Field notes, manuscripts, photographs, booking contracts, correspondence, personal papers, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, interviews, and other research materials primarily relating to the history of American blues music. Collection documents the lives of significant blues musicians Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Mance Lipscomb; insight into the life, writings, and research practices of Robert "Mack" McCormick; and the business side of recording and selling the blues.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the life, writings, research practices, and business activities of blues scholar Robert "Mack" Burton McCormick who came to serve as a leading authority on the genre. Personal papers include diaries, curriculum vitae, biographical sketches, school papers, employment documents, correspondence, financial records, and an interview transcript. McCormick's writings consist of published magazine and journal articles, plays, essays, television scripts, short stories, and album liner notes. There are complete unpublished manuscripts, drafts with notes and research materials, and ideas for future work. McCormick's research practices and subjects of interest are documented in correspondence, field notes, annotated maps, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, city directories, interviews, photographic prints, negatives, slides, and contact sheets. American blues, Texas blues, and the music of significant blues artists, who McCormick served as an agent and manager for, dominated his extensive research efforts. In addition, the collection documents the recording, distribution and sale, and identification of consumer markets for American music in correspondence, contracts, agreements, music journals, publicity and promotional materials, music manuscripts, and interviews.
Throughout the collection preservation measures were performed to ensure long term use of the materials. Newspaper clippings were photocopied, and the originals were discarded. Audio cassette tapes have been reformatted and the digital copies will soon be available for research use.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into fifteen series.
Series 1: Photographic Negatives, Photographs and Slides, 1959-1998, undated
Subseries 1.1: Photographic Negatives and Contact Sheets, 1967-1977, undated
Subseries 1.2: Photographs, 1959-1998, undated
Subseries 1.3: Photographs, Texas Blues (TB), 1961-1964, undated
Subseries 2.11: Business Records, 1941-2006, undated
Series 3: Project Files, 1960-2003, undated
Subseries 3.1: Library of Congress, 1960-1964
Subseries 3.2: Newport Folk Festival, 1965-1969
Subseries 3.3: Hemisfair, 1968
Subseries 3.4: Smithsonian Institution, Festival of American Folklife 1966-1980, undated
Subseries 3.5: Other Blues Project, 2001-2003, undated
Series 4: Manuscripts and Writings, 1952-2015, undated
Subseries 4.1: Almost A Savage Joy, 1959-1980
Subseries 4.2: Another Fine Mess, 1981-1987, undated
Subseries 4.3: Blues: A New Look, 1965-1984, undated
Subseries 4.4: Blues Odyssey, 1971, undated
Subseries 4.5: Death and Tragedy, 1975-1980, undated
Subseries 4.6: Down in Texas Blues, undated
Subseries 4.7: Folk Songs of Men, 1952-1977, undated
Subseries 4.8: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley, 1958-1976, undated
Subseries 4.9: Henry Thomas, 1975-2002, undated
Subseries 4.10: Ira, George, Edward, and Lee, 1994, undated
Subseries 4.11: The Magic Room, 1961-1962, undated
Subseries 4.12: Origin of Blues, 1991-2004, undated
Subseries 4.13: Snake in the Belly, 1956-1957, undated
Subseries 4.14: Wiley, 1957-1984, undated
Subseries 4.15: Articles, Ideas and Drafts, 1961-2004, undated
Series 5: Artist Files, 1880-2010, undated
Series 6: Texas Blues Research, 1858-2011, undated
Subseries 6.1: Texas Blues Research, 1910-2010, undated
Subseries 6.2: Lead Files, 1962-1980, undated
Subseries 6.3: Trip Notes, 1960-1989, undated
Subseries 6.4: Song Histories, 1920-1982, undated
Subseries 6.5: Music, 1928-2011, undated
Subseries 6.6: Record Catalogs, 1963-2006, undated
Subseries 6.7: Maps, 1958-1989, undated
Series 7: Robert Johnson, 1910-2015, undated
Subseries 7.1: Research Materials, 1910-2015, undated
Subseries 7.2: Who Killed Robert Johnson Manuscript, 1955-2015, undated
Series 8: Office Files, 1938-2000, undated
Series 9: Correspondence, 1959-2015, undated
Series 10: Organizations, Groups and Buffs, 1961-2003, undated
Series 11: Festivals and Living Museums, 1960-2003, undated
Series 12: Music Journals, 1971-2006, undated
Series 13: Subject Files, 1896-2015, undated
Series 14: People Files, 1928-2014, undated
Series 15: Audio Cassette Tapes and Digital Files, 1941-2007, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Burton "Mack" McCormick (August 3, 1930-November 18, 2015) was a self-taught folklorist who spent a lifetime researching, collecting, and writing about vernacular music in the United States. Most of his work focused on the blues and other musical traditions of Black, brown, and white communities living throughout Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. After experiencing a difficult, transient childhood and eventually dropping out of high school, McCormick settled in Houston, Texas and began to work a series of odd jobs while relentlessly pursuing his goal of becoming a successful writer. Although researching and writing about music came to occupy most of his time, he also pursued passions as a screenwriter and novelist. The volume of historical research and personal interviews he conducted from the 1950s through the early 1970s is remarkable, and his published writings during this period about music and the musicians he doggedly studied were lauded by his peers as among the best in the field. Along the way he worked for a time as a manager for the careers of the Texas songsters Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb, and briefly ran his own record label. He made hundreds of hours of field recordings with musicians living throughout the South. He collaborated with colleagues such as Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records, and Paul Oliver, with whom McCormick spent over a decade researching and writing a manuscript on the history of Texas Blues. Beginning in the late 1960s, he was contracted by the Smithsonian Institution as a field worker for its annual Festival of American Folklife, and around the same time began researching the life of blues legend Robert Johnson for a manuscript that McCormick wrote and re-wrote but failed to publish in his lifetime.
