Born on July 26, 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, Erskine Hawkins was a trumpeter
and big band leader who has been referred to as ‘the 20th Century Gabriel’. He
is best-known for co-writing the jazz classic “Tuxedo Junction” with saxophonist
Bill Johnson. The song became a hit during World War II - the Glenn Miller
Orchestra’s version reaching Number 1 while the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra
climbed to Number 7. Erskine Hawkins’s musical journey began at the age of 13,
after already learning to play drums and trombone, he started playing trumpet.
Influenced by Louis Armstrong, he became ...