Erskine Hawkins Orchestra
The Bama State Collegians is a student jazz orchestra made up of students at Alabama State University. This group was organized in the late 1920s by Len Bowden, Fess Whatley, and Paul Bascomb. Bowden went on to direct the Navy's music program at Camp Robert Smalls during World War II. John Tuggle "Fess" Whatley (1895-1972) was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and has a K-8 school in Birmingham named after him. The Bama State Collegians have been directed by a number of notable musicians, including Tommy Stewart and Erskine Hawkins. The group also holds an important place in jazz history. In 1934, the entire group travelled to New York and became the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, recording hit records such as Tuxedo Junction, which rose to No. 7 nationally by Erskine Hawkins and No. 1 by Glenn Miller. Members of this band worked with the NBC Orchestra, the Lucky Millinder Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Louis Armstrong and others. Among those who have played with the orchestra are Dud Bascomb, Paul Bascomb, Avery Parrish, and Haywood Henry. In 2011, the story of Erskine Hawkins and his start in the Bama State Collegians was the subject of a Florida State University Film School MFA Thesis Film "The Collegians", written and directed by Alabama State University alumn Bryan Lewis. |
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1956
Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 135 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-057724 | 10-in. | 11/20/1940 | Rifftime | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-057725 | 10-in. | 11/20/1940 | I know a secret | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-057726 | 10-in. | 11/20/1940 | S'posin' | Dolores Brown ; Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-057727 | 10-in. | 11/20/1940 | To-night you belong to me | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-060404 | 10-in. | 1/22/1941 | Keep cool fool | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-060405 | 10-in. | 1/22/1941 | No use squawkin' | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-060406 | 10-in. | 1/22/1941 | Who's beatin' my time with you? | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065727 | 10-in. | 5/15/1941 | Uncle Bud | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065728 | 10-in. | 5/15/1941 | Blackout | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065729 | 10-in. | 5/15/1941 | Blue sea | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065730 | 10-in. | 5/15/1941 | I love you truly | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with mixed vocal quartet | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065731 | 10-in. | 5/15/1941 | Shipyard ramble | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065908 | 10-in. | 5/27/1941 | Hey Doc! | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065909 | 10-in. | 5/27/1941 | So long, Shorty | Wilbur Bascomb ; Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and trumpet solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065910 | 10-in. | 5/27/1941 | I'm in a low down groove | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-065911 | 10-in. | 5/27/1941 | Night after night | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-067546 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | Someone's rocking my dream boat | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-067547 | 10-in. | 8/8/1941 | Jumpin' in a julep joint | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-068712 | 10-in. | 12/22/1941 | Sometimes | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-068713 | 10-in. | 12/22/1941 | I don't want to walk without you | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Ida James | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-068714 | 10-in. | 12/22/1941 | Wrap your troubles in dreams (and dream your troubles away) | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-068715 | 10-in. | 12/22/1941 | [Unknown title(s)] | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-073288 | 10-in. | 5/27/1942 | Dont cry, baby | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra ; Jimmy Mitchell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-073289 | 10-in. | 5/27/1942 | Bicycle bounce | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group | |
Victor | BS-073290 | 10-in. | 5/27/1942 | Lucky seven | Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | Musical group |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Erskine Hawkins Orchestra," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/111954.
Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/111954.
"Erskine Hawkins Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bama State Collegians
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Erskine Hawkins Orchestra - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2002111259
Wikidata: Bama State Collegians - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4853273
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/121148436
MusicBrainz: Bama State Collegians - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/87213fe0-2f56-4fa1-8950-ad10a9874d4a
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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