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Museum object · Photographs and Still Images

Photograph of Bill “Hawk” Hawkins, Mary Lou Williams, and Paul Breckenridge

1948-1958

Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America

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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A black-and-white photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins with Mary Lou Williams and Paul Breckenridge inside the DJ booth in Bill Hawkins’ Record Studio. Breckenridge is depicted on the far left, Williams at center, and Hawkins on the far right. Breckenridge is smiling, facing the viewer, and looking down at an advertisement for Burkhardt’s Beer that he holds in his hands. The advertisement depicts a graphic of a footed beer glass with a banner across the front and a small speaker over the foot. The text, printed in varying fonts and sizes over the graphics, reads [WRITE A / “GOLDEN / TIME” / COMMERCIAL / YOUR HOST / Burkhardt’s / Special / BEER / WEWS / SATURDAY 11 PM]. In the top right corner of the advertisement are graphics of musical notes and white text that reads [There’s a Smile / in Every Bubble!].

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2018.91.2.33

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