Production materials documenting Smithsonian's thirteen-part program on the role of radio in transforming the African American community in the twentieth century. The program was produced in 1996 by Jacquie Gales Webb for Smithsonian Productions, with assistance from the AAAMC. The collection contains over 400 hours of interviews and historical aircheck tapes in addition to articles, research files, program scripts, and transcripts. The audio interviews feature conversations with over 150 well-known disc jockeys, radio professionals, record company executives, journalists, and scholars. The historical airchecks include station identifications and jingles, radio interviews with prominent Black figures, coverage of historical events, and programs highlighting or influenced by the contributions of Black performers, disc jockeys, and other important persons in radio.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Digital Audio Tape, Data cartridge, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Text document, and Data disk (floppy disk)
Extent:
4.3 linear feet (10 boxes) + 297 audiocassettes (DAT : digital, stereo), 168 audiocassettes (analog), 9 8mm data cartridges, 7 audio discs (CD-R), 3 data disks (1.44 MB floppies)
Julian Price was a businessman, journalist, and civic leader. A native of Greensboro, NC, Price was the grandson of Jefferson Standard Insurance executive Julian Price (1867-1946). Price lived in Asheville, NC, from 1990 until his death in 2001, using his extensive wealth and philanthropic spirit to fuel a revitalization of Asheville’s downtown. Price was very interested in radio and print journalism, and recorded a number of interviews for broadcast on public radio stations. This collection contains over 50 cassette recordings of Price’s radio programs.
Content types:
Spoken word and Performed music
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Text document, Photographic negative, Photographic print, and VHS (including SVHS and VHS-C)
We have a massive collection of about 50,000 recordings on CD and vinyl, in addition to both digital and tape airchecks spanning several decades. We also have program guides, advertisements, and station produced publications.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Open reel tape (unknown material), Digital Audio Tape (DAT), Photographic print, Digital audio file (including MP3, WAV, AIFF, etc.), Pressed LP disc, Pressed 78rpm disc, Pressed 45rpm disc, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Analog audiocassette, MiniDisc, Text document, Printed brochure, and Printed magazine
Jack "The Rapper" Gibson was a pioneer in Black radio, as well as an innovator, a leader, and a mentor to many in the radio and music industries. His work as a Black radio deejay spanned the early days of Black radio in the 1940s through the Civil Rights Movement, and included stints at WERD-Atlanta, WLOU-Louisville, WMBM-Miami, WCIN-Cincinnati, and WABQ-Cleveland. After retiring from radio in 1961, he became a successful music industry executive working for Motown, Decca, and Stax Records. In 1976, he launched the industry magazine Jack the Rapper, the oldest Black trade publication targeted to radio, and for the next twenty years organized the annual "Jack the Rapper’s Family Affair," a Black music convention drawing generations of performers and music industry executives. His professionalism, continuous fight for racial equality and justice, and endearing human qualities made him a legend in the industry. This collection documents his long career in radio and music through personal correspondence, clippings, memorabilia, photographs, publicity materials, airchecks, interviews, lecture materials, and over 500 issues of his trade magazine "Jack the Rapper's Mellow Yellow."
Content types:
Two-dimensional moving image, Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Open reel tape (unknown material), VHS (including SVHS and VHS-C), Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Text document, and Photographic print
Series G, "Music Industry Interviews," consists of transcripts and audiocassettes of interviews primarily conducted by Portia K. Maultsby between 1981-1986 as part of her research on the Black music industry. The remainder of the series in this collection are still in the process of being accessioned and are unavailable for general research and public use.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Text document, and Photographic print
Collection includes audiocassette recordings of interviews about Ray Charles for Lydon's book Ray Charles : Man and Music (2004), a radio series about Ray Charles based on Lydon's book, complete or partial transcripts for many of the interviews organized loosely into book chapters, interviews with and about other African American musicians, class lectures given by Lydon at Indiana University and related publicity materials, and original music performed by Lydon.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Analog audiocassette, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), Text document, and Photographic print
The Don Kennedy papers contain writings, audio recordings, photographs, printed materials, and awards related to Kennedy's television and radio broadcasting career. The bulk of the materials relate to the production of the Big Band Jump radio shows between 1989 and 2013. These include scripts, cue sheets, newsletters, and broadcast masters of the weekly programs. The papers include some full-length interviews with musicians and other big band-era figures that were subsequently edited for broadcast. The collection also includes promotional and photographic materials from his work with television station WATL-TV, 1976-1978; radio stations WKLS FM, 1960-1970, and the Georgia Network, 1972-1982; as well as his time as children's television host "Officer Don," 1956-1969.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, Text, and Two-dimensional moving image
Formats:
Pressed LP disc, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), MiniDisc, Analog audiocassette, Digital Audio Tape (DAT), Photographic print, and Text document
Extent:
22 linear feet, 640 Optical discs, 300 Pressed LP discs
Repository/Collector:
Georgia State University Special Collections and Archives
WRAS Radio records, 1966-2009, contain materials documenting the Georgia State University student-run radio station. The collection consists of materials pertaining to day-to-day operations, tower construction and relocation, playlists, logs, news clippings, ephemera, station produced sound recordings (interviews, promos, drops) and sound recording submissions for the Georgia Music Show. Notable in the collection is the almost complete run of general manager files documenting the station’s activities under each manager.
Content types:
Performed music, Spoken word, Still image, and Text
Formats:
Pressed LP disc, Pressed 45rpm disc, Optical disc (Including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD), MiniDisc, Polyester open reel tape, Photographic print, and Text document
Extent:
8 linear feet, 900 Optical and 45rpm discs
Repository/Collector:
Georgia State University Special Collections and Archives