Search

The collection contains photographic materials, articles, programs and ephemera related to Hall's performance career.

Six photographs from the 1950s, representing the Regals as well as the new Orioles group formed in 1955 by the merger of the Regals with the original Orioles, and featuring Al "Diz" Russell who remained with the group until 2016.

The collection consists primarily of contracts and correspondence between Arizona Dranes and the Consolidated Music Publishing House (owner of the Chicago OKeh Records franchise) from 1926-1929. Contracts for Nov. 15, 1926, include one song not commercially released (and possibly not recorded), "He's Got Better Things for You." Also included are articles about Dranes and this collection by the donor, Malcolm Shaw, and gospel historian Dr. Daniel E. Walker.

The collection consists primarily of interviews and articles regarding radio stations and music in New Orleans, including information about the first African American deejays in New Orleans and the Poppa Stoppa radio program.

Production materials documenting Smithsonian's thirteen-part program on the role of radio in transforming the African American community in the twentieth century. The program was produced in 1996 by Jacquie Gales Webb for Smithsonian Productions, with assistance from the AAAMC. The collection contains over 400 hours of interviews and historical aircheck tapes in addition to articles, research files, program scripts, and transcripts. The audio interviews feature conversations with over 150 well-known disc jockeys, radio professionals, record company executives, journalists, and scholars. The historical airchecks include station identifications and jingles, radio interviews with prominent Black figures, coverage of historical events, and programs highlighting or influenced by the contributions of Black performers, disc jockeys, and other important persons in radio.

This collection consists of gospel song books and sheet music, song texts, photographs, and other ephemeral material related to Blondell Hill's participation with choirs in Richmond, Indiana, Petoskey, Michigan, and Harbor Springs, Michigan.

Periodicals covering popular and rhythm & blues musicians and recordings, but primarily collected for their articles focusing on vocal harmony groups and quartettes of the 1950s-1960s. Also included are articles by Tancredi and airchecks from his internet radio program, "Work With Me Annie."

This collection consists of printed and manuscript scores of music by Charles Coleman, including sacred and secular choral works, as well as ephemeral materials related to the composer.

Materials documenting the period Charles Connor, known as "Little Richard's original drummer," spent on the road with Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Dee Clark, Larry Williams, Chuck Willis, and others. Included are more recent articles, interviews, and audio recordings of Connor and an unpublished book manuscript.

Research on the Motown Record Corp., including photographs, Motown-related videos and television programs, and audio and video interviews with vocalists, instrumentalists, arrangers, songwriters, producers, technical staff, management, and consumers. Interviews include Thomas "Beans" Bowles (saxophonist and first road manager of the Motor Town Revue), Maxwell Powell (image specialist at Motown's Division of Artist Development), Bobby Rogers and Ronald White (vocalists with the Miracles), Sylvia Moy (songwriter), and Michael McLean (audio technician).

A collection of 13 photos copied from the personal collection of David "Panama" Francis for use by Portia K. Maultsby and the Smithsonian Institution for the 1986 symposium and accompanying booklet and exhibition, Rhythm and Blues, 1945-1955. Francis participated as a panelist. The original photographs may now be in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution.

Photographs of Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels, including the Original Spaniels (whose members were from Gary, Indiana), the post-1956 Spaniels, and various later groups performing under the name Spaniels.

The collection consists of personal papers, photographs, and a video documenting the career Ed Castleberry, a pioneering black radio disc jockey and newscaster.

This collection includes clippings, sheet music, and one photograph related to gospel musician Rosetta Tharpe.

Collection consists of black and white photographs from the 1950s through the early 1980s related to KYOK in Houston. Including are images documenting the activities of KYOK's deejays in the studio and surrounding communities, particularly in connection with listener contests and station-sponsored events such as dances and the "We Love You" concert. Also included are photographs of KYOK publicity materials and publicity photographs of many of the rhythm and blues artists, jazz, and blues artists featured on the station.

