The Cook Labs records, which date from 1939-2002, document the activities of audio engineer Emory Cook and his label Cook Labs. The contents include business records, materials relating to recording artists, photographs, and production materials, as well as phonograph records, master recordings and unpublished recordings produced by or associated with the Cook Labs label. The collection also contains two interviews conducted with Emory Cook in 1990: one by Jeff Place and one by Anthony Seeger and Nicholas Spitzer. There are several physical objects relating to Cook Labs including a bag of powdered vinyl, a binaural playing arm, and a condenser microphone.
Scope and Contents note:
There are two primary components of the Cook Labs records: the records, master tapes and other audio recordings, and the related paper files.
The Cook Labs records contains about 150 of the 200 released Cook recordings, and 739 master tapes. In addition, there are 330 unpublished tapes.
The the paper files include acquisition materials; business correspondence; recording reports; various production notes on records produced; news articles both about and by Emory Cook and Cook Labs; copyright, licensing, and trademark materials; photographs, correspondence, contracts, and other materials relating to recording artists; production materials for each Cook Labs release; and other miscellany. Many contracts are signed by both Cook Labs and the artist. Correspondence is primarily between business associates.
Two interviews were done with Emory Cook in 1990: one by Jeff Place and one by Anthony Seeger and Nicholas Spitzer; both interviews are included in the Cook Labs records.
There are several physical objects relating to Cook Labs including a bag of powdered vinyl, a binaural playing arm, and a condenser microphone.
Arrangement note:
Many of the items in this list have been assigned an accession number, and like materials have been grouped together to create seven series:
Series 1: Business Papers, 1939-1990
Series 2: Recording Artists, 1949-1981, bulk 1950-1959
Series 3: Photographs, undated, 1957
Series 4: Production files, 1948-1995, bulk 1952-1963
Series 5: Objects, undated, 1908-1964
Series 6: Audio Interviews, 1990
Series 7: Audio Recordings
Biographical/Historical note:
Emory Cook (1913-2002) is widely regarded as a highly influencial audio engineer. Born and raised in Albany, New York, he joined the Army Air Corps in 1932. After his discharge in 1934 he obtained his degree from Cornell University and began working for Western Electric in the Audio Engineering Force. During World War II, while still at Western Electric, Cook supervised the creation of a fire-controlled radar "Trainer," for which he received a Commendation from the Service.
In the late 1940's, convinced he could do better than what was on the market, Cook began experimenting with making his own audio equipment. Cook Laboratories was started in 1945 when he developed a new cutting head to be used in record production. Future development of equipment brought about the discovery that he could record frequencies as high as 20,000 hertz, more than any other recording company at the time. He cut a record of piano and organ music to demonstrate this discovery, and took it to the 1949 Audio Fair in New York. When he demonstrated the record with the hopes to sell the recording equipment, he found that people were much more interested in buying the record itself. Shortly after, Sounds of Our Times, later called Cook Records, was born.
Cook Records collected many different sounds and was mostly aimed at the devoted high-fidelity listener. Cook believed that hearing was a sense often overlooked by people, and he wanted listeners of his albums to be able to hear things they might otherwise miss. In a New Yorker profile by Daniel Lang in 1956, Cook claimed that hearing was "always being kicked aside in favor of sight… There's a time and a place for everything, and that includes sound." In order to encourage listening, he put out many albums full of everyday sounds, such as Voice of the Sea, an album of noises of the ocean and Eye of the Storm, recorded during a thunderstorm. One of the most successful albums was Rail Dynamics, an album of steam trains pulling in and out of a station.
Cook Records also produced traditional music albums from its plant in Stamford, Connecticut. The label produced everything from organ music to folk, flamenco guitar, calypso and steel band. Cook had little interest in name musicians and instead searched high and low for anything he thought might be an interesting contribution to his label. He even invited listeners to send in their favorite sounds, some of which he eventually recorded.
Cook had such a large interest in Calypso music that he set up a second pressing plant in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. There he pressed calypso and steel band music for both a Trinidadian and American audience, and most albums sold well in both countries.
