Taylor Hawkins: Hear Him Sing on Track from Edgar Winter’s New LP

Taylor Hawkins appears on the new Edgar Winter album, Brother Johnny, which is out today (April 15.)

The album serves as a tribute to Johnny Winter, Edgar's brother who died in July 2014 at age 70. Hawkins sings on the track "Guess I'll Go Away," a cover of a song Johnny Winter originally released on his 1970 studio album Johnny Winter And. 

Edgar Winter wrote about working with Hawkins in a tribute on his website after the Foo Fighters drummer's sudden passing at age 50. Edgar wrote, in part, about the cover, "It stands out in my mind as the highest energy and hardest rocking song on the entire album. I have always considered it stylistically the most uncharacteristically advanced song Johnny ever wrote, almost a precursor of heavy metal."

Edgar added, "I had only just met Taylor, and barely got to know him, but I was so impressed by his sincerity, positive energy, and pure enthusiasm. He had a unique spontaneous style different from anyone I’ve ever worked with before. I can be very opinionated—but as soon as heard what he was doing, I knew it was best to step back, stay out of the way, and let him do his thing. That session was an experience I will never forget."

On top of that, Edgar said Hawkins refused to be compensated for his work saying, "When I tried to open a business discussion, he simply would not hear of it. He said—I don’t want ANYTHING for doing this, I just wanna get out there and Rock. And Rock HE DID! I don’t know if it was out of respect for Johnny, a desire to help me in what I was doing, compassion for the nature of the project, or his friendship with [the album's producer] Ross [Hogarth.] Most probably all these things—but whatever it was, he gave it His ALL!"

Many musicians took a moment in their sets over the weekend to honor Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly on March 25 at the age of 50.

Scroll below to see a selection of some of music's biggest names honoring Hawkins.

(WARNING: Some NSFW language ahead.)

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators performed "Starlight" from his 2010's self-titled album during the band's March 26 show in Orlando in tribute to Hawkins. Slash said before the performance, "I'm sure most of you are aware that we lost a really close friend of ours last night — Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of the Foo Fighters. First of all, he was a great f---ing guy — a f---ing sweetheart. He was a really good friend and a kickass drummer. [We're] completely crushed that we've lost him. So we wanna do a song tonight and dedicate it to him. "

Elton John dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" to Hawkins during his March 26 show in Des Moine, Iowa. He said before the performance, "I got up this morning to see that Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters had passed away, and I was so shocked because he played on my 'Lockdown Sessions' album and he was one of the nicest people you could ever meet and one of the greatest drummers and a true musician who loved all sorts of music and loved life. And it seems so sad that at 50 years of age we've lost someone who had that much passion. And it makes me so downhearted for his family — his three children and his wife and his other relatives — and, of course, the Foo Fighters who've lost a dearest loved one that can never, ever be replaced. But his music will live on. But I can tell you he was a great, great one. So this song is for him and his family and his wife and his children."

Joan Jett & the Blackheart dedicated "Fragile" to Hawkins during their set at the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival on March 26 in Brookhaen, Ga. Jett was emotional when leading into the song telling the crowd Hawkins was "one of the greatest drummers of our time."

Cyrus was visible emotional when honoring Hawkins during her set at Lollapalooza Brazil saying, "We had to make this emergency landing, and the first person I called was Taylor because he was already at the festival. That would’ve been the time that I would’ve gotten to see my friend, and I didn’t, so it makes me really sad I would’ve done anything to hang out with him one more time." She and her band played "Angels Like You" in honor of Hawkins.

Mammoth WVH covered the Foo Fighters hit "My Hero" during their March 26 gig in Boston with Wolfgang Van Halen saying before the performance that Hawkins "...was a hero to me, and a hero to all of us, and a hero to countless people, so we feel this is necessary."

Gallagher closed out his March 26 show at London's Royal Albert Hall dedicating "Live Forever" to Hawkins.

Daughtry covered "My Hero" with help from Mark Tremonti and Lyell during their March 26 show in New Orleans.