Ernie Hawkins at Deertrees August 17, 2010 8 PM. $20

Born in Pittsburgh in 1947, he first learned country guitar, mandolin, banjo and bones from a man named Pete who worked on his uncle's farm. Pete had played with the Lilly Brothers and had rambled around the country - taking a 30-year detour down whiskey lane that landed him in a cabin on the farm as property caretaker and a primary musical mentor to Hawkins. Hawkins was already playing blues as a teenager when he heard a man passing through town play Davis' Let Us Get Together. He was hooked them and forever on country blues and ragtime guitar players like Davis, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, Willie Johnson, Skip James, John Hurt and Leadbelly.

After high school, Hawkins moved to New York City with only one purpose - to study with Davis. In 1969, he moved back home, enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh and earned a degree in philosophy. During this time, Hawkins played with Niles Jones, a blues player living in the city who was "rediscovered" in the 1990's as Guitar Gabriel.

In 1973 Hawkins moved to Dallas for graduate school and earned a doctorate in phenomenological psychology. There he learned the music of Texas blues players such as Lemon Jefferson, Funny Papa Smith, Henry Thomas and Lightnin' Hopkins. In the early 1980's, Hawkins recorded his first solo album of Ragtime guitar, Ragtime Signatures. His second CD, Blues Advice, was dedicated to the memory of his teacher, Davis, on the occasion of the centennial of his birth. The CD includes three rare songs taught to Hawkins by Davis: Penitentiary Blues, Florida Blues and Will There be Stars in my Crown. Bluesified, Mean Little Poodle and Rags & Bones, Ernie's latest CDs, are garnering worldwide acclaim. "Hawkins has emerged in recent years as the foremost master of Davis' guitar style." Acoustic Guitar For ten years, Hawkins played electric guitar with the Blue Bombers, one of Pittsburgh's favorite R & B bands.

Hawkins has recorded instructional dvds for Stefan Grossman on Texas blues man Mance Lipscomb, the Atlanta 12-string master Blind Willie McTell, Lightnin' Hopkins and ten dvds teaching the guitar of Rev. Gary Davis. For Homespun Tapes he has filmed several dvds on guitar theory. He has been featured in SingOUT!, Acoustic Guitar ,Vintage Guitar, Dirty Linen, and Fingerstyle Guitar. Hawkins appears on Maria Muldaur's Grammy and Handy nominated and Indie Award winning album, Richland Woman Blues and was the guitarist for her national support tour. "Ernie Hawkins is an important link in the unbroken chain of blues and gospel artists. His guitaristry and love of the style is incomparable. From the Rev. Gary Davis into the future with his own style Ernie is one of the special ones!" Jorma Kaukonen