In addition to the wide range of music Cook recorded, he was also an inventor. It was Cook who first came up with the idea of pressing records with powdered, rather than solid, vinyl, a technique he dubbed "microfusion." This technique not only saved money, but cut out many of the traditional crackles and pops associated with records.
He also developed the binaural system of recording and playing records, which he thought was superior to the more commonly used stereo method. Binaural was more precise than stereo, and it required placing two microphones six inches apart, approximately the space between two ears, during the recording. It was then played back with a special two-needle playing arm. Binaural recordings were thought by Cook to best duplicate the original sound.
Emory Cook died at the age of 89 in 2002 after a long hospitalization.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
COOK RECORDINGS - NUMERICAL LISTING:
001 20,000 Cycle Demo (1949) COOK00001
002 Night Rain and Surf COOK00002
003 Specimen Heart Beats COOK00003
004 Katydids, Frogs and Forrest Birds
E101 Grenada Stories and Songs (1957-58) COOK00101
E102 Amazon Sound: Yacu River Tribes (Rituals and Rites) (1954) COOK00102
E103 Music of St. Lucia (1953) COOK00103
E104 Rada (1958) COOK00104
E105 JOSE RAMON FORTUNE AND OLGA MAYNARD Nancy Stories (1956) COOK00105
106 Afro-West Indian Cultural Practices (1957-58) COOK00106
107 ESCOLA DE SAMBA DE BRAZIL The Boli, The Cocolute, and Brazil (1957-58) COOK00107
901 Steelband Jump Up Boys Town, Tropical Harmony, Silvertone COOK00901
904 THE ESSO STEEL BAND Esso Steelband of Bermuda (1958) COOK0904
906 LORD MELODY Lord Melody Sings Calypso (1958-59) COOK00906
911 TOM CHARLES AND HIS SYNCOPATER ORCHESTRA Fete for So! (1959) COOK00911
914 LORD MELODY Again! Lord Melody Sings Calypso (1957-58) COOK00914
916 Calypso Cross Section Young Killer, The Mighty Bomber, Small Island Pride, The Mighty Wrangler (1957-58) COOK00916
920 THE MIGHTY SPARROW King Sparrow's Calypso Carnival (1959) COOK00920
927 LORD MELODY Calypso through the Looking Glass (1959) COOK00927
928 CLARENCE CURVAN His Drums, His Orchestra COOK00928
930 Belly to Belly Clarence Curvan, Johnny Gomez, Tom Charles, Fitz Vaughn Bryan (1960-61) COOK00930
931 LORD MELODY Lord Melody, 1962 COOK0931
1000 TITUS MOODY DDDs of Binaural (1952) COOK01000
1011 The Christmas Music Box (1950) COOK01011
1012 Music Boxes of Long Ago (1950) COOK01012
1013 CHARLIE MAGNANTE Accordion Pops Concert (1954-55) COOK01013
1014 CHARLIE MAGNANTE AND LaVERGNE SMITH His and Hers (1954-55) COOK01014
1020 SAM ESKIN Sam Eskin's Songs of All Time COOK01020
1021 GROUPE MI-O Un Ti Bo (1958) COOK01021
1022 LAVINIA WILLIAMS' GROUPE FOLKLORIQUE Haiti Confidential (1958) COOK01022
1023 The Ramayana (Hindu Ceremony) (1961) COOK01023
1024 GUSTAVO ZEPOLI Concert Guitar (1954) COOK01024
1025 SEAN McGONIGAL AND ST. COLUMCILLE'S UNITED GAELIC PIPE BAND Kilts on Parade (1950) COOK01025
1026 ANITA AST AND THE VIENNA KONZERTSCHRAMMEREIN Inside Vienna (1952) COOK01026
1027 CARLOS MONTOYA AND THE JOSE GRECO TROUPE Fiesta Flamenca (1952) COOK01027
1028 CARLOS MONTOYA Montoya (1952) COOK01028
1030 EDWARD VITO The Harp (1951) COOK01030
1031 EDWARD AND JOSEPH VITO Dual Harp (1951) COOK01031
1032 RUTH WELCOME AND DICK MARTA Zither and Cimbalom (1951) COOK01032
1035 Barrelhouse Piano (1950) COOK01035
