Oral Histories
Title
Oral Histories
Description
Audio recordings of oral history interviews reflecting a range of music traditions.
When possible, print transcripts are included; audio recordings appear just beneath the transcipt.
For additional oral histories, see also the Frank Adams and Darwin Lee Hill collections.
Note: The Southern Music Research Center, with grant assistance from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, is in the process of substantially expanding our collection of oral history interviews. We are currently processing for publication to this site a major donation of historic interviews and are continually conducting new interviews of our own; in addition, we welcome contributions from the public. If you have recorded interviews with southern musicians or singers, we hope you'll consider our archive as a resource for preserving that material and making it accessible. We'd love to hear from you at contact@southernmusicresearch.org.
Please be sure to check back in the coming months to explore the latest additions to this collection.
When possible, print transcripts are included; audio recordings appear just beneath the transcipt.
For additional oral histories, see also the Frank Adams and Darwin Lee Hill collections.
Note: The Southern Music Research Center, with grant assistance from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, is in the process of substantially expanding our collection of oral history interviews. We are currently processing for publication to this site a major donation of historic interviews and are continually conducting new interviews of our own; in addition, we welcome contributions from the public. If you have recorded interviews with southern musicians or singers, we hope you'll consider our archive as a resource for preserving that material and making it accessible. We'd love to hear from you at contact@southernmusicresearch.org.
Please be sure to check back in the coming months to explore the latest additions to this collection.
Collection Items
The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir
In 1959, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir was formed to provide the music that would fuel the mass meetings and marches of Birmingham's Civil Rights Movement. The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir -- named in honor of that…
Victoria Hallman
At the age of four, Birmingham, Alabama’s Victoria Hallman began making regular appearances on a local TV talent show; in 1961, at five, she recorded her first single—a Christmas tune, backed by a tear-jerking recitation—for a local label. She would…
Eddie Hinton
Interview with Eddie Hinton, recorded circa 1990 by Mark Harrelson, Birmingham, Alabama. Also included—along with the complete audio interview and its print transcript—is a short edited version of the conversation, incorporating music samples and…
Eloise Gaffney & Louisa Bevelle
Interview with Eloise Gaffney & Louisa Bevelle, Civil Rights Movement foot-soldiers and members of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir / Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir. Recorded by Burgin Mathews, August 7, 2013, in…
Nims E. "Bo" Gay
![Nims E. "Bo" Gay](https://southernmusicresearch.org/files/thumbnails/319f371792d348424ca09072e7a5220f.jpg "Nims E. "Bo" Gay")
As a teenager in Birmingham, Alabama, Nims Edward “Bo” Gay (1923-2022) started out singing in local choirs; after his graduation from high school, he became the first Black announcer on Birmingham radio station WJLD, where he featured, live on…
Dorothy "Dot" Henderson and the Silver Voices
![Dorothy "Dot" Henderson and the Silver Voices](https://southernmusicresearch.org/files/thumbnails/330fb1bde8d7ac676c8f0f0c183d8c5a.jpg "Dorothy "Dot" Henderson and the Silver Voices")
Interview with Dorothy "Dot" Henderson and the members of her group, Dot and the Silver Voices.Recorded for the Alabama Folklife Association by Burgin Mathews, January 17, 2016, at Henderson's home in Woodlawn, Alabama. Other members of the group are…
Kyshona
Interview with Kyshona, conducted by Burgin Mathews for the Southern Music Research Center, September 3, 2024.Kyshona discusses her family's gospel roots, her work as a musical therapist, and the creation of her new album, Legacy, a powerful…
Wanda Lohman
Wanda Lohman (“Miss Wanda”) was the longtime waitress at Tootsie’s Orchard Lounge, the iconic Nashville honkytonk. This interview was conducted as part of the project “Talking Country: Oral Histories in Classic Country Music,” created by Burgin…
Kasper "Stranger" Malone
Born in McCracken County, Kentucky, Kasper “Stranger” Malone (1909 – 2005) set out on his own at the age of fifteen and soon landed in Rome, Georgia, where he connected with some of the pioneers of old-time country string-band music. In 1926,…
Mamie Brown Mason
Interview with Mamie Brown Mason, Civil Rights Movement foot-soldier and co-founder of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir / Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir. Recorded by Burgin Mathews, August 2, 2013, at Mason's home in…
Rickey Powell
Interview with Rickey Powell (1948-2022), conducted by Burgin Mathews, October 11, 2017, at the Birmingham Boys and Girls Club, Birmingham, Alabama.
This interview was conducted as part of the Alabama Folklife Association's "Alabama Makers"…
Tolton Rosser
Interview with Dr. Tolton Rosser, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the Carver Theatre / Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, April 19, 2016.
Dr. Tolton Rosser (1932-2023) was a jazz musician, educator, and bandleader in Birmingham, Alabama. Rosser received…
Robert Stripling
Oldest son of celebrated Alabama fiddler Charlie Stripling, Robert Stripling began playing publicly with his father at the age of 10. In these interview excerpts, Stripling remembers his fiddler father; his own early musical experiences; making music…
George Washington
Interview with George Washington, conducted by Burgin Mathews at the Carver Theatre / Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, August 25, 2016. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1938, Washington is a trumpeter and a member of the Birmingham Heritage Band.
This…
Georgia Warren
In this interview excerpt, Georgia Warren of Bluff City, Tennessee, recalls her experience as a participant in the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions.The Bristol Sessions have often been called “The Big Bang of Country Music”; Johnny Cash called the…
Lum York
Interview with Lum York. Recorded by Burgin Mathews, July 14, 2003 at the home of Lum and Nita York in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Born in Elmore, Alabama, just north of Montgomery, William Herbert “Lum” York (1918-2004) worked off and on, from 1944 to…
Oral Histories
The Southern Music Research Center's Oral Histories collection includes audio interviews reflecting a range of music traditions. When possible, print transcripts are included; audio recordings appear just beneath the transcript. Additional…
Collection Tree
- Oral Histories