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Edwin Hawkins was an American gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. As leader of the Edwin Hawkins Singers he was probably best known for his arrangement of "Oh Happy Day" which achieved sales of more than a million copies within two months in 1969. It crossed over to the pop charts, making No. 4 in the US, No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in France and Germany. The song became an international success, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide, and Hawkins was awarded his first Grammy for it. His arrangement of the song was eventually covered by The Four Seasons on their 1970 album Half & Half. Following the success of "Oh Happy Day" the group signed a major record deal with the newly created Pavilion label (distributed by Buddah), and released a second LP, He's A Friend Of Mine, in 1969. The single "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" taken from the album was a Top 10 hit for folk singer Melanie on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1970