Manuscript Collection
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THE CENTER FOR POPULAR MUSIC, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY,
MURFREESBORO, TN
CHARLES
K. WOLFE AUDIO COLLECTION ACC. NO: 05-023
The processing of the Charles K. Wolfe Audio Collection and
the preparation of this finding aid was made possible by a generous grant from the
GRAMMY Foundation® (April 2013 – March 2014).
Creator:
Wolfe, Charles K.
Type
of Material:
Indexes
Electronic documents (scans of tapes, correspondence etc.)
Audio tapes
Correspondence--1920-1930
Physical Description:
333 Open
reel audio tapes-High priority for transfer
913 Cassette tapes-High priority for transfer
1349
Cassette tapes-Low priority for transfer
65 Open
reel audio tapes-High priority for transfer
*numbers not complete
Dates:
1929-2006
Abstract (Descriptive Summary):
This
collection of audio tapes was created by Dr. Charles K. Wolfe during the course
of his career as collector, scholar, educator and author on topics relating to
the vernacular music of the American South circa 1975-2005.
Access:
This
collection is open for research. The collection is cataloged and may be
searched online through the Center for Popular Music website: http://popmusic.mtsu.edu/index.html
Restrictions:
Property
rights reside with repository. Publication and reproduction rights reside with
the creators or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce,
please contact the Center for Popular Music. Popular.Music@mtsu.edu
Provenance and Acquisition
Information:
In February,
2012, the family of the late Dr. Charles K. Wolfe (1943-2006) donated Dr.
Wolfe’s collection of sound recordings and documents to the Center for Popular
Music. The
Charles K. Wolfe Audio Collection (05-023) contains over 3000 audio tape
recordings, Wolfe’s tape indexes and some historic correspondence. The majority of the recordings
in the collection were created or collected by Dr. Wolfe during his many years
of research relating to American roots music. Accession number 05-023 also
contains a substantial amount of material that was dubbed from or perhaps
loaned to Wolfe by other collectors and researchers. This information is
notated in the database if known.
Subjects/Index Terms:
Country
musicians—Interviews
Country music
Old-time music
Fiddling
Grand
Ole Opry
String
bands
Bluegrass
musicians—Interviews
African American musicians—Interviews
Western Swing
Ballads
Names
Acuff, Roy
Wills, Bob, 1905-1975
Hicks,
Dee
Monroe,
Bill, 1911-1996
Jones, Grandpa, 1913-1998
Travis, Merle
Hartford, John
Krauss, Alison, 1971-
Louvin, Charlie, 1927-2011
Cutrer, T. Tommy
Martin, Benny
Carter, Maybelle, 1909-1978
Seeger, Mike, 1933-2009
Rinzler, Ralph
King, James
Williams, Paul
McGee
Brothers
McGee, Sam, 1894-1975
McGee, Kirk, 1899-1983
Macon, Uncle Dave, 1870-1952
Stripling Brothers
Booker, John
Georgia Yellowhammers
Malone, Kasper “Stranger”
Smith, Arthur, 1898-1971 [Smith, Fiddlin’ Arthur]
Agency History/biographical
sketch:
Dr. Charles
K. Wolfe was born in Sedalia, Missouri in 1943. Wolfe earned his B.A. in
English at Southwest Missouri State University and later continued his studies
at the University of Kansas in Lawrence where he was awarded his Master’s
degree and then his Ph.D. in 1971. In 1970, he began his 35 year tenure as a
professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee. Murfreesboro provided Wolfe with an excellent, centrally located
base of operations from which he could easily travel all over the south to meet
and interview the pioneers of the gospel and country music he would spend his
life documenting and championing.
Wolfe
was a highly prolific scholar. During his long career as a writer, editor,
lecturer and fan of southern vernacular music, he wrote scores of liner notes
for reissue projects, wrote (or coauthored) more than 20 books and appeared as
an expert on TV, radio and in documentary films and was also a major supporter
of roots music community projects in Middle Tennessee such as Uncle Dave Macon
Days in his home town of Murfreesboro. Wolfe was one of the most highly
respected people in the field of American vernacular music. He received many
honors and awards for his work such as the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, Association
for Recorded Sound Collections’ Lifetime Achievement Award, the International
Bluegrass Music Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award and he was also a
three time Grammy nominee. Wolfe retired from university work in 2005 but
continued his studies and writing up until his death in February of 2006.
Scope and content:
The
Charles K. Wolfe Audio Collection is comprised of 13 linear feet of materials.
The collection is stored in archival boxes and the individual items are
organized numerically. This collection contains audio tapes in 5” and 7” open
reel format and cassette format, including Wolfe’s original indexes and one box
of fan correspondence sent to guitarist/singer, Jack Jackson circa 1929-1931.
The
Charles K. Wolfe Audio Collection consists mainly of audio tapes relating to
the vernacular musical styles of the American south circa 1920-2000s. Styles
represented within the collection include; country/old time/string band music,
fiddling, blues, classic jazz, ballads, blues, western swing, Hawaiian, folk
songs, shape note singing, singing schools, gospel quartet singing and
rockabilly. The tapes contain oral histories and interviews with many
pioneering country and gospel musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and
publishers such as; Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, Sam and
Kirk McGee, Dick Rutherford, Sid Harkreader, Alison
Krauss, Art Galbraith, Clyde Davenport, Frank Walker, Ernest Stoneman, Kitty Wells, Maybelle
Carter, James D. Walbert, Benny Williams, Louise
Woods-Woodward, and Clarence Myer. Interviews also give firsthand accounts of
the early history of the Grand Old Opry, National Barn Dance and Renfro Valley
Barn Dance as well as musicians and groups that include; Poplin-Woods Tennessee
String Band, Hack’s String Band, Skillet Lickers, Georgia Yellowhammers, Doc
Roberts, Dykes Magic City Trio, Perry County Music Makers, Jess Young, Smith’s
Sacred Singers, Vaughan Quartet, Taylor’s Kentucky Boys, Uncle Dave Macon,
Burnett & Rutherford, Byrd Moore, the Tweedy Brothers, Red Fox Chasers, Stamps
Quartet, James D. Vaughan, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell
and more.
