3.83 Cubic feet (8 binders containing contact sheets, slides, and prints; 7 boxes (8.5"x10.75"x2.5") of 35 mm negatives; 2 binders of 35 mm and 120 format negatives; and 1 box of 11 oversize prints.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Contact sheets
Slides (photographs)
Black-and-white negatives
Photographic prints
Place:
New York (N.Y.)
Saint Simons Island (Ga. : Island)
Date:
1963-2009
Summary:
The Diana Davies photographs consist of images taken by Diana Davies at various stages of her career. Locations include the Festival of American Folklife, the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's Campaign, various peace and protest marches and outdoor performances, New York City, and the Georgia Sea Islands. The collection includes contact sheets, negatives, photographic prints, and slides.
Original photographs, negatives, and color slides taken by Diana Davies. Materials date from 1963-2009. Bulk dates: Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1969, 1987, 1992; Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1967-1968, 1987.
Scope and Contents:
The Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2009, consist of black and white negatives, contact sheets and prints, as well as color slides and negatives. The bulk of materials depict major festivals and protest movements (including the Poor People's March of 1968) documented by Diana Davies (located in Series 1: Newport Folk Festival, Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival, Series 6: Festival of American Folklife, and Series 11: Social Justice). Also well-represented are non-festival performances (in locations such as clubs, concert halls, and homes), recording sessions, and other music-related images, mainly of notable figures in the American folk music revival (located in Series 3: Broadside Magazine, Series 4: Sing Out! Magazine Concerts, Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People, Series 7: Recording Sessions, Series 8: Instruction Book Shots, and Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians). Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands consists of photographs depicting the culture, environment, and daily life of these coastal islands in 1966. Series 12: New York City Scenes contains photographs taken on the street depicting everyday life in NYC in the 1960s and 1970s. The collection also contains related papers in Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence.
Arrangement note:
Each item in the Diana Davies Photographs has been assigned an accession number, and like materials have been put together such as the Newport Folk Festival photographs, in a chronological sequence as much as possible. Materials in the three more recent donation batches (1998, 2004, and 2006) were numbered and integrated into the collection. In some series, the accession numbers are in numerical order, and in others, the numbers are random because like items with different number sequences were pulled together in a series for subject coherence. The best way to find occurrences of a particular subject is to use the ctrl+F function. Please consult the archivists if you have any questions about the collection contents.
Contact sheets, slides, and prints arranged in 8 binders; negatives and oversize prints are stored separately.
Arranged in 14 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Newport Folk Festival
Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival
Series 3: Broadside Magazine
Series 4: -- Sing Out! -- Magazine Concerts
Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People
Series 6: Festival of American Folklife
Series 7: Recording Sessions
Series 8: Instruction Book Shots
Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians
Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands
Series 11: Social Justice
Series 12: New York City Scenes
Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence
Series 14: Oversize Materials
Biographical/Historical note:
Diana Davies is a well-known photographer of folk performers and festivals. Davies photographed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in its earlier years. Born in 1938, Davies grew up in Maine, the Catskills, New York City, and Boston. Her grandparents were local union organizers and Debs socialists; one grandfather was a gandy dancer with the railroad, and her grandmother was a textile worker in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Davies finds that her family background was later expressed in her own activist efforts.
Davies left high school at 16, and worked sweeping out coffeehouses, which gave her the opportunity to listen to music while she worked. She became interested in theater and music. In Greenwich Village, she began doing some sound technician work, and then got interested in photography. She taught herself how to develop and print photographs in a darkroom, and began photographing in theaters, shooting from behind the scenes. Her theater photos are at Smith College in Northampton, where she presently lives. In the early 1960s, she began working with the editors of Broadside Magazine, Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen. She developed an interest in human rights work, which grew from her contact with Sis and Gordon, and also her own family background. She also worked as a photographer in a wide range of settings, including night clubs, weddings, and doing portrait photography. This led her to work for major national and international media including the New York Times, covering such events as the war in Biafra, and traveling to Mexico, Cuba, and Portugal on assignment.
Davies' folk photographs represent about one-quarter of her body of work; her other major photographic work includes the Civil Rights Movement, the Peace Movement, and theater. Davies began photographing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, which she covered for a number of years. She knew Ralph Rinzler, and found him a vibrant, alive person excited by all aspects of culture. He introduced her to Bessie Jones from the Georgia Sea Islands, and in 1966 she made a photographic journey to the islands. Her work from this trip is included in the collection. Davies has also been a musician. She became involved with the punk rock movement of the 1970s, and felt that there was a connection between the hard-hitting songs from the punk world and the songs being published in Broadside Magazine. In 1975, she became part of a folk/punk women's band in Boston, and later moved to Western Massachusetts. In addition to being a photographer and musician, Davies is also a writer. She wrote a play entitled "The Witch Papers" in 1980, which was produced in Boston and other locations. The play was a vehicle for her human rights activism, comparing the technology of inquisition with labor sweatshops. In 1998, her play "The War Machine" was produced in Amherst, Mass. She lives in Northampton, and enjoys and participates in street performance, which she describes as the "most essentially communicative stuff you can come up with."
