Hawksley Workman (born Ryan Corrigan, March 4, 1975) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter whose music blends cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released more than a dozen albums throughout his career. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and sings on his recordings, often switching between instruments during live performances. Workman has produced and engineered many of his own recordings, as well as albums for other artists.
Workman was born in Huntsville, in the Muskoka region of Ontario, and attended Huntsville High School. He later moved to Toronto to pursue his musical career and started using the stage name Hawksley Workman.
Career
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Early career (1998–2006)
In the late 1990's, Workman initially recorded in the front entrance of a friend's studio before moving to a basement studio on Hillsdale Avenue in Toronto. There, he recorded his early albums For Him and the Girls and (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves, as well as material later released on Before We Were Security Guards and Puppy (A Boy's Truly Rough). Workman also engineered and produced albums for other Canadian artists, including Tegan and Sara and The Cash Brothers.
Workman released his debut album, For Him and the Girls, in 1999 on his own label, Isadora Records. It was released in the UK through Loose Music Records in October 2000. An AllMusic review compared elements of the album to the music of Tom Waits and Harry Nilsson. Around the release of his debut album, Workman published a number of letters to "Isadora", a fictional lover, in the classified section of Toronto's NOW magazine. The letters were collected in the book Hawksley Burns for Isadora, first published by Gutter Press in 2001, with an edition released by ECW Press in 2002.
Workman was awarded the Juno Award for Best New Solo Artist in 2002, while the music video for "Jealous of Your Cigarette", directed by Sean Michael Turrell, won Best Video. The album Lover/Fighter followed in 2003, which included the singles "Anger as Beauty" and "We Will Still Need a Song". The album was recorded at the Schoolhouse, a former-one room schoolhouse near Huntsville, Ontario, that Workman had purchased and converted into a recording studio.
Workman appeared alongside Jully Black and Sam Roberts in the 2004 MuchMusic social-issue documentary Inside Your Threads, about garment workers in Mexico and Bangladesh, directed by Liz Marshall and Tania Natscheff. The same year, he released Live in Lille, a concert DVD documenting a performance in Lille, France. He also released Before We Were Security Guards, an album of recordings from 1998 that was initially sold at concerts, and produced Serena Ryder's album Unlikely Emergency, released through his Isadora Records label.
In 2006, Workman released Treeful of Starling, a more stripped-down, acoustic album compared to the high energy of Lover/Fighter. He also released two tour albums, Puppy (A Boy's Truly Rough) and My Little Toothless Beauties. The song "It's a Long Life to Always Be Longing", from the album, was also included on the soundtrack album for the Canadian television series Whistler.
Later career (2007–2013)
In November 2007, Workman released the single titled "Piano Blink", followed by his album Between the Beautifuls in January 2008. Later in 2008, he contributed the track "The Strong Ones" with Marion Cotillard for Cartier's LOVE campaign.
Workman also released Los Manlicious, with the album appearing exclusively in Europe in May before its Canadian release on August 26, 2008. Both albums were recorded during the same session, with Los Manlicious featuring Workman's return to more rock-oriented material. As well as Workman himself (credited as HW), several producers were credited for this album, including Martin "Doc" McKinney, Andre Wahl and Bob Ezrin. The album's lead single, "When You Gonna Flower?", was released to Canadian radio in 2008 and the track "Fatty Wants to Dance", has been remixed by The Paronomasiac. A series of videos were filmed during Workman's 2008 European tour in support of Los Manlicious.
Workman hosted the Juno Songwriters' Circle in Vancouver in March 2009. Later that year, his debut album, For Him and the Girls, was released in the US on November 17. In 2010, Workman released two albums: Meat on January 19, and Milk in Canada on August 10, following the earlier digital release of individual tracks from Milk.
In November 2011, Workman released "Full Moon Eleven", a re-recording of his 2001 Christmas Album Almost a Full Moon, which had originally been recorded in Paris. In 2012, he presented an early version of his musical theatre production The God That Comes at the Uno Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. He also contributed songwriting and instrumental performances to Alan Doyle's debut solo album, Boy on Bridge. The following year, Workman released Songs from the god that comes, an album accompanying the stage production The God That Comes, which he co-created with Christian Barry of 2b Theatre Company.
Present career (2014–present)
On June 2, 2015, Workman released Old Cheetah. According to his website in a post to the Front page on May 25 by Alex Hudson, "The 12-song effort is theatrical and ambitious. Workman’s signature eclecticism shines brightly on songs like '1000 Miles of Atmosphere,' a nine-and-a-half-minute prog epic that’s stuffed with syncopated rhythms, star-dazzled synth twinkles and unpredictable sonic shifts."
In 2019 Workman released his latest album titled Median Age Wasteland, a blend of folk and country.
Hawksley's band
Workman has played live in many configurations. His minimal setup consists of a duo, with Todd Lumley ("Mr. Lonely") playing piano and keyboards alongside Hawksley Workman on the guitar and vocals. During his 2008 tour in support of "Between the Beautifuls" Workman played with a larger band and sang while switching between drums and guitar.
Workman's recent configuration for more traditional rock songs consists of the following:
Workman revealed his choices for guitars and equipment in an interview with Australian Guitar Magazine in January 2006.
Squier 1952 Telecaster reissue – early 1980s model, JV series, made in Japan
Gibson Les Paul Standard – early 1970s model, ebony finish, Bigsby vibrato tailpiece
Gibson Les Paul Standard – early 1970s model, wine red finish, Bigsby vibrato tailpiece
Workman uses two amps on tour. The first amp is either a Fender Blues Deville, Fender Hot Rod Deville, or a Vox AC-30. Using an A/B/Y footswitch, he switches between this first amp and a Fender Pro Junior which he uses for guitar solos. He has stated that he uses no pedals with the exception of an MXR "Micro Amp" pedal used with the Vox AC-30.[citation needed]
In 2023, his touring rig consisted of Squier Jazzmaster guitars played through pedals including Ibanez Tube Screamer, Neo Clone, and amp and cabinet simulators.[citation needed]
↑Webb-Campbell, Shannon (March 6, 2008). "Hawksley Workman's a tough gig". The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
↑Whelan, Janna (June 7, 2010). "Hawksley Workman". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
↑Carpenter, Kyle (January 25, 2010). "CD REVIEWS: Hawksley Workman: Meat". The Tribune. Société de Publication de la Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
