Southern Folklife Collection – Page 8

SFC25

In just over one month, Southern Folklife Collection will celebrate our 25th Anniversary, August 21-August 23. As one of the nation’s foremost archives of Southern vernacular music, art, and culture, available for research in the University’s Wilson Special Collections Library, the Southern Folklife Collection is honored to had the opportunity to serve as an educational resource, an archive dedicated to collecting and preserving cultural heritage, and a focal point for the public appreciation of Southern art forms for 25 years.
Since its opening in 1989, the SFC has grown to contain over half a million items including sound recordings, moving images, photographs, manuscripts, books, song folios, serials, posters and ephemera. The Collection is especially rich in materials documenting old-time, country-western, bluegrass, blues, folk, gospel, rock, Cajun and zydeco music. The SFC holds numerous recordings on the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, including Dolly Parton’s first recording “Puppy Love.”
As part of the Southern Folklife Festival, we are presenting a number of events. You can visit our event website, sfc25th.web.unc.edu for more details, and come back to Field Trip South where we’ll highlight the our programs over the coming weeks.
August 21-23 is going to be a really good time to be in Chapel Hill.

SFC25

A benefit reception, dinner and concert (5:45pm, 8/21)
New Orleans Brass Band Symposium (5pm, 8/22)
Rebirth Brass Band and Dumpstaphunk (8pm, 8/22)
Big Star’s #1 Record and Third/Sister Lovers (9pm, 8/22)
SFC25 Festival at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC (1-4pm 8/23)
Merle Haggard and Tift Merritt (8pm, 8/23)
A retrospective SFC25 Exhibit (8/21/14 – 1/15/15)

We hope you can join us!

Cataloger's Corner: Bluegrass on Blue Ridge Records

The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers, "No One to Love Me" (Blue Ridge, 1952) — The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers, “No One to Love Me” (Blue Ridge, 1952), call no. 78-16864

Newly cataloged at the SFC (call no. 78-16864) is a 1952 release by the Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers, a short-lived ensemble on a short-lived label, both based out of Wilkes County, North Carolina.
The oldest of the three Church Brothers, Bill Church, had played during the 1940s with Roy Hall & his Blue Ridge Entertainers and on a radio show in Asheville, N.C. called “Farm and Fun Time.” After serving in World War II, he and his brother Ralph began playing with cousin Ward Eller and a few other locals—Drake Walsh (son of Dock Walsh), Gar Bowers and Elmer Bowers. Eventually a third Church brother (Edwin) joined the group. Calling themselves the Wilkes County Entertainers, they played on the local radio stations WILX and WKBC and at schoolhouse shows.

The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers, with songwriter Drusilla Adams (center) — The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers with songwriter Drusilla Adams

By the 1950s they were performing as the Church Brothers and their Blue Ridge Ramblers and making recordings with a lineup featuring Bill Church (guitar), Edwin Church (fiddle), Ralph Church (mandolin), Ward Eller (guitar), Ralph Pennington (bass), and Johnny Nelson (banjo). They also began recording songs written by a local lyricist, Drusilla Adams. Initially the band planned to have these recordings come out on Rich-R-Tone Records (at the time based in Johnson City, TN). Because of various delays, Drusilla and her father decided expedite the process by setting up their own Wilkesboro-based label called Blue Ridge Records, which issued several Church Brothers singles. Blue Ridge Records went on to record the Stanley Brothers and Bill Clifton; the label lasted until 1958 when Noah Adams passed away and it was sold.
The single “No One to Love Me,” featured here, received a somewhat mixed review from Billboard magazine: “A lively performance by the Church Brothers with hoedown accompaniment of a so-so piece of material.” About the B-side, “You’re Still the Rose of my Heart,” the critic simply stated: “More of the same.”
We’ve provided an excerpt from “No One to Love Me” here: here.
In addition to their releases on Blue Ridge, the Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers eventually did go on to sign a contract with Rich-R-Tone, recording several tracks for that label. In 1952, the group disbanded—though the members continued to play on their own at various dance events in the Wilkesboro area.
The Church Brothers’ output on Blue Ridge Records and was later released on LP compilations by Gerd Hadeler Productions and Rounder Records. These LPs are also available at the SFC, as FC-4743 and FC-2046, pictured below.

Church Brothers compilation released on GHP Records, call no. FC-4743

Church Brothers compilation on Rounder Records, call no. FC-2046

An article and video feature on former Rambler Ward Eller’s experiences with the band appeared in the March 2014 issue of Mountain Music Magazine.

