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.
Periods and albums
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Early career (1998–2002)
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.
In 2002, Workman was awarded the Juno Award for Best New Solo Artist, while the music video for "Jealous of Your Cigarette", directed by Sean Michael Turrell, won Best Video.
Lover/Fighter (2003–2005)
Lover/Fighter followed in 2003; the album included the hits "We Will Still Need a Song", "Smoke Baby", "Anger as Beauty", "Even an Ugly Man", and "No Reason to Cry Out Your Eyes (On the Highway Tonight)". The album was recorded in an old schoolhouse in Muskoka, which Workman converted into a recording studio.
"Anger As Beauty" was released in 2003 just prior to the LP release, Lover/Fighter. It includes a radio edit of the single "Anger as Beauty", and "Love Will Tear Us Apart", a cover of a song by Joy Division.
The same year Workman was featured, with recording artists Jully Black and Sam Roberts, in a multi-award-winning MuchMusic social-issue documentary Inside Your Threads, by Tania Natscheff and Liz Marshall. Workman and Black travelled to Bangladesh to witness the living and working conditions of garment workers making clothes for the North American market.
Live in Lille, released in 2004, is a DVD of a live performance performed in Lille, France, that showcases his live musicianship.
In 2004, Workman also released Before We Were Security Guards, an album he originally recorded in 1998. The album was originally only available at live shows, but is now available to order through his website.
Treeful of Starling was released on February 28, 2006, a quiet retreat compared to the more high energy Lover/Fighter.
In late 2006, Workman released two tour albums. Puppy, which was recorded between For Him and the Girls and (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves and My Little Toothless Beauties, recorded shortly after Lover/Fighter in 2004. They are only available for purchase at live shows, through the band's website, or on the internet as MP3 albums.
In May 2008, Workman contributed a track to Cartier's Cartier LOVE campaign, which has collected songs by many musicians from around the world. Workman's contribution is called "The Ground That We Stand On". In addition to that song, Workman also wrote and produced a duet performed by himself and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. That song is called "The Strong Ones".
Los Manlicious (2008)
Following on the heels of Between the Beautifuls is an initially Europe exclusive release titled Los Manlicious, which was released in May 2008, and in Canada on August 26, 2008.
The record was recorded in the same sessions as Between the Beautifuls and Workman intended to release it first, but Universal Music preferred to release the mellower album first. Los Manlicious is a return to Hawksley's heavier rock roots, resembling his major label debut, (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves more than his two previous albums, Treeful of Starling and Between the Beautifuls. As well as Workman himself (credited as HW), several producers were enlisted for this album: Martin "Doc" McKinney, Andre Wahl, Bob Ezrin, John Southworth, Ken Friesen, Matt DeMatteo, James Paul.
The first single from this album is "When You Gonna Flower?" Los Manlicious' final track, "Fatty Wants to Dance" has been remixed by The Paronomasiac.
While on tour in Europe supporting the record, Workman recorded videos for eight of its 13 tracks. These videos were shot on location in various cities on the tour and can be watched on YouTube or on Workman's Facebook page.
Milk and Meat (2010)
Workman released two albums in 2010: Meat was released on January 19, 2010, and Milk was released in Canada on August 10, 2010 after being released digitally over the course of five months.
Full Moon Eleven (2011)
Workman's Christmas record titled "Full Moon Eleven" was released in November 2011. "Full Moon Eleven" was a re-recording and re-imagining of his original Christmas album, "Almost a Full Moon," which was recorded in Paris and released 10 years prior.
Songs from the god that comes (2013)
In 2013, Workman released Songs from the god that comes. The album is the soundtrack to a stage performance he created with 2b Theatre Company.
Old Cheetah (2015)
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."
Median Age Wasteland (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]