McCormick's research, along with his personal archive, became the stuff of legend among fellow blues researchers and enthusiasts, particularly after his publishing output dwindled in the 1970s. He lived with a bipolar disorder that drew him into bouts of depression and paranoia. He came to distrust many of those colleagues working most closely with him, and sometimes shared untrue information to throw them off the trail of his research discoveries. He also "borrowed" heirloom photographs from the family members and descendants of blues artists and, in several cases documented in this collection, he refused to return them. Overcome with challenges that lay both within and without his control, he came to describe the massive archive in his Houston, Texas home as "the monster," and spent his final decades attempting with little success to publish his writings.
Related Materials:
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W. C. Handy Collection, NMAH.AC.0132
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 3, African American Music, NMAH.AC.0300
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 16: Country, Western, and Folk Music, NMAH.AC.0300
Duke Ellington Collection, NMAH.AC.0301
Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Reference Prints, NMAH.AC.0389
Program in African American Culture Collection, NMAH.AC.0408
Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials, NMAH.AC.0415
Alan Strauber Photoprints, 1990-1994, 1999, NMAH.AC.0517
Jonas Bernholm Rhythm and Blues Collection, NMAH.AC.0551
Ray McKinley Music and Ephemera, NMAH.AC.0635
Bluestime Power Hour Videotapes, NMAH.AC.0657
Edward and Gaye Collection of Duke Ellington Materials, NMAH.AC.0704
Bill Holman Collection, NMAH.AC.0733
Andrew Homzy Collection of Duke Ellington Stock Arrangements, NMAH.AC.0740
Harry Warren Papers, NMAH.AC.0750
Benny Carter Collection, NMAH.AC.0757
W. Royal Stokes Collection of Music Photoprints and Interviews, NMAH.AC.0766
Fletcher and Horace Henderson Collection, NMAH.AC.0797
Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, NMAH.AC.0808
William Russo Music and Personal Papers, NMAH.AC.0845
Milt Gabler Papers, NMAH.AC.0849
Leonard and Mary Gaskin Papers, NMAH.AC.0900
Bobby Tucker Papers, NMAH.AC.1141
Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, NMAH.AC1222
Duncan Schiedt Jazz Collection, NMAH.AC1323
Maceo Jefferson Papers, NMAH.AC1370
Jazz and Big Band Collection, 1927-1966, NMAH.AC.1388
Nick Reynolds Kingston Trio Papers, NMAH.AC.1472
McIntire Family Hawaiian Entertainers Collection, NMAH.AC.1511
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, NMAH.AC.1512
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Arhoolie Business Records and Audio Recordings, 1960-2016, CFCH.ARHO
Moses and Frances Asch Collection, 1926-1986, CFCH.ASCH
National Museum of American History's Division of Culture and the Arts
Artifacts acquired as part of the collection include:
Washburn style G guitar, serial number 46472, Accession number 2019.0234.01.
Set of quills (or panpipes) made and played by blues artist Joe Patterson. Accession number 2019.0234.02.
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Audio recordings acquired as part of the collection are listed in The Guide to the Mack McCormick Audio Tapes Collection prepared by Jeff Place, 2020-2022.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Susannah Nix to the Archives Center in 2019.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access to original materials in boxes 76-80 is prohibited. Researchers must use digital copies.
Additional materials have been removed from public access pending investigation under the Smithsonian Institution's Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship Policy.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
101 Hawaiian Music / Clyde Halema`uma`u, Sproat, S. Haunani Apoliona. Ukulele,Guitar. English language.
102 Hawaiian Music / Ho`opi`i Brothers, Barney Isaacs. Ukulele,Hawaiian guitar.
103 Hawaiian Hula / Zuttermeister Family.
Local Numbers:
FP-1989-CT-0222
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, July 1, 1989.
