Collection ID: SC 31
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Lydon, Michael
Abstract:
Collection includes audiocassette recordings of interviews about Ray Charles for Lydon's book Ray Charles : Man and Music (2004), a radio series about Ray Charles based on Lydon's book, complete or partial transcripts for many of the interviews organized loosely into book chapters, interviews with and about other African American musicians, class lectures given by Lydon at Indiana University and related publicity materials, and original music performed by Lydon.
Extent:
93 Audiocassettes (analog, stereo), 7 Audio Discs ((digital, stereo ; 4 3/4)), and 1 document case (0.42 linear feet)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

Michael Lydon Collection, SC 31, Archives of African American Music and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

Michael Lydon graduated from Yale University in 1965 and embarked on a career as a writer and musician. He covered the Civil Rights Movement for the Boston Globe and then moved on to Newsweek where he worked as a staff reporter for the London and San Francisco bureaus.

In 1967 he was invited by Jann Wenner to become a founding editor of Rolling Stone. During this period he experienced the London music scene first hand, regularly attended performances at the Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms in San Francisco, and joined the Rolling Stones on a cross-country tour.

In the 1970s he turned to singing and songwriting and still performs regularly with partner Ellen Mandel. His first book, Rock Folk (1971), was followed by Boogie Lightning : How Music Became Electric (1974), Flashbacks : Eyewitness Accounts of the Rock Revolution (2003), and Songwriting Success : How to Write Songs for Fun and (Maybe) Profit (2004). While researching his highly acclaimed biography Ray Charles : Man and Music (2004), Lydon traveled around the country interviewing Charles's friends and associates.

Scope and Content:

Collection includes 91 audiocassette recordings of interviews about Ray Charles, a radio series about Ray Charles based on Lydon's book (2 compact discs), complete or partial transcripts for many of the interviews organized loosely into book chapters (electronic files), interviews with and about other African American musicians (3 compact discs), class lectures given by Lydon at Indiana University and related publicity materials, and original music performed by Lydon (2 compact discs).

The bulk of the interviews were conducted by Lydon between 1995-1997 in preparation for his biography about Ray Charles. In addition to three interviews with Charles, there are also interviews with many of Charles's friends, family members, and associates including former managers and band members. Overall, the interviews document the significant contributions to American music by Charles, whose gospel-inflected rhythm and blues gave birth to soul. Of broader interest are the conversations with a multitude of musicians and record company personnel whose careers spanned the decades 1940-1980, providing a first person chronicle of the post-war emergence and influence of Black popular music.

Related materials include a BBC Radio 2 series, Ray Charles : Man and Music based on Lydon's book, and various promotional and biographical materials. Recent accessions include earlier interviews conducted by Lydon with Bo Diddley and Wilson Pickett. Materials documenting Lydon's career include commercial CDs featuring original music performed by Lydon, recordings of lectures given by Lydon during a 2001 visit to Indiana University, and various collected writings: Lyrics : 1971-2001 (Patrick Press, 2001); Now What? : A Philosophy of Freedom and Equality (Patrick Press, 1993); and Freedom Now! : Reports from Mississippi and the South, 1964-1965 (Patrick Press, 2002).

Transcripts of interviews in this collection were deposited by Lydon in electronic form. Some of the transcripts are individual documents, while others are compiled together. An index of the interview transcripts has been created by the AAAMC. Please contact the AAAMC for assistance in viewing transcripts for specific interviews.

Acquisition information:
Donated by Michael Lydon in 2002, 2008, and 2009.
Processing information:

Processed by AAAMC staff. Completed in 2009. Preservation and access funded in part by a grant from the GRAMMY® Foundation.

Arrangement:

Arranged in 3 series:

Series 1: Ray Charles Interviews/Programs
Series 2: Musician Interviews
Series 3: Michael Lydon Interviews, Performances, Writings, and Photograph
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Use of time-based media materials (audio and video) may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Access to streaming audio, moving image, and full resolution digital image materials may currently be restricted to researchers who can authenticate with an IU account or who are physically present on campus. Remote streaming to individual researchers may be allowed with the completion of applicable forms.

For further information about access to online audiovisual materials, contact AAAMC staff at aaamc@indiana.edu.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Indiana Public Records Act (5-14-3-2 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which Indiana University assumes no responsibility.

Copyright is retained by the creators/authors of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. All requests for copying and publishing materials must be submitted in writing to the Archives of African American Music and Culture, and may require the written permission of the creator(s)/author(s) or donor(s).

PREFERRED CITATION:

Michael Lydon Collection, SC 31, Archives of African American Music and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Smith Research Center, Rooms 180-181
2805 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47408-2601, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-8547
aaamc@indiana.edu