1. Coleman Hawkins denied being first and noted his contemporaries Happy Caldwell, Stump Evans, and Prince Robinson, although he was the first to tailor his method of improvisation to the saxophone rather than imitate the techniques of the clarinet.
Coleman Hawkins was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, United States, in 1904.
Coleman Hawkins was named Coleman after his mother Cordelia's maiden name.
At age four, Coleman Hawkins began to study the piano, then the cello at age seven, before switching to the saxophone by age nine.
Coleman Hawkins attended high school in Chicago, then in Topeka, Kansas, at Topeka High School.
Coleman Hawkins later stated that he studied harmony and composition for two years at Washburn College in Topeka while still attending high school.
Coleman Hawkins joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, where he remained until 1934, sometimes doubling on clarinet and bass saxophone.
Coleman Hawkins's playing changed significantly during Louis Armstrong's tenure with the Henderson Orchestra.
Coleman Hawkins was featured on a Benny Goodman session on February 2,1934 for Columbia, which featured Mildred Bailey as guest vocalist.
In late 1934, Coleman Hawkins accepted an invitation to play with Jack Hylton's orchestra in London, and toured Europe as a soloist until 1939, performing and recording with Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter in Paris in 1937.
Lester Young was at his zenith with the Basie band, and virtually all of the other major bands had a Coleman Hawkins-styled tenor in a featured position.
Coleman Hawkins always had a keen ear for new talent and styles, and he was the leader on what is generally considered to have been the first ever bebop recording session on February 16,1944 including Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas, Clyde Hart, Oscar Pettiford, and Max Roach.
Coleman Hawkins divided his time between New York and Europe, making numerous freelance recordings.
Coleman Hawkins's last recording was in 1967; Hawkins died of liver disease on May 19,1969, at Wickersham Hospital, in Manhattan.
Coleman Hawkins was survived by his widow, Dolores, who died in 2010, and by three children: a son, Rene, and two daughters, Colette and Mimi.
Coleman Hawkins is interred in the Yew Plot at the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.