Tramaine Hawkins

Tramaine Hawkins came into the world as Tramaine Davis in San Francisco and spent her formative years in Berkeley. She is the granddaughter of Bishop E.E. Cleveland, a founder of the Church of God in Christ, the largest Black Pentecostal body in the United States. Her entry into music occurred in 1968 while still a teenager, when she performed with the Edwin Hawkins Singers on an at-home recording session that resulted in the enduring crossover gospel hit "Oh Happy Day," the best-selling single of its kind recorded up to that point.

In the early 1970s she wed Walter Hawkins, brother of Edwin, who later became the leader of Love Center Ministries. There she served as lead soprano for his Love Center Choir and featured prominently on the album Love Alive, a live Sunday service recording that included her husband’s sermon, Edwin’s piano work, and her own lead vocals. Both that release and its sequel, Love Alive II, achieved strong sales.

Hawkins embarked on a solo recording career during the mid-1980s. Her albums reflect comfort across an array of styles, whether delivering traditional gospel shouts, powerful blues interpretations, silky soul ballads, or driving urban funk tracks. The embrace of popular-music elements drew criticism from conservative listeners who questioned the depth of her faith, yet repeated hearings affirm that her convictions and constructive aims stayed unwavering even as her sound reached wider audiences.