The papers of Gertrude Rivers Robinson contain music manuscripts and sketches, correspondence, press clippings, class notes and coursework, lecture materials, audio recordings, photographs, slides, films and videos documenting her life and career as a composer, ethnomusicologist and pedagogue, including her research on the Balinese gamelan tradition.

The collection consists primarily of interviews regarding ska music and musicians conducted by Heather Augustyn. Also included in the collection are interview summaries, research files and ephemera, published books and recordings, and photographic prints and slides.

Jack "The Rapper" Gibson was a pioneer in Black radio, as well as an innovator, a leader, and a mentor to many in the radio and music industries. His work as a Black radio deejay spanned the early days of Black radio in the 1940s through the Civil Rights Movement, and included stints at WERD-Atlanta, WLOU-Louisville, WMBM-Miami, WCIN-Cincinnati, and WABQ-Cleveland. After retiring from radio in 1961, he became a successful music industry executive working for Motown, Decca, and Stax Records. In 1976, he launched the industry magazine Jack the Rapper, the oldest Black trade publication targeted to radio, and for the next twenty years organized the annual "Jack the Rapper's Family Affair," a Black music convention drawing generations of performers and music industry executives. His professionalism, continuous fight for racial equality and justice, and endearing human qualities made him a legend in the industry. This collection documents his long career in radio and music through personal correspondence, clippings, memorabilia, photographs, publicity materials, airchecks, interviews, lecture materials, and over 500 issues of his trade magazine "Jack the Rapper's Mello Yello."

A collection of publicity photos copied from the personal collection of Jock Hickman for use by Portia K. Maultsby and the Smithsonian Institution for the 1986 symposium and accompanying booklet and exhibition, Rhythm and Blues, 1945-1955. For the majority of these images copies exist at both the AAAMC and the Smithsonian Institution.

Thirty-nine photographs depicting rural life in Mississippi circa 1953-1964.

Approximately 800 radio aircheck tapes of radio programs of black popular music (live and prerecorded), hosted by Johnny Otis, and featuring live interviews with blues and rhythm & blues artists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Artists interviewed include Little Esther Phillips, Al Frazier, Mary Wells, Zola Taylor, the Coasters, Horace Silver, the Robins, Etta James, Big Jay McNeely, Bobby Day, Bumps Blackwell, Pee Wee Crayton, Jimmy McCracklin, and Joe Liggins. Also included are photographs, memorabilia, books, and compact discs.

Collection consists primarily of interview transcripts, program transcripts, and artist publicity materials used in the production of the Westwood One Radio programs Special Edition, That's Country Music, Rock Chronicles, My Top Ten, and History of Rock 'n Roll. It also contains materials from various specials including programs on Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones.

Collection consists of materials related to Lewis's work at the WERD radio station in the 1950s and '60s. Founded by Jesse B. Blayton, Sr. in October 1949 in Atlanta, Georgia, WERD was the first black owned and operated radio station in the United States. The collection materials comprise 7 black and white and 7 color photographs documenting WERD's early history. Content includes the exterior of the WERD studio building, publications related to WERD such as photographs of an issue of The Printed WERD, and a portrait of J.B. Blayton Sr.

The collection of music industry professional Logan H. Westbrooks contains professional and personal papers, photographs, sound recordings, video recordings, digital files, posters, books, memorabilia, artifacts and other material documenting his life and work from the 1930s through the 2010s. Professional papers pertain to his employment at Capitol Records, Mercury Records, CBS Records, CBS International, Soul Train Records, Source Records, and his management firm Ascent Music Inc. Personal papers pertain to his upbringing in Memphis, TN, the Church of God in Christ, lectures at California State University and Indiana University, philanthropic activities, and civic service. Topics include African American music industry executives; record labels; recording industry in United States, Africa, and Jamaica; African American musicians; black churches; rhythm and blues, soul, jazz, and funk music; radio and African American disc jockeys.

