This collection contains open reel recordings made by noted jazz scholar Frederic Ramsey during his tour of the American South in the 1950s.
Scope and Contents:
The collection includes 400? Open reel audio tapes. They are from Ramsey's fieldwork and various projects, many for Folkways Records. The bulk of the recordings come from Ramsey's fieldwork in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in 1954-56.
Arrangement:
The tapes are organized and shelved by accession number.
Biographical / Historical:
Frederic Ramsey Jr. (1915-1995), son of painter Charles Frederic Ramsey, was a jazz scholar and author who worked with a number of musicians in the South and the New York/New Jersey area, notably Lead Belly. After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953, Ramsey undertook a tour of the South in order to explore and document the African-American music environment. His goal was to record the speech and music of persons at least sixty years of age or older in an attempt to trace the evolution of the musical genre that would become jazz. Ramsey produced a number of recordings for the Folkways label in the 1950s-1960s.
[From Jeff:
Frederic Ramsey Jr. (1915-1995) was a jazz critic, scholar, fieldworker and record producer. He was the author of a number of books on jazz, including Jazzmen (with Charles Edward Smith) and the Jazz Record Book. He became one of the main producers for Moses Asch at Asch, Disc, and Folkways Records of jazz and blues.
Ramsey was one of the first to deploy an open reel tape recorder using it in New York City in 1949 to record Lead Belly in a set of sessions at his apartment, that were to be Lead Belly's last. What was noteworthy about this is that a reel to reel deck allowed one to record a longer recording than the previous 4 minutes on instantaneous discs. This allowed Led Belly to stretch out and do his extended rhymes and longer songs and to tell stories of his life. It was released by Folkways as a 2 LP 2-records each set. Each side was one track so more material could be fit in.
The new LP format allowed for Folkways to create anthologies of music with multiple tracks per side. This allowed Ramsey the ability to create a 11-volume anthology of jazz in the early 1950s. It was the first of many anthologies for Folkways.
He also received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1954-56 to go to Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to record vernacular African American music. This included field hollers, spirituals, and brass bands. It was Ramsey's desire to find the roots of jazz in early African-American music forms. He recorded hundreds of tapes they make up the bulk of Ramsey Tape Collection. A 10 LP set Music from the South was released from these trips. Also, there was a book Been Here and Gone with his magnificent photographs from the trip.
Other notable recordings released by Folkways include an interview album of Baby Dodds, a box set of shape-note singing, and recordings of a, then, teenaged Michael Hurley.
In 1975, with other grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Ford Foundation, he researched the life of Buddy Bolden.
After the death of Frederic Ramsey Jr., folklorist Kip Lornell arranged the donation of Ramsey's tape and record collection to the Smithsonian.]
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.
Related Materials:
Frederic Ramsey's personal papers are available at Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies.
Ramsey's photograph collection (many from the same field projects) can be found in the collections of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University.
Provenance:
This collection was donated by Frederic Ramsey's daughter Alida Porter in 1996.
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.
Glory -- Poor Lazarus -- It was sad when that great ship went down -- 900 miles -- Cindy -- Don't lie buddy -- Mule skinner blues -- Who's gonna shoe your pretty little feet -- Alabama bound -- Round the bay of Mexico -- Tom Dooley -- Devilish Mary -- Midnight Special -- Sportin life blues -- Crawdad song -- Raise a rukus.
208 Raise a Ruckus Tonight / Bob Carey, Erik Darling, Roger Sprung. Guitar,Banjo.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0776
Stinson.5
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Granada Hills. Calif. Stinson 1962
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: New York, United States.
General:
Title from container. Program notes by Ken Goldstein and texts on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
The boll weevil -- Ain't going down to the well no mo ; Go down old Hannah -- Frankie and Albert -- Fannin Street -- Bourgeois blues -- Looky looky yonder ; Black Betty -- Women's door bells -- Poor Howard ; Green corn -- The gallis pole -- De Kalb women.
Track Information:
101 Boll Weevil / Guitar.
102 Ain't Going Down to the Well No More / Guitar.
102 Go Down, Old Hannah / Guitar.
103 Frankie and Albert / Guitar.
104 Fannin Street (Mr. Tom Hughes' Town) / Guitar.
201 Bourgeois Blues / Guitar.
202 Looky Looky Yonder / Guitar.
202 Black Betty / Guitar.
202 Yellow Woman's Door Bells / Guitar.
203 Poor Howard / Guitar.
203 Green Corn / Guitar.
204 Gallis Pole (Gallows Pole) (Child No. 95)/ Guitar.
205 DeKalb Women / Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0043
Stinson.51
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Granada Hills, Calif. Stinson 1962
General:
Title on container spine: A Leadbelly memorial. Program notes by Kenneth S. Goldstein on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
107 Pretty Flower / Lead Belly, Josh White. Guitar.
108 Bile Them Cabbage Down / Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry. Guitar,Harmonica.
201 Shenandoah / Ernie Lieberman.
202 Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase / Pete Seeger. Banjo.