78 of the week: Ida Cox and Lovie Austin on Paramount

Sorry to be so quiet around here lately. Summer in Chapel Hill may be quiet, but activity at Wilson Library intensifies as the temperature goes up. We’ve got exciting news about the SFC 25 year anniversary coming up so stay tuned to Field Trip South over the next few days. You’re going to love it.
But for this afternoon, to ease back into blogging this week I thought we could start slow with call no. 78-11107 by the remarkable Ida Cox accompanied by the one and only Lovie Austin. “Death Letter Blues” and “Kentucky Man Blues” are but two of 78 sides Cox recorded for Paramount between 1923 and 1929. Enjoy these segments, presented with no noise reduction or post-processing. Love the sound.78_11107_Ida_Cox_Death_Letter_Blues 78_11107_Ida_Cox_Kentucky_Man_Blues

Folk Fashion from the Photo-Sound Associates

Really enjoying the fashion of the folk scene in the Photo-Sound Associates photographs lately. We love these images of Liz White wearing an absolutely fabulous belt in the studio at WNCN-New York for George Lorrie’s radio show on May 25, 1959. Photo by Aaron Rennert for Photo-Sound Associates. See more in the Ron Cohen Collection (20239).

Southern Folklife Collection Flamenco photo of the week

Stunning photographs made by Aaron Rennert for Photo-Sound Associates, from the Ron Cohen Collection (20239). Shot in New York City, in the late 1950s, the images document a party attended by members of the famed Ballet Español de Ximenez-Vargas. Dancers include (from top to bottom): Carmen Rivas, an unidentified man, Maria Alba (Flamenco dance star who studied with Mariquita Flores and by 1957 or so was dancing with Ximenez-Vargas), and Antonio Hector de Jesus.

Photo of the week: Jesse "Lone Cat" Fuller

Promotional photo of the great Jesse “Lone Cat” Fuller from Manny Greenhill’s legendary Folklore Productions. Best known for his song “San Francisco Bay Blues,” Fuller was a renaissance man: appearing in silent films like The Thief of Baghdad, hoboeing cross-country, working in the California shipyards, and playing music. Fuller built his own bass accompaniment, the “fotdella,” and played harmonica and washboard along with his 12-string guitar to make himself a one-man jug band. Fuller died in 1976 in Oakland, California. The image is call no. p673 in the John Edwards Memorial Foundation Collection.

Lard Have Mercy! 30 Years of Southern Culture on the Skids

The Southern Folklife Collection is pleased to announce our first exhibit and program of 2014, “Lard Have Mercy! 30 Years of Southern Culture on the Skids.” The exhibit opens Friday, March 14, 2014 at 6PM on the 4th floor of the Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill. The exhibit opening will be followed by a concert at Historic Playmakers Theater featuring none other than Southern Culture on the Skids. Both events occur in conjunction with the annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) taking place March 13-16 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“Lard Have Mercy” traces the history of Chapel Hill’s “Legendary Bards of Downward Mobility,” Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS). Formed in 1983. SCOTS embody a raucous, sleazy, good-natured, good-time take on Southern traditions and traditional music playing a unique hybrid of Americana, surf, R&B, rockabilly, and swamp pop, driving fans into ecstatic, sweat-drenched paroxysms of joy.
Featuring photography by Kent Thompson and Michael Benson as well as instruments, posters, recordings, and other ephemera from the SCOTS collection in the Southern Folklife Collection.
Events are free and open to the public but seating is limited. Concert Tickets will be available via Memorial Hall Box Office (919) 843-3333 the week of March 3rd. More information about the concert below.
Ticket booth opens: 6pm
Doors: 7pm
Concert: 7:30pm
“A HELL RAISING ROCK AND ROLL PARTY” – ROLLING STONE

Remembering Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger performing at Folk Festival at Town Hall, 8 March 1958. Photo by Ray Sullivan for Photo-Sound Associates. 20239_pf0002_0022. Ron Cohen Collection (20239). Southern Folklife Collection.