General note:
All contact sheets from the collection are digitized and accessible through this finding aid. Series-level slideshows accessible through this finding aid represent a small sampling from the collection.
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://folklife.si.edu/archives#shared-stewardship.
Provenance:
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired portions of the Diana Davies Photograph Collection in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Ms. Davies photographed for the Festival of American Folklife. More materials came to the Archives circa 1989 or 1990. Archivist Stephanie Smith visited her in 1998 and 2004, and brought back additional materials which Ms. Davies wanted to donate to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. These two more recent donations of additional photographs (contact sheets, prints, and slides) consisted of documentation of the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's March on Washington, the Civil Rights Movement, the Georgia Sea Islands, and miscellaneous personalities of the American folk revival. In a letter dated 12 March 2002, Ms. Davies gave full discretion to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to grant permission for both internal and external use of her photographs, with the provison that her work be credited in any use.
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.
The struggle / L. Hughes (0:22) -- Field call / A.G.H. Dodson (1:15) -- Complaint call / E. Brown (0:40) -- Intro and Kneebone Bend / L. McKiver, D. Skipper (2:51) -- Brother Terrapin, slow train to Arkansas / R. Amerson (1:56) -- Jack and Mary and three dogs / J. Hunter (5:53) -- Buck dance / J. Tucker (1:19) -- I'm goin' up north / Children of East York School (1:22) -- Pharaoh's host got lost / L. McKiver (1:32) -- Bars fight / L. Terry (read by A. Bontemps) (1:23) -- Earl of Dartmouth / P. Wheatley (read by D.F. Washington) (0:49) -- I wonder where my brother gone / A.G.H. Dodson (1:17) -- Narrative / H. Tubman (read by D.F. Washington) (0:59) -- Speech at Akron Convention / S. Truth (read by R. Dee) (2:05) -- Singing slaves / F. Douglass (read by O. Davis) (1:03) -- Steal away to Jesus / K. West (1:50) -- What to the slave is the Fourth of July? / F. Douglass (read by O. Davis) (2:36) -- Why slavery is still rampant / S.P. Parker (read by R. Dee) (1:47) -- Free at last / D. Reed and V.H. Ward (1:33) -- When Malindy sings / P.L. Dunbar (read by M. Walker) (3:48) -- There's a great camp meeting / Fisk Jubilee Singers (2:01) -- Atlanta Exposition address / B.T. Washington (1:16) -- John Henry / B. McGhee and S. Terry (4:03) -- Banjo player / F. Johnson (read by A. Bontemps) (0:44) -- Boatman dance / E. Cotten (1:42) -- Shine / P. Randolph (1:03) -- Chopping in the new ground / Inmates of Ramsay or Retrieve State Farms, TX (1:37) -- Lynching, our national crime / I.B. Wells-Barnett (read by R. Dee) (3:43) -- A recorded autobiography / W.E.B. Du Bois (2:33) -- Listen Lord, a prayer / J.W. Johnson (read by M. Walker) (2:55) -- My heart is fixed / G. Davis (2:04) -- The Titanic / Lead Belly (4:04) -- Heritage / C. Cullen (2:58) -- Jungle drums / J.P. Johnson (2:32). No more auction block / P. Robeson (2:09) -- Negro speaks of rivers / L. Hughes (0:43) -- If we must die / C. McKay (0:57) -- Ma Rainey / S. Brown (2:06) -- Backwater blues / B.B. Broonzy (2:47) -- Married man blues / B. and D.D. Pierce (5:11) -- For my people / M. Walker (5:41) -- Children of the poor, sonnet 2 / G. Brooks (0:47) -- Body and soul / G. Nicholas (3:48) -- How He delivered me / J. Johnson & the Gospel Tones (2:39) -- Long distance call / M. Waters (6:58) -- Cry to me / S. Burke (2:13) -- Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around / SNCC Freedom Singers (2:31) -- Birmingham 1963 - Keep moving / M.L. King, Jr. (3:42) -- Black Panther Party platform / B. Seale (2:59) -- Interview (excerpt) / A. Davis (1:05) -- Together to the tune of Coltrane's "Equinox" / S.W. Fabio (1:40) -- Nikki-Rosa / N. Giovanni (1:12) -- Liberation/poem / S. Sanchez (0:34) -- Dope / A. Baraka (4:48) -- Village of Brooklyn, Illinois / H. Bluiett (3:30) -- For the poets / J. Cortez (3:56) -- Shotgun Joe / Golden Eagles (5:19) -- St. Louis woman / I. Reed (1:26) -- People everyday / Arrested Development (3:27).
