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Edwin Hawkins – The Man Behind ‘Oh Happy Day’ – Has Died

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*Pleasanton, CA – Edwin Hawkins, the four-time Grammy® Award-winning leader of The Edwin Hawkins Singers’ 1969 million-seller, “Oh Happy Day,” died January 15 at his home in the Bay area, after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 74 years old.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Edwin Hawkins –– a celebrated artist, innovator, and music icon. Though he will be greatly missed the world over, the message of love, life, and encouragement that he incorporated into his music gives us all the same hope that we’ll join him in heaven and sing `Oh Happy Day.’” the Hawkins Family said.

 

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“My mother had an old hymnal and I had a knack for rearranging hymns,” Hawkins once said. “`Oh Happy Day’ was an old hymn and I rearranged it. It was actually one of the least likely songs to become a hit. There were some much stronger songs on there.” Record executive Neil Bogart picked up the song and distributed it through Buddha Records. “Oh Happy Day” reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and No. 4 on the Pop Singles chart in 1969. Their rendition won them a Grammy in 1970 for Best Soul Gospel Performance. The tune has sold over 7 million copies to date and it established Hawkins’ career. I wasn’t planning to go into the music business and I wasn’t looking for a record deal,” he said in the book, Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclpedia. “The record’s success decided my fate.”

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Hawkins often toured with his younger and equally successful singing brother, Walter, and Walter’s then wife, Tramaine, as The Hawkins Family in the 1970s.  Their energetic stage show filled civic centers and concert halls across the world, including D.A.R. Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.  Edwin Hawkins, with his group and as a soloist, continued to make gospel radio hits throughout the next two decades including, “Worship The Lord,” “God Will Take Care of You,” “Give Me A Star” and “To My Father’s House.” In recent years, Hawkins recorded occasionally and toured largely in Europe. He also sponsored the Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar to teach the next generation of musicians the business of music. “This is a sad day in music,” says Liz Black, midday radio host for WLIB, a gospel radio station in New York City. “I knew and loved Edwin Hawkins’ music even before I was in the church and I know that I’m not alone in that.”

In 2001, The Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) ranked  “Oh Happy Day” No. 63 on its Top 365 Songs of the 20th Century listing. The song has been covered by dozens of artists, including Quincy Jones, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Jason Mraz, Susan Boyle, The Oak Ridge Boys and Elvis Presley.

Hawkins is survived by his siblings Carol, Feddie, Daniel, and Lynette.  Funeral arrangements are pending.

 

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From the Frontlines to the Screen: How West Texas Hospitals Became National Models of Crisis Leadership

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In the vast and often unforgiving expanse of West Texas, healthcare doesn’t come easy. Resources are stretched, patients are sometimes hours away from care, and trauma doesn’t wait for convenience. Yet, against the odds, two hospitals—Medical Center Hospital in Odessa and Pecos County Memorial Hospital in Fort Stockton—are quietly transforming what it means to lead in rural emergency medicine. Their work, now drawing national attention thanks to the Amazon Prime docuseries Desert Doc, is setting a new benchmark in crisis leadership and trauma care.

What makes these institutions exceptional isn’t just their location or their patient volume—it’s their unwavering ability to deliver high-stakes medical care with limited resources, tight budgets, and enormous responsibility. In this region, where oil rigs outnumber ambulances and car crashes are all too common, fast, effective emergency response can mean the difference between life and death.

What’s behind their success? It’s a powerful blend of visionary leadership, courageous medical direction, and a culture built on resilience and adaptability. Leading the way are CEOs Russell Tippin of Medical Center Hospital and Betsy Briscoe of Pecos County Memorial Hospital—trailblazers who have pushed the boundaries of innovation in rural healthcare. Partnering with them are dedicated physicians like Dr. Sudip Bose, whose frontline experience as an US Army combat physician in Iraq shapes his calm, decisive approach to crisis care. As seen in Desert Doc, Dr. Bose is part of a committed network of clinicians who view rural emergency medicine not just as a career, but as a calling. 

While the show Desert Doc brings these high-pressure moments to life on screen, what it also reveals is the remarkable strength of the systems behind the scenes. Pecos County Memorial Hospital, for instance, may be smaller in scale, but its impact is no less profound. Their medical staff routinely stabilize and save patients in conditions that would challenge even the best-equipped urban centers. Their coordination with air medical services, cross-training of rural clinicians, and integration of battlefield-inspired trauma techniques demonstrate a playbook that larger hospitals could learn from.

The pandemic further spotlighted these hospitals’ leadership under pressure. Medical Center Hospital quickly adapted to shifting protocols, staff shortages, and overwhelming patient volumes. Their response earned praise from both state and federal health authorities, showing that rural facilities can be agile and innovative in ways that larger systems often struggle to match.

The growing interest in Desert Doc isn’t just about entertainment—it’s a window into the reality of rural healthcare, and the hospitals and people rising to meet that reality every day. While the series centers on Dr. Bose’s gripping, real-time cases, the true story is broader. It’s about a region’s commitment to resilience. It’s about hospitals doing more with less—and doing it with excellence.

As the spotlight shines on these stories, one thing becomes clear: West Texas hospitals are no longer just local lifelines. They are national models of what’s possible when leadership, courage, and innovation collide.

🎥 Watch the Trailer: Desert Doc Trailer – YouTube
📺 Stream the Full Series on Amazon Prime: Desert Doc on Amazon Prime

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