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Seeger early this morning. Certainly the Southern Folklife Collection could not exist without the singular vision and dedication of remarkable individuals like Pete Seeger. His efforts to collect, preserve, and celebrate the musical heritage of the peoples of the world reflects the core of our mission. We consider it an honor to be able to contribute to the celebration of Seeger’s life and legacy with the resources we hold at Wilson Library and we encourage anyone interested in more research to visit us Wilson Library where the Southern Folklife Collection has hundreds of images, publications, recordings, and manuscript materials documenting Pete Seeger. With such a diverse and extensive career, it was difficult to choose what to share, however these images from the Photo-Sound Associates materials in the Ron Cohen Collection (20239) immediately came to mind.
The first four were made by Ray Sullivan in the late 1950s, after Seeger’s 1957 indictment for standing up to congress and the House Un-American Activities Committee. They all feature Seeger at the heart of the early folk revival in New York City doing what he loved, singing and playing music for people. The final image shows Seeger, Rambling Jack Elliot (in the top hat) and a crew of musicians on the deck of the Clearwater, the sloop Seeger built to advocate for clean water on his beloved Hudson River. We hope you find these images as joyful and moving as we do. Sing a song today for Pete.

Pete Seeger with the Drexel Singers (front row: Lela Royster, Edith Drexel, Elizabeth “Liz” Dargan, and unknown male singer). Folksong ’59 at Carnegie Hall, 3 April 1959. Photo by Ray Sullivan for Photo-Sound Associates. 20239_pf0079_01_0028. Ron Cohen Collection (20239). Southern Folklife Collection.

Pete and Mike Seeger. Folksong ’59 at Carnegie Hall, 4/3/59. 20239_pf0079_02_0028.Photo by Ray Sullivan for Photo-Sound Associates. Ron Cohen Collection (20239).Southern Folklife Collection.

Pete Seeger, presumably hootenanny at Carnegie Hall, 22 February 1958. Photo by Ray Sullivan for Photo Sound Associates. 20239_pf0132_02_0006. Ron Cohen Collection (20239). Southern Folklife Collection.

Pete Seeger, Jack Elliott, and crew performing for children on the Clearwater, ca. 1969. Photo-Sound Associates. 20239_pf0201_03_0015. Ron Cohen Collection (20239). Southern Folklife Collection.

Goldband Records approved "Sweet Potato Mash"

Sweet potato patch in Cleveland County,

call no. P0072/0010, Commercial Museum Collection of North Carolina Photographs (P0072)

North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives.

Don’t forget your eat your sweet potatoes tomorrow. No matter whether you roast them, bake them, fry them, hasselback them, or cook them with marshmallows on top, the Southern Folklife Collection has your soundtrack covered thanks to a seasonally appropriate tape from the Goldband Recording Corporation Collection (20245) that came up in the Rivers Studio just this week.
small_cfg
William Parker Guidry, Jr., came up in Southwest Louisiana and Lake Charles, performing and recording as Bill Parker for a number of labels, including Eddie Shuler’s Goldband Records. A drummer and bandleader, he appears all over the Goldband discography, and the man must have been a huge fan of the sweet potato because he wrote and recorded at least two tunes, including a cha-cha, dedicated to the noble tuber.
For you dear readers and listeners, we have “Sweet Potato Mash” by Bill Parker and his Showboat Band. FT7003 was digitized as part of the Southern Folklife Collection digitization project, From the Piedmont to the Swamplands: Preserving Southern Traditional Music, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

FT7003_sweet potato 2_Goldband Recording Corporation Collection (20045)

Ham, corn and fiddle tunes at Tommy Jarrell's

Back in 2009 we wrote about a field recording, call no. FS8341 from the Alice Gerrard Collection, documenting the Christmas she and Andy Cahan spent with Tommy Jarrell and his daughter Dena in 1983. For those who are interested, they had chicken and “it was so fine.”
That’s not the only holiday recording in the Alice Gerrard Collection. FS8205 was made in 1981 when Alice and a few others, including old-time musician Rusty Neithammer, spent Thanksgiving with Tommy. They had ham, and also some corn, according to the tape.FS8205_Ham
How many other holiday menus and recipes were recorded in the process of doing field work that are now held in Wilson Library at UNC? These recordings and thousands more are available for research in the Southern Folklife Collection. There was quite a bit of music at that Thanksgiving celebration, listen to Jarrell’s solo banjo version of “Let Me Fall” and then Rusty Neithammer and Tommy Jarrell twin fiddle one of my favorites, “Rockingham Cindy.”FS8205_Let Me Fall_Banjo FS8205_Rockingham Cindy
The Southern Folklife Collection is thankful to be able to share this with all of you out there. Happy Thanksgiving.