Erskine Hawkins

Birmingham native Erskine Hawkins (1914-1993) was a famous Big Band musician during the 1930s and 1940s, known as the "Twentieth-Century Gabriel" for his ability to play high notes on the trumpet. Hawkins was a member of the famous Alabama State Teachers College (now Alabama State University) band, the 'Bama State Collegians, before leading the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, which played alongside such musical legends as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.

Courtesy of the Birmingham Public Library Archives