Erskine Hawkins, that 20th Century Gabriel, from live 1940s radio is this week’s Phantom Dancer non-stop swing jazz feature artist.

Greg Poppleton has been bringing you The Phantom Dancer every week since 1985.

It’s your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

Hear The Phantom Dancer online from 12:04pm AEST Tuesday 25 August at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/ where you can also hear two years of archived shows.

The finyl hour is vinyl.

ERSKINE

Erskine Ramsay Hawkins, ‘the 20th Century Gabriel’ was an American trumpeter, composer and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama.

His outstanding hit, ‘Tuxedo Junction’ (1939) written saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson, has become a jazz standard.

Vocalists who were featured with Erskine’s orchestra include Ida James, Delores Brown, and Della Reese.

Erskine Hawkins was named by his parents after Alabama industrialist Erskine Ramsay. The industrialist was rewarding parents who named their children after him with savings accounts.

At high schoold he played in the band directed by Fess Whatley, a teacher who trained numerous African-American musicians, many of whom populated the bands of famed band leaders such as Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Louis Armstrong and Skitch Henderson (of the NBC Orchestra).

HAWKINS

From 1936 to 1938, he recorded for Vocalion Records as ‘Erskine Hawkins and his ‘Bama State Collegians’. In 1938, he signed with RCA Victor Records and began recording on their Bluebird label as, ‘Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra’.

In the late 1930s Hawkins and his Orchestra were one of the house bands at the Savoy Ballroom. They alternated with the Chick Webb band, and often used Tuxedo Junction as their sign-off song before the next band would take the stage, so that the dancing would continue uninterrupted. Hawkins also engaged in ‘battles of the bands’ with such bandleaders as Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton.

In the mid 1940s, he was transferred to the main RCA Victor label, recording many of his greatest hits for both labels during this decade. He remained with them until 1950 when he switched over to Coral Records. He continued to record for many years.

From 1967 – 93, Hawkins was trumpeter and band leader in the lobby bar and show nightclub at The Concord Resort Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, New York with his last performing group Joe Vitale piano, Dudly Watson bass, Sonny Rossi vocals and clarinet, and George Leary drums.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

A clip of Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra from 1938. Enjoy!

25 AUGUST PLAY LIST