The collection consists of materials related to Smithsonian Institution programs, including the Duke Ellington Youth Project, in addition to gospel sheet music and related research materials from George's personal collection.

The collection spans the years 1955-2020; The earliest materials are LPs released between 1955 and 1974, while the papers are dated from 2012. Materials consist primarily of records, radio interviews, and magazines discussing the Pastor Maceo L. Woods, as well the Charles Harrison Mason Historical Society.

The collection includes Burnim's dissertation research on African American religious music conducted primarily in Indiana between 1976-1979 with an emphasis on gospel music performance and practice; and post-dissertation research on African and African American religious music conducted between 1980-1996 in the U.S., Cuba, Liberia, and Malawi. Also included is documentation of the 1984 Smithsonian American Folklife Festival and gospel sheet music. The collection was primarily recorded on analog audio formats and includes audiocassettes, open reel tapes, videocassettes, open reel video, slides, sheet music, song texts, and additional documentation.

A collection of 26 photos copied from the personal collection of Michael Graham for use by Portia K. Maultsby and the Smithsonian Institution for the 1986 symposium and accompanying booklet and exhibition, Rhythm and Blues, 1945-1955.

Papers, photographs, music manuscripts of original jazz and classical compositions, sound recordings and videos documenting the career of jazz pianist Mickey Tucker.

The collection consists primarily of materials collected during research for Nelson George's book Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound (St. Martin's Press, 1985). This includes interviews (audiocassettes and transcripts), photographs, newspaper clippings, magazines, photocopies of legal documents, manuscripts, and correspondence.

The Phyl Garland Collection consists primarily of personal papers, including original typescripts for Garland's columns in Ebony and Stereo Review, and related research and photographs. Also included are 41 original audiocassette recordings of interviews conducted by Garland (except as noted) primarily with various African American musicians, artists, and filmmakers. Topics include African American composers and musicians as well as various genres of music including, but not limited to, jazz, R&B, soul, rock, classical, and blues. Record company publicity materials include publicity photos and press releases for over 900 artists.

Research on the Black gospel quartet tradition including recorded interviews, transcripts, programs, sheet music, hymnals, subject files, sound recordings and videos.

Collection consists primarily of materials related to Roberts's work at KYOK-AM in the 1960s and '70s including images of KYOK sponsored events such as the "We Love You" concert and associated publicity materials, a beauty pageant, radio contests, and on-site broadcasts throughout Houston. Also included are photographs of KYOK radio personalities and staff as well as candid and publicity photographs of visiting R&B artists.

Publicity photographs, including movie and television stills, of African American musicians representing classical, jazz, gospel, soul and rhythm and blues genres.

This collection documents Dr. Teresa Hairston's work in the gospel music industry from the late 1980s into the early twenty-first century and consists of materials related to the publication of her gospel music magazines Score, Gospel Today, and Gospel Industry Today as well as events and television programs produced by Dr. Hairston. Included are publicity materials, photographs, press kits, magazines, correspondence, business records, and time-based media in both published and unpublished audio and video formats.

This collection includes interviews and research materails used for the production of the book The Black Composer Speaks (1978), a project initiated by the Afro-American Arts Institute at Indiana University, and co-edited by Lida M. Belt, David N. Baker and Herman C. Hudson. The majority of the interviews were conducted by Lida Belt (Baker).

A small collection of photographs from the 1950s-1960s. The bulk of the photographs feature Jackie Wilson. Also included is early Motown recording artist Gino Parks.

This collection consists of published and manuscript scores of Moore's music, as well as photographs of Moore and videos containing performances and interviews.

Manuscript and printed scores, photographs, biographical material, and recordings by Black composers active from 1950 to present.

This collection documents the activities of Dr. Winona Fletcher as Producing Director of the Indiana University Afro-American Arts Institute's 1986 revival of the Federal Theatre Project's 1939 production Prelude to Swing, entitled Prelude to Swing +50.