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.
101 Hawaiian Language / Elama Kanahele, Minnette C. Hokulani Kaikaina, Puakea Nogelmeier. English language,Hawaiian language.
102 Stringed Instrument Workshop / Barney Isaacs, George O., Jr. Camarillo, Ray KaÕone. Hawaiian guitar,Slack key (Guitar playing),Bandurria,Cuatro. English language.
103 Okinawans in Hawaii / Harry Seisho Nakasone, James Maeda, Kay Kimie Hokama. Shansin. English language.
Local Numbers:
FP-1989-CT-0250
General:
"Hawaiian Language", Puakea Nogelmeister, Hokulani Kaikaina, Elama Kanahele, Nani Kauai Keamoai; "Stringed Instrument Workshop", Barney Isaacs, Raymond Kane, Julio Rodrigues Jr., George Camarillo Jr.;"Okinawans In Hawaii",Kay Hokama,Jimmy Maeda,Harry
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 26, 1989.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recorded in: Riccola (Mo.), United States, Missouri, March, 1989.
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.
Recorded in: Riccola (Mo.), United States, Missouri, March, 1989.
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.
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, 1976.
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Annamae Barlup Myers & Stephen Harriman Diaries, 1883-1894, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Barbara Allen --The cherry tree carol --Frank James, the roving gambler (The Boston burglar) --Caroline of Edinboro' Town --Young Charlotte --Jack of diamonds --Old smoky -- Devilish Mary --Darling Cory --Fiddle-i-fee --Billy Grimes -- Father Grumble --Common Bill.
Track Information:
101 Barbara Allen (Child No. 84)/ Bill Nicholson, Zane Shrader. Guitar,Hawaiian guitar.
102 The Cherry Tree Carol (Child No. 54)/ Maud Long.
103 Frank James, The Roving Gambler (The Boston Burglar) / L.D. Smith.
104 Caroline of Edinboro' Town / Charles Ingenthron.
105 Young Charlotte / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer.
201 Jack of Diamonds / Bill Nicholson, Zane Shrader. Guitar,Hawaiian guitar.
202 Old Smoky / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer.
203 Devilish Mary / Paul Rogers.
204 Darling Cory / Pleaz Mobley.
205 Fiddle-I-Fee / Maud Long.
206 Billy Grimes / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer.
207 Father Grumble / Jean Ritchie.
208 Common Bill / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer. Dulcimer.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-2981
Library of Congress.AAFS L14
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Washington, D.C. Library of Congress
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), Walnut Shade (Mo.), Missouri, Swannanoa (N.C.), Hot Springs (N.C.), North Carolina, Kentucky, United States.
General:
Folk songs and ballads; sung in English. On container: "First issued on 78 rpm records in 1947; first issued on long-playing records before 1960". Reissued by the Library of Congress under a special grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Program notes and texts (10 p.) in container. Production notes: Recorded 1941-1946.
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.
Light guiding me--God has no respective person--Home coming week--Will you be ready--Striving for that city--Infidel's daughter--Magic valley--Dep settled peace--Amazing grace--Heaven will surely be worth it all--Rock of ages--I have but one mansion--Walking in the light--Many miles behind me--Gloryland march--If I could hear my mother pray again--Really be free
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-7RR-2724
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: United States, Kentucky.
General:
CDR copy Tape Info: FW-ASCH-7RR-2720 through -2725 contain recordings made by Kentucky singer Jim Garland of local singers and church services. FW-ASCH-7RR-2724 features the Brown Family, who call themselves the Kentucky Gospel Singers. They include Walter Brown, the father, who is the singer and guitarist, his son Floyd, who plays double-necked Hawaiian guitar, Ed Fuson, who plays bass, Della Brown (Floyd's wife) and Theda Brown (Walter's daughter). All but the last two songs feature Walter as soloist. The last two songs (not on this CD) are sung by the two ladies. Walter Brown composed about half the songs on the tape. He is a member of the Holiness Church and "goes from place to place visiting churches and singing." Jim Garland prepared a sheet of additional information about the Browns and has also typed out the lyrics, all of which will be retained along with the tape in a new tape box.
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.
Collection is open for research. Access to original materials in boxes 76-80 is prohibited. Researchers must use digital copies.