Interviews
relate to specific regions such as Middle Tennessee, East Tennessee, North
Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Western North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia and
Kentucky that had a profound impact on early country, blues and gospel music.
Wolfe’s interviews with musicians include highly significant topics such as
impressions of other musicians, details of recording sessions, individual
performance styles and techniques, influences, memories of other musicians,
travelling, songwriting, business aspects, gospel publishing, discographical information as well as autobiographical and
genealogical information.
The
collection also features many recorded musical performances on unique field recordings,
historic radio transcriptions, dubs (and originals) of small label/vanity label
recordings and demo tapes as well as copies of similar recordings made by
fellow scholars, musicians and folklorists. The collection also includes one
box of fan correspondence sent to guitarist/singer, Jack Jackson by radio
listeners during his stint as the “Strolling Yodeler” on WLAC radio in
Nashville circa1929-1931 as well as four of Wolfe’s original tape collection
indexes.
Series Description:
Box # to
# High priority for transfer 7” and 5” open reel tapes
Box # to # High priority for transfer cassette tapes
Box # to # Low priority for transfer 7” and 5” open reel tapes
Box # to # Low priority for transfer cassette tapes
Box # to
# Low priority for transfer commercial cassette tapes
Box # to
# Original Wolfe index binders for open reel and cassette tapes
Box #
Jack Jackson WLAC correspondence
Collection
Contents: (Folder/box list):
Audio tapes-High Priority for transfer
Cassette tapes-1246 (Wolfe 00337-02150)
Open reel tapes-333 (315 @7” 18 @5”)
(Wolfe 00001-00335)
*Many of
these tapes have had labels or accompanying correspondence scanned. Refer to
database for this information.
Audio tapes-Low
priority for transfer
Cassette tapes-1355 in 8
Boxes
Box 1-211 tapes (Wolfe 04000-04210)
Box 2-179 tapes (Wolfe
04391-04390)
Box 3-159 tapes (Wolfe
04391-04550)
Box 4-183 tapes (Wolfe
04551-04734)
Box 5-171 tapes (Wolfe
04735-04906)
Box 6-168 tapes (Wolfe
04907-05075)
Box 7-150 tapes (Wolfe
05076-05226)
Box 8-128 tapes (Wolfe
05227-05355)
7” Open reel tapes- 20 Boxes
Box 1-18 tapes (Wolfe 05356-05374)
Box 2-13 tapes (Wolfe 05375-05388)
Box 3-20 tapes (Wolfe 05389-05408)
Box 4 – 15 tapes (Wolfe 05409-05423)
Box 5 – 15 tapes
(Wolfe 05424-05438)
Box 6 – 17 tapes
(Wolfe 05439-05455)
Box 7 – 17 tapes
(Wolfe 05456-05472)
Box 8 – 16 tapes
(Wolfe 05473- 05488)
Box 9 – 19 tapes
(Wolfe 05489-05507)
Box 10 – 17 tapes
(Wolfe 05508-05524)
Box 11 – 17 tapes
(Wolfe 0025-05541)
Box 12 – 21 tapes
(Wolfe 05542-05562)
Box 13 – 19 tapes
(Wolfe 05563-05581)
Box 14 – 23 tapes
(Wolfe 05582-05604)
Box 15 – 19 tapes
(Wolfe 05605-05623)
Box 16 – 20 tapes
(Wolfe 05624-05643)
Box 17 – 20 tapes
(Wolfe 05644-05663)
Box 18 – 24 tapes
(Wolfe 05664-05687)
Box 19 - 17 tapes
(Wolfe 05688-05704)
Box 20 – 29 tapes
(Wolfe 05705-05733)
Indexes-Open
reel audio tapes
Index 1-100
Red three ring
binder with individual sheets with detailed information about tapes numbered
approximately 1-100 using Wolfe’s numbering system. Information contained
within is not complete.
Index 100-200 Red three ring binder with
individual sheets with detailed information about tapes numbered approximately
100-200 using Wolfe’s numbering system. Information contained within is not
complete.
Index 200-300 Red three ring binder with
individual sheets with detailed information about tapes numbered approximately
200-300 using Wolfe’s numbering system. Information contained within is not
complete.
Cassette Index Brown three ring binder with individual sheets with detailed information about
tapes numbered approximately c2-c90 using Wolfe’s numbering system. Information
contained within is not complete.
Historic
documents
Box
“Jack Jackson Folders” Three folders of fan mail
correspondence sent to singer/guitarist, Jack Jackson during his tenure as the
“Strolling Yodeler” on WLAC radio in Nashville circa 1929-31
Materials Cataloged Separately:
The
audio tapes of the highest priority for transfer are available on the Center
for Popular Music servers. Noteworthy correspondence, documents or labels
connected to each tape have been scanned and are available on the Center for
Popular Music servers.
Arrangement:
Original
order of the audio tapes has been maintained in so far as possible. The
processor devised the basic organizational scheme for the collection,
reorganizing the materials within component groups where necessary.
Correspondence is filed chronologically.
Location:
All of
the materials are currently stored in the boxes that comprise the entire
collection and are housed with other manuscript collections by accession
number.
Related Materials:
Charles Wolfe
Manuscript Collection (incomplete and unprocessed; inventory available)
Charlie Acuff Collection 96-018
Tommy Magness Collection 94-035
Art Satherly Collection 94-065
jjf-March, 2014