proceeded to teach himself the art of deejaying. Influenced by the great voices of Bob Marley,
Peter Tosh, Shabba Ranks, and Yellowman, at 8 years old, this boy was on amission.

In his teens, Hawk and his family moved to New York City’s The Bronx. His uncle had a sound system in his basement where Hawk would disappear for hours on end. He started voicing on any riddims he and his friends could get ahold of. As word of Hawk’s deejay skills got around the neighborhood, he started getting booked to perform at sound systems and shows. One thing led to another and Hawk, by the time he was 17, was touring around the East Coast of the US with some major reggae stars. Things were really starting to take off.
All the while, Hawk’s family had no idea what was going on.

Their traditional beliefs led them to assume that their little boy was going to school and was on a path to a degree and a 9 to 5 job. A funny moment (probably not so funny for Hawk at the time) came when Hawk was performing with Shabba Ranks and
Supercat in Connecticut where one of Hawk’s uncles happened to be in the crowd. Exposed, Hawk’s Ma and Grandma laid down the law. But even Ma and Grandma’s lockdown couldn’t keep the bloodthirsty managers and producers
away– each wanting to cash in on “that voice.” After several unwise career decisions and misadventures, Hawk wised up and started handling his own affairs.

He set up Marathon Productions to represent a carefully selected group of upcoming talented artists for whom Hawk also wrote and produced songs, as well as releasing his own singles under the name “Hawkman”. “Death Before Dishonor,” “Party With Me,” “Three the Yard Way,” and “Fist Full of Franklins”
received heavy play on New York’s notorious radio station Hot 97 while thetracks “Fakin’ It’” and “Addicted” reached #1 spots in the European chartsgarnering the attention of world renowned DJs and producers, Roger Sanchez and Armand Van Helden, and resulting in a collaboration on their AV8 club
records series in 1999.

Hawk consistently released records once or twice a year until his breakthrough onto the world scene with the alternative British artist Tricky, formerly of the legendary group Massive Attack. Hawk and Tricky met up through Hawk’s cousin
who happened to be Tricky’s best friend. Musically, they instantly connected.
As Tricky told Billboard Magazine, “Hawkman is my partner musically. It is almost like my career has changed.” Hawk co-wrote and laid down guest vocals on six tracks on Tricky’s Blowback album including the single “Evolution
Revolution Love” where he was also featured in the video. Hawk toured with Tricky in support of the record all over the world for two years, and as a member of Tricky’s band, performed in front of audiences of thousands of fans as well as
on worldwide television and radio shows.

Aside from coming home from the road more seasoned and wordly, Hawk came home with record company offers on the table. As had happened before, Hawk fell victim to the circumstances of the business and signed and eventurally got
himself released from several record deals including one with Chris Blackwell’s Palm label. The music business simply didn’t work fast enough for Hawk.
Determined and more prolific than ever, Hawk compiled an arsenal of over 100 original songs, demos, and collaborations.
Some of his tunes wound up in the hands of legendary reggae producers Sly & Robbie as well as the heads of A&R at Warner Brothers UK. Hawk wanted to take his songs and record them in a new style – one taken from his experiences in growing up in Jamaica and New York and touring Europe and Asia. Warner
Bros. loved his vision and signed Hawk almost instantly. Within weeks he was
recording his record in the heart of the Jamaican community in Brixton, England
with one of London’s hottest young producers, Dan Carey. The recording
process continued across the Atlantic in Kingston’s Anchor Studios with Sly &
Robbie and then finished off back in Brixton. The result is a truly original hybrid
of roots reggae, electronic music, English and American pop and vintage
Jamaican dancehall.
Hawk’s first single “Gangsta Roll” saw quite a bit of success: the video reached
#9 on the Hype TV chart and the track received radio airplay in Jamaica as well
as in Europe, Japan, London, New York, and Miami.
When a club remix of his second single “Sweet Music” leaked, it hit #11 on the
UK pop charts. The song has also been featured in the video game Sims 2
Castaway, which has sold several million copies worldwide. The critically
acclaimed vintage-style video directed by Jay Will premiered on Entertainment
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