Collections : [Archives of African American Music and Culture]

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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."

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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."