Track Information:
101 The Struggle / Langston Hughes.
102 Field Call / Annie Grace Horn Dodson.
103 Complaint Call / Enoch Brown.
104 Intro and Knee Bend / Doretha Skipper, Lawrence McIver.
105 Brother Terrapin, Slow Train to Arkansas / Rich Amerson.
106 Jack and Mary and Three Dogs / Janie Hunter.
107 Buck Dance (excerpt) / Joech Tucker, Scott Dunbar.
108 I'm Goin' Up North / Children of East York School.
109 Pharaoh's Host Got Lost / Lawrence McIver.
110 Bar Fights / Arna Wendell Bontemps, Lucy Terry.
111 Earl of Dartmouth (excerpt) / Dorothy Washington, Phillis Wheatley.
112 I Wonder Where My Brother Gone / Annie Grace Horn Dodson.
114 Speech at Akron Convention / Ruby Dee, Sojourner Truth.
115 Singing Slaves / Frederick Douglass, Ossie Davis.
116 Steal Away to Jesus / Kinsey West.
117 What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? (excerpt) / Frederick Douglass, Ossie Davis.
118 Why Slvery is Still Rampant (excerpt) / Ruby Dee, Sarah Parker Remond.
119 Free At Last / Dock Reed, Vera Hall.
120 When Malindy Sings / Margaret Walker, Paul Laurence Dunbar.
121 There's A Great Camp Meeting / Jubilee Singers, John W. (John Wesley) Work, Mary Ferguson.
122 Atlanta Exposition Address / Booker T. Washington.
123 John Henry / Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry.
124 Banjo Player / Arna Wendell Bontemps, Fenton Johnson.
125 Boatman Dance / Elizabeth Cotten.
126 Shine / Percy Randolph.
127 Chopping in the New Ground / Inmates of Ramsey or Retrieve.
128 Lynching, Our National Crime / Ruby Dee, Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
129 A Recorded Autobiography / Moses Asch, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) DuBois.
130 Listen Lord, A Prayer / Margaret Walker, James Weldon Johnson.
131 My Heart is Fixed / Gary Davis.
132 The Titanic / Lead Belly.
133 Heritage / Countee Cullen.
134 Jungle Drums / James P. (James Price) Johnson.
201 No More Auction Block / Paul Robeson.
202 The Negro Speaks of Rivers / Langston Hughes.
203 If We Must Die / Claude McKay.
204 Ma Rainey / Sterling Brown.
205 Backwater Blues / Bill Broonzy.
206 Married Man Blues / Billie Pierce, De De Pierce.
207 For My People / Margaret Walker.
208 The Children of the Poor, Sonnet 2 / Gwendolyn Brooks.
209 Body and Soul / David Jackson, Big Nick Nicholas, John Miller.
210 How He Delivered Me / Gospel Tones (Vocal group), Juanita Johnson.
211 Long Distance Calls / Otis Spann, Muddy Waters.
212 Cry To Me / Realtones, Marc Ribot, Solomon Burke.
213 Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around / Freedom Singers.
214 Birmingham 1963 - Keep Moving / Martin Luther, Jr. King.
215 Black Panther Party Platform / Bobby Seale.
216 Interview (excerpt) / Angela Yvonne Davis.
217 Together to the Tune of Coltrane's "Equinox" (excerpt) / Ronald Fabio, Sarah Webster Fabio, Wayne Wallace.
218 Nikki-Rosa / Nikki Giovanni.
219 liberation/poem / Sonia Sanchez.
220 Dope / Imamu Amiri Baraka.
221 The Village of Brooklyn, Illinois 62059 (excerpt) / Hamiet Bluiett.
222 For the Poets / Jayne Cortez.
223 Shotgun Joe / Golden Eagles (Musical group), Joseph Boudreaux.
224 St. Louis Woman / Ishmael Reed.
225 People Everyday / Arrested Development (Musical group).
Local Numbers:
SF-COMM-CD-47003
Smithsonian Folkways.47003
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Folkways 2001
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Birmingham (Ala.), Albany (Ga.), Washington (D.C.), Texas, New Orleans (La.), Louisiana, Chapel Hill (N.C.), North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, New York, United States.
