Biography

Bess Hawes was born on January 21, 1921 in Austin, Texas, USA. She was a director and writer, known for Pizza Pizza Daddy-O (1967), Buckdancer (1965) and Say Old Man Can You Play the Fiddle (1970). She was married to Baldwin Hawes. She died on November 27, 2009 in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Daughter of John A. Lomax and Bess Brown Lomax.

She was a singer, teacher, and folklorist who was part of the leading family of American folk studies. She is probably most famous for co-writing "M.T.A." Its melody comes from two old folk songs to which new lyrics were written.