1036 FRANK GLAZER Liszt's Paganini Variations (1952) COOK01036
1037 GRETA AND JOSEF DICHLER Two Famous European Pianos (1952) COOK01037
1038 SAMUEL SORIN Piano: The Romantic Fabric (1953) COOK01038
1039 LEONID HAMBRO A Perspective of Beethoven (1953) COOK01039
1040 Steel Band Clash Brute Force Steel Band, Big Shell Band, and Hell Gate Band (1955)
1041 JIMMY CARROLL PERCUSSION EMSEMBLE WITH RED CAMP Speed the Parting Guest (1953) and The Hot Tempered Clavichord (1957) COOK01041
1042 BRUTE FORCE STEEL BAND Brute Force Steel Band of Antigua with Big Shell Band (1955) COOK01042
1043 Three Rituals (1955) COOK01043
1044 The Compleat In Fidelytie: Sounds Natural and Unnatural (1956) COOK01044
1045 Drums of Trinidad (1956) COOK01045
1046 Champion Steel Bands of Trinidad The Highlanders, Southern All Stars, The Katzenjammers, others (1957) COOK01046
1047 THE KATZENJAMMERS The Enchanted Steelband (1957) COOK01047
1048 BRUTE FORCE STEEL BAND Music to Awaken the Ballroom Beast (1957) COOK01048
1049 BRUTE FORCE STEEL BAND Beauty and the Brute Force (1957) COOK01049
1050 MICHAEL CHESHIRE The Pipe Organ, volume 1 (1952) COOK01050
1051 MICHAEL CHESHIRE The Pipe Organ, volume 2 (1952) COOK01051
1052 REGINALD FOORT Percussion and Pedal, volume 3 (1952) COOK01052
1053 REGINALD FOORT Reginald Foort at the Mosque, volume 4 (1952) COOK01053
1054 REGINALD FOORT Organ in Symphony Hall, volume 1 (1954) COOK01054
1055 REGINALD FOORT Organ in Symphony Hall, volume 2 (1954) COOK01055
1056 ALFONSO VEGA NUÑEZ Morelia Cathedral Organ (1954) COOK01056
1057 REGINALD FOORT Foort Pops (1956) COOK01057
1058 REGINALD FOORT Waltz and Ballet: The Mosque Organ (1956) COOK01058
1059 REGINALD FOORT Intermission at the Mosque (1956) COOK01059
1060 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Brahms First Symphony (1954) COOK01060
1061 FESTIVAL CASALS ORCHESTRA Hector Campos Parsi (1958) COOK01061
1062 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Stravinsky, Villa Lobos, and Bach (1955) COOK01062
1063 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Debussy (1955) COOK01063
1064 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Masterpieces of the Dance (1955) COOK01064
1065 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Mozart Symphony No. 40 (1955) COOK01065
1066 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Masterpieces of the Theater (1955) COOK01066
1067 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (1955) COOK01067
1068 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON New Orchestral Society of Boston (1966) COOK01068
1069 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Haydn Symphony No. 100: Military (1966) COOK01069
1070 Rail Dynamics: Steam Locomotives and Train Sounds (1950-54) COOK01070
1071 Burlesque Uncensored (1954) COOK01071
1072 Jump-up Carnival: Calypso Tent (1956) COOK01072
1073 Holy Week: Malaga (Spain) (1961) COOK01073
1074 Benevolent Society for the Preservation of Ancient Rhymes and Limerix Limerick Party COOK01074
1075 Voices of the Sky: Propellers and Jets (1957) COOK01075
1077 Voice of the Storm (1957-58) COOK01077
1078 A Double Barrel Blast: High Cost of Dying and Computer Conversations (1962) COOK01078
1079 Tour of High Fidelity (1965) COOK01079
1080 TRIO LEONES Trio Leones of Cabrito (1954) COOK01080
1081 LaVERGNE SMITH LaVergne Smith (01014B plus) (1954) COOK01081
