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 college band 'Bama State Collegians before leading the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, which played alongside such musical legends as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.