Beginning in 1954, Hawkins was a regular performer on ABC Radio and TV's "Ozark Jubilee" in Springfield, Missouri, where he met his second wife, Jean Shepard. After a few years with Columbia and RCA Records, he joined the Grand Ole Opry and returned to King; and in 1962 he recorded his biggest hit, "Lonesome 7-7203". It first appeared on the "Billboard" country chart as a March 2, 1963 release, three days before Hawkins died. The song was absent from the charts for the two weeks following his death, but re-appeared on March 23 and spent 25 weeks on the chart, four of them at No. 1, an accomplishment that eluded him in life.