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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…
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…
Frank Adams on his Early Life: Family and First Musical Experiences
In the first of more than 100 interviews with Burgin Mathews, Frank Adams shares some of his earliest memories. Topics include the influence of his father, Oscar W. Adams, Sr., and of his maternal grandmother, Ella Eaton; his first public…
Lily of the Valley
Johnson Family radio broadcast excerpt, Sand Mountain, Alabama, 1953
Mary Alice Clarke Stollenwerck (1911-1999)
Funeral program for Mary Alice Clarke Stollenwerck: pianist, organist, accordionist, vibraphonist, choir director, and teacher; Birmingham, Alabama, 1911-1999.
Courtesy Carol Clarke.
Courtesy Carol Clarke.
Mary Alice Clarke
Mary Alice Clarke Stollenwerck, a member of Birmingham's musical Clarke family, played piano, organ, accordion, and vibraphone; directed music at Birmingham's prestigious Sixteenth Street Baptist Church; and performed for years in Fess Whatley's…
St. Elmo Johnson
Born in Texas, St. Elmo Johnson was a classically trained violinist, conductor, choir director, and arranger. By 1927, he was a central figure in Rev. George Wilson Becton’s Gospel Feast Party. Becton, a sensational and flamboyant Harlem evangelist,…
Mary Mataw Clarke ( 18--? -1968)
Funeral program for Mary Mataw Clarke of Birmingham, Alabama. Clarke was a pianist; music teacher; organist and director of music at Birmingham's prestigious Sixteenth Street Baptist Church; and the matriarch of one of her city's most prominent…
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…
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…
December 1986 Christmas Church Singing
Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. Label reads: "Dec. 86 Christmas Church Singers." Church and location are unidentified.Side A selections include “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,” “God Will Take Care of You,” “The Touch of His…
Gum Log Church Singing
Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. Written on the cassette case: "Gum Creek Church Singing." Likely recorded at Gum Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Bailey, Mississippi, 1980s or 1990s.
Selections include “Blessed Jesus Hold My…
Coosa River Singing
Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. On one side, the label reads: “Bro. Harp Leading Singing at Coosa River.” The reverse-side label adds: “Bro. Harp, [illegible name], Shirley, Jim, & others.” Side A selections include…