Lee Hays papers, 1923-1981
date: label: Date
content: 1923
label: Date
content: 1923-1981
label: Date
content: 20th century
name: label: Creator
content: Hays, Lee 1914-1981
label: Subject
content: Gilbert, Ronnie
label: Subject
content: Guthrie, Woody 1912-1967
label: Subject
content: Hays, Lee 1914-1981
label: Subject
content: Houston, Cisco
label: Subject
content: Lampell, Millard 1919-1997
label: Subject
content: Leventhal, Harold
label: Subject
content: Seeger, Pete 1919-2014
label: Subject
content: Almanac Singers
label: Subject
content: Baby Sitters (Musical group)
label: Subject
content: Weavers (Musical group)
label: Subject
content: United States Congress House Committee on Un-American Activities
notes: label: Notes
content: Lee Hays (1914-1981) was an influential American folk-singer, songwriter, author, and activist. His legacy, both literary and musical, emphasizes the dynamic relationship between folk culture and contemporary events and issues. As is clear from his essay "The Folk Song Bridge", Hays conceived of folk music as a living, breathing "process". Born in Arkansas in 1914 to a Methodist preacher, Hays' first experiences with music revolved around the church. His political awakening came later, when he returned to Arkansas from Ohio in 1934. Under the wing of mentors such as Claude Williams and Zilphia Johnson, Hays began to fight for the cause of sharecroppers and union workers. His musical ability and passion for social justice came together as he used music to represent the voice of labor, replacing the religious motifs of folk and gospel songs with pro-union themes.
label: Notes
content: Upon moving to the North in 1940, Hays met Pete Seeger, another folk musician. Hays and Seeger shared the common goal of spreading political folk songs, and their collaborations with Woody Guthrie and Millard Lampell led to the creation of the Almanac Singers the same year. Later, the four band members, along with other folk musicians such as Burl Ives and Sis Cunningham, established the People's Songs organization and publication to create and distribute labor songs. However, conflict with Seeger led to Hays' pressured resignation from both of these endeavors. He moved in with his mentor, Howard Lowenfels, and began to focus more and more on his writing. Though Hays was a prolific writer whose work spanned articles, essays, short stories, poetry, and songs, he is rarely recognized for his literary achievement. His writing often centered on the social and political themes for which he is best known-labor rights, racism, poverty and inequality-and used folk culture and folk narrative to address those problems.
label: Notes
content: Seeger and Hays eventually made amends, and in 1948 they had formed The Weavers with Fred Hellerman and Ronnie Gilbert, bringing folk music to a national audience. However, as the political climate in America began to shift in the 1950's with the onset of the red scare, the Weavers were blacklisted and ultimately had to disband. Though he was under investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and had no steady income, Hays continued to write both fiction and non-fiction during the three year blacklisting. In 1955, the Weavers finally reunited for a highly successful revival under manager Harold C. Leventhal, but as years passed, the group split up again, and Hays began to focus on various other projects. It was at this time that he produced the bulk of his memoirs, began a project on Cisco Houston, and recorded folk music for children with his group The Baby Sitters. In 1980, the Weavers reunited for a concert in Carnegie Hall, and Hays' last performance with them was in 1981. Hays died in 1981 as a result of diabetic cardiovascular disease.
label: Notes
content: Finding aid is available.
label: Notes
content: The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired the Lee Hays papers in 1992 as a donation from Harold C. Leventhal and Doris Kaplan, who acquired the collection upon Lee Hays' death in 1981.
label: Organization
content: Arranged in seven series: (1) Correspondence; (2) Business; (3) Interviews; (4) Features on Lee Hays; (5) Projects and Writings; (6) Clippings; and (7) Audio Recordings
label: Summary
content: The Lee Hays papers, which date from 1923-1981, are divided into seven series: 1) Correspondence, 2) Business, 3) Interviews, 4) Features on Lee Hays, 5) Projects and Writings, 6) Clippings, and 7) Audio Recordings. Within these series are various texts (fiction and non-fiction) and scripts; materials relating to miscellaneous projects and proposed projects; business documents; personal and business correspondence; and items created by or relating to Lee Hays. These materials are in the form of both typescript and handwritten papers, audio recordings, sheet music, notes, letters and published works.
label: Cite as
content: Lee Hays papers, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
label: Repository Loc.
content: Smithsonian Institution, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Suite 2001, Washington, D.C. 20024. Call 202-633-7322 for appointment. Fax: 202-633-7019. Email: rinzlerarchives@si.edu
place: label: Place
content: United States
topic: label: Topic
content: Popular music
label: Topic
content: Folk music
label: Topic
content: Political ballads and songs
label: Topic
content: Topical songs
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
objectType: label: Type
content: Audiotapes
label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
label: Type
content: Scripts (documents)
label: Type
content: Sheet music
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Access by appointment only. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at (202) 633-7322 for additional information
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Copyright restrictions apply. Contact archives staff for additional information
physicalDescription: label: Physical description
content: 12.65 linear feet