Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Pollard, Deborah Smith
- Abstract:
- The Deborah Smith Pollard collection includes more than 200 gospel music magazines and other publications from the 1980s to 2000s. The collection also includes Pollard's gospel music television specials, over 50 interviews she conducted with gospel artists and industry figures, airchecks of Pollard's radio program "Strong Inspirations" and radio programs hosted by other announcers.
- Extent:
- 7 document cases (7.33 linear feet), 5 Videocassettes (U-matic), 12 Audiotape Reels, and 110 Audiocassettes
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
Deborah Smith Pollard Collection, SC 80, Archives of African American Music and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Deborah Smith Pollard, née Barney, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Born into a musical family, she was introduced to a wide range of musical genres as a child, including gospel, Broadway showtunes, and classical music. She earned an undergraduate degree in television and radio from Michigan State University and later her doctorate in American Studies. After graduating from college, she was employed at Detroit's NBC affiliate, WDIV Channel 4 where she created and produced a monthly local gospel show. She also produced an Emmy award-winning special for GodSounds in 1985. Pollard's inspiration by her mother and Gospel radio legends such as Bertha Harris led her to pursue her own boundary-pushing career in radio. Pollard often mixed genres of music on her show and is credited as one of the first gospel radio announcers to play Christian Hip Hop on a major station in Detroit. In addition to her prolific career in radio, Pollard also serves as an instructor of English, African American literature, and gospel music at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In 2008, Pollard released her book, When the Church Becomes your Party, which explores the progressions of expression, fashions, and gender identity in contemporary gospel to a more traditional audience. Pollard was named "Gospel Announcer of the Year" during the Stellar Awards in 2006.
- Scope and Content:
Series 1 contains the bulk of the audiovisual materials in the Deboarh Smith Pollard Collection. Pollard conducted the interviews for her dissertation research, as a representative for the Michigan Traditional Arts Program, for later broadcast on her radio show, or a combination of the above. The interviews range from the early 1990s through the early 2000s. Through late 1997, she conducted the interviews using her surname prior to her marriage, Barney, which is heard on many of the recordings.
Series 2 and 3 contain miscellaneous gospel radio airchecks and recordings from gospel events. Some are airchecks of Pollard's show, while others were recorded by her for research or personal use.
Series 4 contains a small number of gospel television material from the 1980s to which Pollard had working connections, including the GodSounds program and promotional material for Motor City Praisefest.
Series 5 contains clippings and other materials featuring writings by Pollard, as well as materials written about or featuring her.
Series 6 includes gospel culture and industry magazines collected by Pollard. The earliest magazines date back to the mid 1970s. The bulk of the magazines date between the late 1980s and early 2000s.
Series 7, 8, and 9 include gospel-related event programs, promotional materials, and ephemera collected by Pollard.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated to the AAAMC by Deborah Smith Pollard in 2015 and 2016.
- Processing information:
Processed by AAAMC staff. Completed in 2022.
- Arrangement:
Arranged in 9 series:
- Series 1: Interviews
- Series 2: Airchecks
- Series 3: Other gospel related programs
- Series 4: Miscellaneous videos
- Series 5: Writings and clippings related to Pollard
- Series 6: Magazines and assorted publications
- Series 7: Programs
- Series 8: Press Kits & Promotional Materials
- Series 9: Ephemera
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed Terms
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.
Some interviews in this collection were originally conducted by Pollard for the Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP). Access to these interviews will require written consent from the MTAP.
- 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:
-
Deborah Smith Pollard Collection, SC 80, Archives of African American Music and Culture, Indiana University, Bloomington.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
Smith Research Center, Rooms 180-1812805 East 10th StreetBloomington, Indiana 47408-2601, United States
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
812-855-8547aaamc@indiana.edu