Native Californian George Hawkins Jr. secured his first real gig in 1976 as a member of the Loggins and Messina band. He recorded his first solo album, an Intercord Record Service release called Every Dog Has Its Day, twenty years later. During the interim, Hawkins sang and played bass and other instruments for a host of world-class talent, including Loggins & Messina, Roger McGuinn, Firefall, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Reed, Big Mama Thornton, George “Harmonica” Smith, Albert King, Lindsey Buckingham, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Billy Burnette, David Sanborn, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Jarreau, Richard Marx, Bill Champlin, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Delbert McClinton, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, The Doobie Brothers, John Fogerty, Rod Stewart, Bob Seeger and dozens more. In 1975, Hawkins was living in Ojai, California. Jim Messina (to whom Hawkins refers as one of his most important mentors) bought a ranch just outside of town where his band would rehearse and record. Kenny Loggins and Hawkins struck up a close friendship, and Hawkins played bass and sang for the 1976 L & M “Farewell” tour and 1977 L & M album Finale. Later that year, Loggins parted ways with Messina, and formed his own band, appointing Hawkins band leader. Over the next four or five years, the Kenny Loggins band toured extensively and recorded some of the decade's biggest albums, including Celebrate Me Home, Nightwatch (featuring the smash hit single "Whenever I Call You Friend," with vocals by Stevie Nicks), Keep the Fire, and the 1980 live album Kenny Loggins Alive. "A fantastic band and one of the happiest periods of my life”. In 1980, Mick Fleetwood called. He wanted to journey to Africa to record its native drummers. Fleetwood, producer Richard Dashut, guitarist Todd Sharp and Hawkins set off for Ghana, West Africa. Released in 1981, The Visitor was a beautiful collaboration of African drumming and melodies and American rock & roll. Hawkins played bass, guitars, keyboards, and vocals and remained active with Fleetwood's part-time band, The Zoo, for the next few years releasing their first album, “I’m Not Me” in 1983. Another Fleetwood Mac member, Lindsey Buckingham, while recording his first solo album in 1981, tagged Hawkins and Fleetwood to play bass and drums on the hit single, "Trouble", which made it to the top of the pop charts that summer. In 1984, Hawkins joined Christine McVie on her first solo album, titled simply Christine McVie. The album was a major hit. Later that year, Hawkins was musical director, played bass and sang on one of the most critically acclaimed tours of the year, in support of Rickie Lee Jones' inventive and mysterious The Magazine. Touring with Michael McDonald followed and continued through 1987, and work with Dan Fogelberg culminated in Fogelberg's 1990 album Wild Places. Hawkins headed to Japan in 1988 with Boz Scaggs. While overseas, two friends from the Doobie Brothers, John McFee and Keith Knudson, hooked Hawkins up with one of the most popular rock stars in Asia, Eikichi Yazawa. Hawkins toured and recorded with Yazawa off and on for a decade. In ‘89 George joined an original band called The Emotional Rex (later re-named “King Of Hearts”) with writer-guitarist Bruce Gaitsch and drummer-vocalist Kelly Keagy of “Night Ranger”. Later that year legendary producer Glyn Johns recommended Hawkins for a project in England with “Bad Company” singer Paul Rogers and “The Who” drummer Kenney Jones. The result was the album, “The Law”. In the mid-1990s Hawkins toured and recorded with Richard Marx. "Richard is a sensational singer, writer and performer, and one of the funniest people in the universe," Hawkins said of the popular vocalist. Hawkins recorded his first album, Every Dog Has Its Day, which was released in December 1996, produced by his friend from Emotional Rex, Bruce Gaitsch. Shortly after moving to Nashville with his family in 1996, he "totally scored the best gig in town” with the awesome Texas blues and R&B legend Delbert McClinton, with whom he played for several years, recording four albums, two of which won Grammys. George played and recorded with John Fogerty from 2004 through 2006. In ‘07 he wrote songs and recorded an album with long-time mentor and friend Bill Champlin, and traveled to Japan to reconnect with Yazawa. In ‘09 George stepped back into his old familiar role for the joyous and successful Loggins & Messina reunion tour. 2010 started out with albums with eclectic artist Jonathan Auerback and the iconic Tony Joe White, and included tour dates with Kenny Loggins. 2011 had solo dates with Jim Messina and recordings in Nashville and L.A. In 2012 Hawkins headed back to Japan with Yazawa; again in 2014, summer of 2015, and will do again in fall, 2016. The list of George Hawkins Jr.’s musical contributions is as long as it is varied. His bass playing, vocals, keyboard and guitar work can be found on albums, CDs, DVDs, TV and movie scores spanning the last three and a half decades.