User talk:Thomas Hawkins

For over twenty years, fans have been searching for any recording by one of the biggest underground soul oldies groups, "Sly Slick and Wicked". And, what kicked off this extremely large following of soul enthusiasts was a song recorded in 1972 entitled, "Confessin’ A Feeling" recorded by a group from East Los Angeles named "Sly Slick and Wicked". This group that began working together in 1969 was led by Texas native Thomas Hawkins (a.k.a. Sonny Daye) along with Larry Lewis and Donnie "Doc" Everheart.

This release, "Confessin’ A Feeling Live!" is very important in that it represents the first collection of music ever assembled on CD and cassette of "Sly, Slick and Wicked". The CD contains the all-important "Confessin’ A Feeling" song as well as some of the most incredible interpretations of such songs as "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", "Somebody Please", "I Guess That Don’t Make Me a Loser", "I’m Just An Average Guy" and many more soul standards. Also this is the only CD where you will find the classic song "Special Girl" written and performed by Sonny Daye.

Recording artists "Sly, Slick and Wicked" overwhelmingly earned their place in music history as "The Kings of the Underground Oldies." Now with the national CD releases of "Confessing A Feeling Live" in 1996 (26 years after the recording of the group’s first album) and the original "Tonight’s The Nite" in 1999 this once obscure soul trio is no longer rhythm and blues’ best kept secret.

On tour with The Pacific Concert Group since 1993 "Sly Slick and Wicked" have performed coast-to-coast with their music reaching over a half-million fans in cities and states such as Atlanta, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, California, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York to name a few. The group has also gained recognition in Europe and Japan.

"Sly, Slick and Wicked" was formed in 1969 by Texas native Thomas Hawkins. The group debuted in East Los Angeles as part of a well-known circuit that promoted artists such as Mary Wells, Don Julian and The Larks, Thee Midnighters, Brenton Wood, Al Wilson and others. The group’s first big hit "Confessin’ A Feeling" (1972) was a song that strongly connected with young lovers trying to express their feelings towards each other. The song received immediate recognition and was promoted heavily only on West Coast and Southwest radio stations reaching a large Latino-Chicano audience. As expected the love from the Latino population has played an important role in the group’s success and has helped spark national airplay resulting in new fans across the country. During a radio interview in Atlanta, Georgia lead singer Sonny Daye said, "Performing with groups such as the Delfonics, Blue Magic, The Moments, Barbara Lynn, Peaches & Herb, Gene Chandler, The Intruders, The Manhattans, Zapp & Roger, Bloodstone and Deniece Williams has been both rewarding and enlightening".

The second CD which has the lead track "Tonight’s The Nite " is a collection of rare oldies that reveals the artists who have influenced "Sly Slick and Wicked" throughout their career. Early influences include Curtis Mayfield, Billy Stewart, The Mighty Marvelous, The Impressions, Eddie Holman and Eugene Record (the original lead singer of "The Chi-lites") just to name a few. "Tonight’s The Nite" was the original rare and hard to find recording from 1976 but now it is available in every major music store.

Finally the founder and Godfather of "Sly, Slick and Wicked" Sonny Daye, with his unique and special style of soul is responsible for placing the group in the hearts of so many fans across the nation. So I’m sure you will enjoy the great sounds of "Sly, Slick and Wicked".Thomas Hawkins (talk) 04:27, 24 October 2010 (UTC)