Keith Shocklee on his Magnificent Music Machine, Hofstra U.: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Keith Shocklee at Hofstra University.

Shocklee is pictured in the center of the image, leaning over a record on a turntable. He is wearing headphones and a dark t-shirt with a necklace and has a mustache. To his proper right is a mixer. Crates of record are visible behind him, with one record sleeve pulled up and out an angle. A handwritten label on the record reads [DAVY X (FRESH)]. Several pieces of equipment are stacked behind him to the other side. Next to the turntable is a sign with the [SHURE] logo and the text [World's best pickup]. The only inscription, on the verso, reads [H / 12]

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1980s
• Photograph by: Harry Allen, American, born 1964
• Subject of: Keith Shocklee, American, born 1962
• Subject of: Hofstra University, American, founded 1935
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 14 9/16 × 19 3/8 in. (37 × 49.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 12 × 17 15/16 in. (30.5 × 45.5 cm)
• Place captured: Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2015.132.40
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Harry Allen Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.