General:
Commercial
compiled, annotated and produced by Robert H. Cataliotti
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.
101 Long Distance Call / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
102 Who Do You Love? / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
103 I'm a Man / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
104 Bo Diddley / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
201 You Can't Judge a Book by It's Cover / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
202 I Just Want to Make Love to You / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
203 My Babe / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
204 You Don't Love Me / Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Guitar,Harmonica.
Local Numbers:
FP-RINZ-LP-0018
Chess.9168
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Chicago, Illinois Chess 1984
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Chicago (Ill.), United States, Illinois.
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.
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, 1969.
General:
CDR copy, Disc 497
SOS files: Tape from Rinzler Collection, looks like a recording from the Newport Folk Festival. Short sets by Rodriguez Brothers, Muddy Waters, Staple Singers and then longer set by Sea Island Singers, introduced by Guy Carawan
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.
I'm feeling alright -- Sometimes I have a heartache -- Black rat (take 6) -- Life goes on -- Everything gonna be alright -- Big Mama's bumble bee blues -- Gimme a penny (take 6) -- Looking the world over -- I feel the way I feel -- Guide me home -- Black rat : take 2 -- Wrapped tight -- Gimme a penny (take 5) -- Big Mama's shuffle -- Since I fell for you -- I'm feeling alright (fast version) -- Big Mama's blues (My love).
Local Numbers:
Arhoolie.9043; Arhoolie.1032
FP-ARH-CD-9043
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
El Cerrito, CA Arhoolie 1966, 2004
Participant or Performer Note:
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, vocals, drums (track 5), harmonica (tracks 14, 17); with the Muddy Waters Blues Band: Muddy Waters, guitar; James Cotton, harmonica; Otis Spann, piano; Samuel Lawhorn, guitar; Luther Johnson, bass; Francis Clay, drums.
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded Apr. 25, 1966 at Coast Recorders, San Francisco, Calif.
General:
Produced by Chris Strachwitz.
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.
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, July 5, 1968.
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.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The 1968 Festival saw a large program of music and dance performances, in three venues: a Ballads Stage, a City-Country Stage, and a Main Stage. As with the 1967 Festival, the majority of the performers represented Anglo American and African American traditions, but there were also Lummi, Basque, and Serbian dance groups, as well as a Louisiana French ballad singer and a Native American singer and storyteller. Anglo American performers presented old-time string band music as well as bluegrass, ballads and various instrumental traditions. African American traditions ranged from a country songster and a fife-and-drum group to Muddy Waters' Chicago blues band and the Preservation Hall Band of New Orleans. Concerts were complemented by more informal workshops in which participants spoke about their cultural traditions and the importance of maintaining them. Evening concerts on the Main Stage presented a diversity of traditions and - to close the Festival - a tribute to the John A. Lomax Family that featured the diverse Texas performers.
Participants:
Anthony Alderman, 1900-1978, fiddler, Virginia
Alma Barthélémy, ballad singer, Louisiana
Loman Cansler, 1924-1992, ballad singer, Missouri
Gaither Carlton, 1901-1972, fiddler, North Carolina
Sara Cleveland, 1905-1987, ballad singer, New York
Fred Cockerham, 1905-1980, fiddler and banjo player, North Carolina
Libba Cotten, 1895-1987, singer and guitarist, Washington, D.C. (originally from North Carolina)
Henry Crowdog, 1899-1985, Indian singer and storyteller, South Dakota
St. Nikola dancers, traditional Serbian dancers, Wisconsin
Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Smith, fiddler and guitar player, West Virginia, Arlington, Virginia
George Smith, square dance caller, Maryland
Dewey Shepherd, 1906-1996, fiddler and ballad singer, Kentucky
John Kilby Snow, 1905-1980, autoharp player, Pennsylvania
Ralph Stanley (1927-2016) and the Clinch Mountain Boys, bluegrass band Virginia, Florida
Swan Silvertones, gospel, New York
Odell Tolliver, 1918-, fiddler, Virginia
Leslie Walls, guitar player, Arkansas
Muddy Waters (1915-1983) and group, blues band, Illinois
Arnold Watson, singer, banjo player, North Carolina
Doc Watson, 1923-2012, singer, guitar player, banjo player, North Carolina
Merle Watson, 1949-1985, guitar player, North Carolina
Rosa Lee Watson, 1931-2012, singer and guitar player, North Carolina
Ed Young (1910-1972), G.D. Young, and Lonnie Young (1903-1976), fife and drum, Tennessee
Collection 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.
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: 1968 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections , Smithsonian Institution.