1082 Le Jazz Primitif from Trinidad Rupert Clemendore and John Buddy Williams (1961) COOK01082
1083 Jawbone of an Ass: Musica de Cuba (1955) COOK01083
1084 SID DAVILLA AND FREDDIE KOHLMAN'S BAND WITH RED CAMP Blowout at Mardi Gras (1955) COOK01084
1085 TONY ALMERICO'S PARISIAN ROOM BAND Clambake on Bourbon Street (1954-55) COOK01085
1086 WILLIE RODRIGUEZ The Drums of Rodriguez (1953) COOK01086
1087 RED CAMP Camp Inventions: Jazz Piano and Zither Music (1955) COOK01087
1088 RED CAMP Red Camp Horizontal (1954) COOK01088
1089 RED CAMP Red Camp Upright (1954) COOK01089
1090 ARTHUR BILLINGS HUNT Arthur Billings Hunt Sings Hymns (1950) COOK01090
1091 ARTHUR BILLINGS HUNT Hunt Sings Old Favorites (1950) COOK01091
1092 HUFSTADER SINGERS Hufstader Singers (1953) COOK01092
1094 REGINALD FOORT AND THE BOSTON CHORALE The Seven Last Words of Christ (1954) COOK01094
1095 ST. JOHN'S RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHOIR Russian Christmas (Spring Valley, New York) (1961) COOK01095
1096 ST. JOHN'S RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHOIR Russian Easter Midnight Service (Spring Valley, New York) (1961) COOK01096
1097 ST. JOHN'S RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHOIR St. John's Russian Orthodox Choir (1961) COOK01097
1101 THE INVADERS FROM ST. CROIX Steel Band in San Juan (1964) COOK01101
1102 10TH NAVAL DISTRICT STEEL BAND New Paths for Steel Band (1965) COOK01102
1120 BENITEZ-VALENCIA TRIO Ecuador (1958) COOK01120
1121 Island in the Moonlight Trio Los Rubies, Grupo Paquito Lopez Cruz, Las Hermanas Colón, Martita Cuadrado (1958) COOK01121
1122 Hellish Calypso King Fighter, The Mighty Bomber, others (1962) COOK01122
1123 Calypso Atrocities King Fighter, The Mighty Bomber, others COOK01123
1124 HAYWIRE MAC McCook LabsINTOCK Haywire Mac (1951) COOK01124
1125 LORD MYRTLE, CECIL MITCHEL, AND JAMES CONVERY Calypso Jamaica (1960) COOK01125
1126 THE MIGHTY SPARROW Sparrow in Hi-Fi (1963) COOK01126
1127 STEVE CAMACHO Folk and Other Songs (1962) COOK01127
1131 BRUCE PRINCE-JOSEPH The Pedal Harpsichord (1953) COOK01131
1132 SHINCHI YUIZE The Japanese Koto (1955) COOK01132
1133 RED CAMP The New Clavichord (1957) COOK01133
1134 LUIS BONFA Guitar in Brazil (1959) COOK01134
1140 Steelband Promenade Brute Force Steel Band, The Merrymakers, Southern All Stars (1958) COOK01140
1150 BILL FLOYD The King of Organs (1957) COOK01150
1151 REGINALD FOORT The Theatre Organ, volume 2 COOK01151
1152 REGINALD FOORT The Theatre Organ, volume 3 COOK01152
1154 REGINALD FOORT The Theatre Organ, volume 5 COOK01154
1155 REGINALD FOORT The Theatre Organ, volume 6 COOK01155
1156 REGINALD FOORT The Baroque Organ, volume 1 COOK01156
1157 REGINALD FOORT The Baroque Organ, volume 2 COOK01157
1169 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Serenade for Strings (1962) COOK01169
1180 Dance Calypso Johnny Gomez Band, Small Island Pride, Dictator, others (1956) COOK01180
1181 LIZZIE MILES Lizzie Miles Buglin' Sam DeKemel and the Parisian All Stars (1954-55) COOK01181
1182 LIZZIE MILES Moans and Blues Red Camp and Tony Almerico's All Stars (1956) COOK01182
1183 LIZZIE MILES Hot Songs My Mother Taught Me Red Camp, Tony Almerico's All Stars, Albert French (1956) COOK01183
1184 LIZZIE MILES Torchy Lullabies My Mother Sang Me Red Camp and Tony Almerico's All Stars (1956) COOK01184
