The Edwin Hawkins Singers

As directors of music at their Berkeley church, the Ephesian Church of God in Christ, Edwin Hawkins (b. August 1943, Oakland, California, USA) and Betty Watson began in 1967 to absorb the leading soloists from other San Francisco-based choirs to inaugurate the North California State Youth Choir. In 1969, the 50-strong ensemble recorded an album to boost their funds, and when San Francisco disc jockey Tom Donahue began playing one of its tracks, ‘Oh Happy Day', the assemblage found itself with both a record contract with the Buddah Records label and a surprise international hit...