Photograph of the exterior of Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of the exterior of Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio. The photograph, taken at night, depicts a crowd of people watching Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins deejaying inside his record studio. The crowd is standing on the sidewalk looking into DJ booth, located inside the store’s front window. Bill Hawkins is partially visible inside. He is standing inside the booth, wearing headphones with black wires draped down the front of his shirt. He is wearing a white collared shirt and dark trousers. On the wall behind him are a row of photographs and a partially visible wall clock. The spectators include men, women, and children. Most of the men are wearing suits and Stetson hats, while the women mostly wear dresses with overcoats. In the foreground are two bicycles on the left and far right. The sign above the crowd [[---?]ision / Bill Hawkins / RECORD / STUDIO]. A smaller sign next door reads [RESTAURANT]. The photograph has a white border that is thicker on the left side and a landscape orientation. The back of the photograph is white and plain. There is a diagonally oriented, black ink stamp at the center that reads [PHOTO BY / JIMMY JOYCE / 2222 EAST 29TH ST. / CLEVELAND 6, OHIO] and two small red ink [+] signs in the top and bottom left corners.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1948-1958
• Photograph by: James A. Joyce, American
• Subject of: Bill Hawkins, American, 1909 - 1975
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Unidentified Child or Children
• Subject of: Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio, American
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 5 1/16 × 7 in. (12.9 × 17.8 cm)
• Place captured: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Radio
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2018.91.2.7
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of W. Allen Taylor, son of "Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins," The First Black Disc Jockey of Cleveland, Ohio
• 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: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.