1185 Calypso Kings and Pink Gin: Trinidad Carnival Tent Lord Melody, The Might Sparrow, others (1957) COOK01185
1186 ENSEMBLE AUX CALEBASSES Meringue (1958) COOK01186
1187 A Night at the Tropicoro Juan Luis, Oswaldo Seda, and Lito Peña Band (1959) COOK01187
1188 Dirty Jazz from Down South: Trinidadian Instrumentals (1958) COOK01188
1189 Calypso Exposed Lord Melody, Brute Force Steel Band, King Sparrow, The Mighty Cypher, and Skipper (1961) COOK01189
1280 Caribbean Limbo Music Rupert Clemendore Orchestra, Cyril Diaz Orchestra, others COOK01280
1281 Songs from the Garden of Love Jefferson-Jones' Orchestra COOK01281
1282 Italian Moom Jefferson-Jones' Orchestra COOK01282
2004 Tour of Stereo (1958) COOK02004
2066 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Masterpieces of the Dance, volume 3 COOK02066
2070 Aboard a Fast Express / Jet Dynamics COOK02070
4057 REGINALD FOORT The Theater Organ COOK04057
4069 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Hayden Military Symphony COOK04069
5001 American Storytellers, Volume 1 Harry Wass, Master Marriner's Association (1952) COOK05001
5002 K.C. DOUGLAS K.C. Douglas (1952) COOK05002
5003 Caribeana: Hidden Music from the Caribbean (1949) COOK05003
5004 TIRORO Tiroro: Haitian Drummer (1948) COOK05004
5005 RED CAMP Camp Has a Ball (1954) COOK05005
5006 AL BRUNDAGE Square Dance (1951) COOK05006
5007 Mexican Marimba Band (1954) COOK05007
5008 American Storytellers, Volume 2 John Hawley Cook (1954) COOK05008
5009 American Storytellers, Volume 3 Captain Charles A. Chace, Matthew Richards (1954) COOK05009
5010 Calliope, Carousel, and Hand Organ (1953) COOK05010
5011 Voice of the Sea (1954) COOK05011
5012 Earthquake (1953) COOK05012
5013 Ionosphere (1955) COOK05013
5014 Mariachi Music of Mexico (1954) COOK05014
5015 Mexican Firecrackers (1951) COOK05015
5016 Calypso Lore and Legend (1956) COOK05016
5017 Bamboo-tamboo, Bongo, and Belair (1956) COOK05017
5018 East Indian Drums of Tunapuna, Trinidad (1956) COOK05018
5019 ALONZO CRUZ Blind Troubadour of Oaxaca (1956) COOK05019
5020 Epilogue to the String Band Tradition (1956) COOK05020
5022 ABCs of Hi Fi COOK05022
5025 BUCKMINSTER FULLER Buckminster Fuller Speaks His Mind COOK05025
5050 NORMAN BROKENSHIRE Radio Moscow and the Western Hemisphere COOK05050
5051 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The Four Inaugural Addresses COOK05051
6061 BUCKMINSTER FULLER The Clock Is Stopping COOK06061
8374 BUCKMINSTER FULLER Dymaxion Ditties: Buckminster Fuller Sings COOK08374
10001 Sound Effects, volume 1 COOK10001
10002 Sound Effects, volume 2 COOK10002
10003 Sound Effects, volume 3 COOK10003
10120 Music Boxes, Carousels, and Hand Organs (01012 and 05010) (1950-53) COOK10120
10248 The Voice of Mexico Gustavo Zepoli, Trio Leones (01024 and 01080) (1954) COOK10248
10251 SEAN McGONIGAL AND ST. COLUMCILLE'S UNITED GAELIC PIPE BAND Kilts on Parade (01025 plus solos) (1950-53) COOK10251
10271 CARLOS MONTOYA AND THE JOSE GRECO TROUPE Fiesta Flamenca (selections from 01027 and 01028) (1952) COOK10271
10289 CARLOS MONTOYA Montoya (selections from 01028 plus) (1952) COOK10289
10301 EDWARD AND JOSEPH VITO The Harp (selections from 01030 and 01031 plus) (1951-54) COOK10301
10326 Cafe Continental Ruth Welcome, Dick Marta, and Anita Ast (selections from 01026 and 01032) (1951-52) COOK10326
10350 Nickelodion and Calliope (selections from 01035 and 05010) (1950-53) COOK10350
