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.
Featured Item
Jack Guy Film Collection
Presented in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklife Institue, the Jack Guy Collection offers rare access -- through audio recordings,…
Featured Collection
In Memoriam
A collection of funeral programs and other print tributes, presented in remembrance of beloved musicians. You can help us honor the musical legacies…
Featured Exhibit
Magic City: How the Birmingham Jazz Tradition Shaped the Sound of America
The Southern Music Research Center celebrates the release of a new book from its founding director, Burgin Mathews. Magic City...
Recently Added Items
Sam Phillips (1923-2003)
Funeral program for record producer Sam Phillips (1923-2003), Memphis, Tennessee.
Aileen Slater
Interview with Aileen Slater, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the home of Aileen Slater, Whitwell, Tennessee, August 16, 2024. A sister of Ira and…
The Slater Sisters
Photo of the Slater Sisters: left to right, Faye, Lorene, and Aileen. This short-lived country music trio included two sisters (Aileen and Lorene) of…
The Slater Sisters
Photo of the Slater Sisters: left to right, Aileen, Lorene, unidentified man, and Faye. This short-lived country music trio included two sisters…
The Slater Sisters: (Promo Photo 2)
Publicity photo of The Slater Sisters, c. early 1960s. Left to right: Lorene Loudermilk, Faye Louvin, and Aileen Slater. Lorene and Aileen were…
The Slater Sisters (Promo Photo 1)
Photo of the Slater Sisters, a country music singing group comprised of the three youngest Loudermilk sisters — left to right, Lorene, Geraldine…
Aileen, Geraldine, and Lorene Loudermilk
Photo of sisters Aileen, Geraldine (Geri), and Lorene Loudermilk.The youngest sisters of country music duo Ira and Charlie Louvin, the sisters…
Colonel Monero Allen Loudermilk and Georgianne Wooten Loudermilk with their oldest children, Charlsie and Ira Loudermilk (Ira Louvin)
Photograph of Colonel Monero Allen Loudermilk and Georgianne Wooten Loudermilk with their oldest children, Charlsie and Ira Loudermilk, 1920s. Ira and…
Country Boy Eddie Promotional Photo
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)
Photo and caption,Chicago Defender, September 2, 1944."Birmingham, Ala., was well-represented in the Elk parade which featured the 45th Annual Session…