Rock ' n ' Soul Audiovisual History Project Collection
name: label: Sponsor
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.)
label: Author
content: Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum (Memphis, Tennessee)
label: Interviewer
content: Daniel, Pete
label: Interviewer
content: Less, David
label: Interviewer
content: McGovern, Charles
label: Interviewer
content: Meehan, John P.
label: Names
content: Stax Records
label: Names
content: Sun Records
label: Interviewee
content: Anderson, Clara
label: Interviewee
content: Berger, Bettye
label: Interviewee
content: Blackwood, James, 1919-2002
label: Interviewee
content: Burlison, Paul
label: Interviewee
content: Dickinson, Jim, 1941-
label: Interviewee
content: Fontana, D.J., 1954-
label: Interviewee
content: Ford, Fred
label: Interviewee
content: Gist, Morse
label: Interviewee
content: Gordon, Willie
label: Interviewee
content: Jackson, Cordell, 1923-
label: Interviewee
content: Kesler, Stan
label: Interviewee
content: Lansky, Bernard
label: Interviewee
content: Manuel, Bobby, 1945-
label: Interviewee
content: Mitchell, Willie, 1928-
label: Interviewee
content: Moore, Scotty, 1931-
label: Interviewee
content: Nelson, Ford
label: Interviewee
content: Newborn, Calvin
label: Interviewee
content: Novarese, John, 1923-1996
label: Interviewee
content: Perkins, Carl
label: Interviewee
content: Phillips, Sam, 1923-
label: Interviewee
content: Porter, David, 1941-
label: Names
content: Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977
label: Interviewee
content: Rich, Charlie, 1932-1995
label: Interviewee
content: Riley, Billy Lee, 1933-
label: Interviewee
content: Roll, Bobby
label: Interviewee
content: Sammons, George
label: Interviewee
content: Stewart, Jim
label: Interviewee
content: Talley, Bob
label: Interviewee
content: Thomas, Rufus, 1917-
label: Interviewee
content: Withers, Ernest
label: Interviewee
content: Yelvington, Malcolm, 1918-2001
place: label: Place
content: Memphis (Tenn.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Soul musicians
label: Topic
content: Soul music
label: Topic
content: Rockabilly music
label: Topic
content: Rock musicians
label: Topic
content: Rock music -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Rock music
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Made at the National Museum of American History for the Smithsonian-affiliated Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum in 1992 and 1999.
creator: label: Sponsor
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.)
label: Author
content: Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum (Memphis, Tennessee)
label: Interviewer
content: Daniel, Pete
label: Interviewer
content: Less, David
label: Interviewer
content: McGovern, Charles
label: Interviewer
content: Meehan, John P.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Rock ' n ' Soul Audiovisual History Project Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: In 1990, curators at the National Museum of American History began a project to develop a traveling exhibition about American music, and in the course of research, curators repeatedly returned to the Mississippi Delta area and Memphis, Tennessee to conduct interviews. A group in Memphis organized to raise the funds to complete the research, to acquire objects and artifacts, and the project ultimately became the Smithsonian-affiliated Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, which opened in 2000 at 191 Beale Street.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: In 1990, National Museum of American History curators Dr. Pete Daniel and Dr. Charles McGovern, began conducting research with the intention of creating a traveling exhibit about "American music." Their investigations led them to the Mississippi delta and ultimately to Memphis Tennessee, which had developed as a crossroads where people and musical traditions met beginning in the 1930s. Based on their discoveries they refined their scope in order to focus on the music that grew out of the traditions that met and mixed in Memphis. They weren't able to secure funding for the originally proposed exhibit, but instead partnered with the Memphis Rock'n'Soul Museum to develop the exhibit Rock'n'Soul: Social Crossroads. The museum and exhibit opened in 2000 and explores the influential musical form that has its roots in Memphis.

Much of the basic research for the exhibit as well as the production elements for the companion radio series, "Memphis: Cradle of Rock'n'Soul" came from oral and video history interviews conducted with musicians, record producers, radio disc jockeys and others involved with the development and popularization of rock'n'soul during 1992 and 1999. Daniel and McGovern partnered with John Meehan of Smithsonian Productions to create high-quality, informative interview tapes. The Rock'n'Soul Video History Collection is comprised of these unedited interviews.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 20 Cubic feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1992 and 1999
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0879
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Oral history
label: Type
content: Audio cassettes
label: Type
content: Transcripts
label: Type
content: Audiovisual materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in four series.

Series 1, Original Interviews

Series 2, Reference Copies

Subseries 1: Umatic Videos

Subseries 2: Reference DVDs

Series 3: Audio Cassettes

Series 4: Transcripts
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Sakiko Takahashi, 2001,supervised by Wendy Shay, audiovisual archivist in August 2006. Revised by Wendy Shay, audiovisual archivist, August 2016.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings -- 1990-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews -- 1990-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Oral history -- 1990-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Audio cassettes -- 1990-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Transcripts
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiovisual materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of oral and video history interviews conducted by curators at the National Museum of American History with musicians, recording executives, disc jockeys, and others involved with the development of rock'n'soul music. Complete transcripts of all of the interviews exist.