Additional materials have been removed from public access pending investigation under the Smithsonian Institution's Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship Policy.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Robert "Mack" McCormick Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Kenesaw Mountain rag (Seven Foot Dilly and His Dill Pickles) -- She's got good dry goods (Little Buddy Doyle) -- Green meadow waltz (Adolph Hofner and His Orchestra) -- Polska from Boda / Soldier's Joy (Edwin Johnson Swedish Trio) -- Alabama blues ; Boot that thing (Booker T. Sapps, Roger Matthews and Jesse Flowers) -- Days of '49 (The Bog Trotters) -- Far in the mountain (The Red Headed Fiddlers) -- Warm wipe stomp (Macon Ed and Tampa Joe) -- Aldeline waltz (East Texas Serenaders) -- Waltz (Mike Enis Group) -- The rabbit in the pea patch (Uncle Dave Macon and the Fruit-Jar Drinkers) -- John Henry / Cripple Creek (Paul, Vernon, and Wade Miles) -- Belle of Point Clare (Arteleus Mistric) -- Acadian air (Evangeline Band) -- Old Joe (Nashville Washboard Band)
Track Information:
101 Kenesaw Mountain Rag / John Dilleshaw, Seven Foot Dilly and His Dill Pickles. Guitar,Fiddle,Banjo,Bass. English language.
102 She's Got Good Dry Goods / Little Buddy Doyle. Guitar,Harmonica. English language.
103 Green Meadow Waltz (Louka Zelena) / Adolph Hofner. Guitar,Fiddle,Hawaiian guitar,Piano,Accordion. English language.
104 Polska From Boda/Soldier's Joy / Edwin Johnson Swedish Trio, Edwin W. Johnson. Violin.
105 Alabama Blues / Booker T. Sapps, Willy Flowers, Roger Matthews. Guitar,Harmonica. English language.
106 Boot That Thing / Booker T. Sapps, Willy Flowers, Roger Matthews. Guitar,Harmonica. English language.
107 Days of '49 / Bogtrotters. Guitar,Fiddle,Banjo,Autoharp. English language.
108 Far in the Mountain / Red Headed Fiddlers, A.L. Steeley, J.W. Graham. Fiddle,Banjo. English language.
201 Warm Wipe Stomp / Tampa Joe, W.K. Amoaku. Violin,Bottleneck (Guitar playing). English language.
202 Aldeline Waltz / East Texas Serenaders. Guitar,Banjo,Violin,Violoncello. English language.
203 Waltz / Mike Enis Group, Marvin Enis, Mike Enis. Accordion,Saxophone,Bajo sexto.
204 The Rabbit in the Pea Patch / Uncle Dave Macon & the Fruit-Jar Drinkers, Uncle Dave Macon. Guitar,Fiddle,Banjo. English language.
205 John Henry/Cripple Creek / J. Paul Miles, Vernon Miles, Wade Miles. Guitar,Banjo,Mandolin. English language.
206 Belle of Point Claire / Arteleus Mistric. Harmonica. Cajun French dialect.
207 Acadian Air (Waltz) / Evangeline Band. Cornet,Clarinet,Trombone,Tuba.
208 Old Joe / Nashville Washboard Band. Guitar,Mandolin,Washboard band music,Can.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0922
Library of Congress.LBC 3
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Washington, D.C. Library of Congress 1976
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Nashville (Tenn.), Saint Martinville (La.), New Orleans (La.), Louisiana, Cherry Lane (N.C.), North Carolina, New York (N.Y.), New York, Tucson (Ariz.), Arizona, Dallas (Tex.), Galax (Va.), Virginia, Belle Glade (Fla.), Florida, Saint Paul (Minn.), Minnesota, San Antonio (Tex.), Texas, Memphis (Tenn.), Tennessee, Atlanta (Ga.), Georgia, United States.
General:
"A bicentennial project : Library of Congress, Archive of Folk song"; includes recordings from field and commercial sources. Songs sung in English, Czech or French. Program notes with words of the songs, translations, and bibliographical and discographical sources (7 p.) in 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.
Materials in Series 3 document two types of schools: Federal Indian Boarding Schools (along with similarly conceived boarding schools for indigenous youth, sponsored by religious organizations) and Hawaiian guitar schools. The boarding schools were originally conceived of as educational facilities designed to detribalize, assimilate, and indoctrinate Native peoples. Musical instruction was considered essential to this effort, as school officials sought to suppress and replace Native musical practices with those associated with Western European classical and American marching band music. Despite the assimilative agenda of the school officials, Native students instead used their musical instruction merely to expand their repetoire and musical interests.
The Hawaiian guitar schools, in contrast, encapsulated the early-mid 1900s global phenomenon of Native Hawaiian musicians, music and instruments, such as the Hawaiin steel guitar and 'ukulele, transforming the musical imaginations and practices of peoples all over theworld. Hawaiian guitar schools opened all over the United States and typically consisted of non-Native students in learning how to play Hawaiian guitar.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
"Roy Smeck's Folio of Mills Favorites for the Hawaiian Guitar"
Container:
Box 4, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1918
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Unidentified Hawaiian Guitar School (Flint, Michigan) photograph (Crooks Studio)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 18
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