203 Stewball / Lead Belly, Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie. Guitar.
204 Sowing on the Mountain / Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie. Guitar.
205 Bennington Rifleman / Ernie Lieberman.
206 Down in the Willow Garden (Willow Garden) / Cisco Houston. Guitar.
207 Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas) / Pete Seeger. Banjo.
208 Cripple Creek / Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie. Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0775
Stinson.9
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Granada Hills, Calif. Stinson
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: New York, United States.
General:
Title from container. Notes by Ken Goldstein and texts on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
Aberdeen Mississippi blues -- Baby please don't go -- New Orleans streamline -- Parchman Farm blues -- Poor boy long ways from home -- Remembrance of Charlie Patton -- Shake 'em on down -- I am in the heavenly way -- The Atlanta special -- Drunk man blues -- Army blues.
Track Information:
101 Aberdeen Mississippi Blues / Guitar.
102 Baby Please Don't Go / Guitar.
103 New Orleans Streamline / Guitar.
104 Parchman Farm Blues / Guitar.
105 Poor Boy a Long Way from Home / Guitar.
106 Rememberance of Charlie Patton / Guitar.
201 Shake 'Em on Down / Guitar.
202 I Am in the Heavenly Way / Guitar.
203 The Atlanta Special / Guitar.
204 Drunk Man Blues / Piano.
205 Army Blues / Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0149
Takoma.1001
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Takoma 196x
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Mississippi, United States.
General:
Program and biographical notes by John Fahey on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Extent:
compact audio cassette
1 Sound cassette (analog.)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Place:
Tennessee
Memphis (Tenn.)
Date:
1986
Local Numbers:
FP-1986-CT-0020
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection 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.
St. James Infirmary --Raise a rukus --Scandalize my name -- Jesus gonna make up my dyin' bed --Timber --Jelly, jelly -- One meat ball --Joshua fit the battle of Jericho --Don't lie buddy --Number twelve train --Peter --Takin' names.
Track Information:
101 St. James Infirmary / Guitar.
102 Raise a Ruckus Tonight / Guitar.
103 Scandalize My Name / Guitar.
104 Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dying Bed / Guitar.
105 Timber (Jerry) / Guitar.
106 Jelly Jelly / Guitar.
201 One Meat Ball / Guitar.
202 Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho / Guitar.
203 Don't Lie Buddy / Guitar.
204 Number 12 Train / Guitar.
205 Peter / Guitar.
206 Takin' Names / Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-0630
Elektra.102
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
New York Elektra 1956
General:
Blues songs. Program and biographical notes by Nina Merrick and Kenneth Goldstein on container. Performer(s): Josh White, vocals ; Sam Gary, vocals ; Al Hall, bass. G
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
The grey goose -- Red Cross store blues -- Ham and eggs -- Red River -- In the pines -- You don't miss your water blues -- Blind Lemon -- Leadbelly's dance -- In the evening when the sun goes down -- Digging my potatoes -- Alberta.
Track Information:
101 The Gray Goose / Guitar.
102 Red Cross Store Blues / Guitar.
103 Ham and Eggs / Guitar.
104 Red River / Guitar.
104 Black Girl (In the Pines) / Guitar.
104 You Don't Miss Your Water / Guitar.
201 Blind Lemon / Guitar.
202 Lead Belly's Dance / Guitar.
203 In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down / Guitar.
204 Digging My Potatoes / Guitar.
205 Alberta / Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-1575
Stinson.48
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Granada Hills, Calif. Stinson 1962
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: New York, United States.
General:
Title on container spine: A Leadbelly memorial. Program notes by Kenneth S. Goldstein on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
Good night Irene -- Good morning blues -- On a Monday -- Old Riley -- John Henry -- Rock Island Line -- Ain't you glad -- How long -- T.B. blues -- Man going around taking names -- See see rider -- Pig meat.
Track Information:
101 John Henry / Guitar.
102 Rock Island Line / Guitar.
103 Ain't You Glad (Blood Done Signed My Name) / Guitar.
104 How Long / Guitar.
201 Irene (Goodnight Irene) / Guitar.
202 Good Morning Blues / Guitar.
203 On a Monday / Guitar.
204 Old Riley (Hey Rattler) / Guitar.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-1578
Stinson.17
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Granada Hills, Calif. Stinson 196x
General:
Program notes by Kenneth S. Goldstein and partial lyrics on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
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