10500 REGINALD FOORT The Theater Organ COOK10500
10501 MICHAEL CHESHIRE Pipe Organ in the Mosque (selections from 01050 and 01051) (1952) COOK10501
10523 REGINALD FOORT Percussion and Pedal (selections from 01052 and 01053) (1952) COOK10523
10545 REGINALD FOORT The Organ at Symphony Hall (01054 plus) (1954) COOK10545
10579 REGINALD FOORT Foort Pops (selections from 01057 and 01058) (1956) COOK10579
10646 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Tempo Vivace: Symphonic Masterpieces of Dance & Theater (selections from 01064 and 01066) (1955-56) COOK010646
10657 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Two Classical Symphonies: Mozart Symphony No. 40, Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (01065 and 01067) (1955) COOK10657
10659 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Two Classical Symphonies: Mozart Symphony No. 40, Haydn Symphony No. 100 (01065 and 01069) (1955-56) COOK10659
10683 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Modern Orchestral Textures (01068 and 01063) (1955) COOK10683
10850 RUPERT Cook LabsEMENDORE BAND Le Jazz Trinidad COOK10850
10867 Before and After Willie Rodriguez (selections from 01086 and 05007) (1953-54) COOK010867
10889 RED CAMP Horizontal & Upright & Downright & Dunright (01088 and 01089) (1954) COOK10889
10890 The Castiliane Johnny Gomez Band, John Buddy Williams Band, Girl Pat Steel Band, And Grand Curacaye String Orchestra (1956) COOK10890
11312 BRUCE PRINCE-JOSEPH AND HUFSTADER SINGERS The Forgotten Pedal Harpsichord and Hufstader Singers (01131 and 01092) (1953) COOK11312
11815 TONY ALMERICO'S PARISIAN ROOM BAND AND LIZZIE MILES Clambake on Bourbon Street (1954-55) COOK11815
50130 Tour of Cook Labs COOK50130
70889 RED CAMP Popular Piano and Combo COOK70889
80134 LUIZ BONFA Waterfall: Guitar COOK80134
80417 MARIMBA ORCHESTRA Waterfall: Children's Music COOK80417
80680 NEW ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON Waterfall: Symphonic COOK80680
XX1 Audio Follies Sampler COOK00XX1
XX2 Calypso Jazz Sampler COOK00XX2
Series 10 Cook Series 10 COOK_Series10
Series 30 Cook Series 30 COOK_Series30
Series 60 Cook Series 60 COOK_Series60
Series 70 Cook Series 70 COOK_Series70
Series 80 Cook Series 80 COOK_Series80
Series 90 Cook Series 90 COOK_Series90
Series 100 Cook Series 100 COOK_Series100
Series 300 Cook Series 300 COOK_Series300
Series 301 Cook Series 301 COOK_Series301
Series 302 Cook Series 302 COOK_Series302
Series 303 Cook Series 303 COOK_Series303
Provenance:
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired the Cook Labs Records in 1990, when Emory and Martha Cook donated their company records to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Anthony Seeger, then Director of Smithsonian Folkways Records, received a call from Mr. Cook in the summer of 1989 offering to donate the Cook label to the Smithsonian. Dr. Seeger visited him in August of that year to view the contents of the collection, and the Smithsonian received custody of the collection in May 1990. In return for the donation from Mr. Cook, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage agreed to keep the record titles available and to store the papers in the archives.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Topic:
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