Welcome to the Southern Music Research Center

The Southern Music Research Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to the preservation and public presentation of the American South’s many music histories and ongoing forms of musical expression.

The real center of our Center is this website: a public archive of rare photos, rescued recordings, oral histories, ephemera and artifacts from a diversity of musical communities and traditions. We encourage visitors to get to know our site by browsing our collections — and to come back often, as we are actively acquiring and adding new material to the site.

You can support our mission and growth by making a financial contribution. To donate materials to the archive, please contact our executive director, Burgin Mathews: burgin@southernmusicresearch.org. To keep up with our latest archival collections and other updates, please join our mailing list.

Recently Added Items

Country Boy Eddie Promotional Photo

Country Boy Eddie Promo Photo.jpeg

Promotional photo for Country Boy Eddie (Gordon Edwards Burns), c. 1980s. Autographed c. 2016.A longtime fixture of Birmingham radio and television,…

"Win Praise In Elk Parade" (1944)

Win Praise In Elk Parade (clip).jpeg

Photo and caption,Chicago Defender, September 2, 1944."Birmingham, Ala., was well-represented in the Elk parade which featured the 45th Annual Session…

"Negro Draftees March Off To Serve Uncle Sam" (1940)

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Newspaper clipping, Birmingham, Alabama, 1940. "'From Bunker Hill to Chateau Thierry, Negroes have been good soldiers.... None have been traitors....…

Kyshona

put your hands on your hips!.mp3

Interview with Kyshona, conducted by Burgin Mathews for the Southern Music Research Center, September 3, 2024.Kyshona discusses her family's gospel…

George Washington

George Washington Transcript SMRC.pdf

Interview with George Washington, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the Carver Theatre / Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, August 25, 2016. Born in…

Tolton Rosser

Tolton Rosser SMRC Transcript.pdf

Interview with Dr. Tolton Rosser, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the Carver Theatre / Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, April 19, 2016. Dr. Tolton Rosser…

Rickey Powell

Rickey Powell Transcript, Southern Music Research Center.pdf

Interview with Rickey Powell (1948-2022), conducted by Burgin Mathews, October 11, 2017, at the Birmingham Boys and Girls Club, Birmingham,…

Consuela Lee (Moorehead) (Craig Legg's ARM 106)

ARM 106 Consuela Lee (Moorehead).jpeg

Painting of Consuela Lee (Moorehead) by Craig Legg, 2023. #106 in Craig Legg's Alabama Roots Music Trading Card Series. Courtesy Craig Legg.

Fiddle & Folklife Logos (Craig Legg's ARM 297)

ARM Fiddle Logos.jpeg

Logos for The Tennessee Valley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, The Alabama Folk School, The Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Festival, and The Alabama…

Craig Legg's Alabama Roots Music Trading Card Series

Craig Legg by Andi Rice.jpeg

Craig Legg, in a photo by Andi Rice, East Village Arts, Birmingham, Alabama, 2023. Photo courtesy Andi Rice. Craig Legg’s Alabama Roots Music Trading…