Download event poster (pdf)

The Southern Journey of Alan Lomax
Friday, Feb. 22, 2013
Wilson Special Collections Library
Pleasants Family Assembly Room
5:00 p.m. Film Screening, Ballads, Blues, & Bluegrass
5:30 p.m. Program
Free and open to the public
Information: Liza Terll, Friends of the Library, (919) 548-1203

Folklorist Alan Lomax, who recorded music of the American South in the 1930s and 1940s, will be the subject of an evening of lectures, performances, and a film screening Friday, Feb. 22, at the Wilson Special Collections Library.

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a screening of the the 37-minute film Ballads, Blues, & Bluegrass. The 1961 movie, shot during a late night after-party in Lomax’s Greenwich Village apartment, features musicians Clarence Ashley, Roscoe Holcomb, Doc Watson, Jean Ritchie, Jack Elliott, Peter La Farge, the New Lost City Ramblers, Memphis Slim, and Willie Dixon.

Following the movie, Lomax’s daughter, Anna Lomax Wood, and Grammy Award-winning music writer Tom Piazza will discuss The Southern Journey of Alan Lomax (W.W. Norton, 2012). The book features largely unpublished images of Southern blues and folk musicians, church worshippers, and workers from Lomax’s tour through backcountry Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee taken between Aug. 1959 and May 1960. The book also includes an essay by Piazza.

UNC professor Bill Ferris, who wrote an introduction to the book, will introduce Lomax Wood and Piazza, along with the evening’s other speakers and performers: Columbia University Professor John Szwed, author of Alan Lomax: the Man who Recorded the World (Viking Penguin, 2010); archivist,  musician, and curator of the Alan Lomax Archive Nathan Salsburg; and musician Rayna Gellert.

Piazza is the author of ten books, including Devil Sent the Rain (HarperPerennial, 2011) and Why New Orleans Matters (HarperPerennial, 2008). He is currently a writer for the HBO television show Treme.

Lomax Wood is director of the Association for Cultural Equity (ACE), a center established to explore and preserve the world’s expressive traditions.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the UNC Department of American Studies, the Center for the Study of the American South, the Southern Folklife Collection, and the UNC Department of Music.

Cindy Cashdollar will appear at The ArtsCenter March 23

Southern Folklife Collection Presents “The Steel Guitar”
March 23, 2013
The ArtsCenter
300-G East Main Street, Carrboro
Ticket information: (919) 929-2787, ext. 201

Steel guitar music will be the focus of a concert and symposium at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, N.C. The Southern Folklife Collection in UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library will sponsor the event on Saturday, March 23.

The symposium will begin at 2 p.m. with lectures by music scholars John Troutman, assistant professor of history and geography at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Tim Miller, a Ph.D. student in musicology at UNC. At 3 p.m., steel guitar artists Allyn Love and Cindy Cashdollar will demonstrate playing styles and techniques.

That evening, a concert at 8 p.m. will feature Chris Scruggs and His Steel Guitar, followed by Cindy Cashdollar with Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun.

The symposium is free and open to the public. Concert tickets are required for the evening performances. Admission is $8 for ArtsCenter Friends and UNC students and employees, and $15 for others ($19 day of show).

The event is the third and final symposium/concert in the Southern Folklife Collection’s Instrument Series, which also featured tributes to the banjo and the fiddle. To learn more about the series, contact Liza Terll, liza_terll@unc.edu, (919) 548-1203.

Related Links

• Southern Folklife Collection
• Purchase tickets from The ArtsCenter
• Cindy Cashdollar website
• Bill Kirchen website
• Chris Scruggs website

Download exhibit flier (pdf)

Visualizing American Roots Music
Through Dec. 31, 2013
Wilson Special Collections Library
Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Free and open to the public
Information: Steve Weiss, Southern Folklife Collection, 962-7105

Twenty rare and unique photographs of iconic musicians are now on view in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of the Wilson Special Collections Library. Johnny Cash, The Byrds, Mississippi John Hurt, and The Maddox Brothers and Rose, are among the celebrities depicted.

The photographs come from Wilson Library’s Southern Folklife Collection. They showcase a wide spectrum of American Roots Music—ranging from the blues, bluegrass, and country, to rock and roll—and highlight its popular and commercial development over the last century.

Visualizing American Roots Music will be on view through Dec. 31, 2013.

The Wilson Special Collections Library is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The Pleasants Family Assembly Room is not available at all times. Call (919) 962-0104 for exhibit availability.

Related Links

• Southern Folklife Collection
• Wilson Special Collections Library

NEW Jan. 8, 2013: View event program

Update Jan. 2, 2013: Due to injury, Bobby Taylor will be unavailable. Fiddler Emily Schaad will take part in the concert and symposium.

Sounds of the fiddle will be heard Jan. 11 and 12 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Southern Folklife Collection in the Wilson Special Collections Library will present free music and lectures as part of “The Fiddle,” the second in its three-part Instrument Series of lectures and concerts.

On Jan. 11, a concert showcasing the fiddle will take place in Memorial Hall at 7:30 p.m. Performers will be the Nashville Bluegrass Band; three-time national fiddle champion Byron Berline; Bobby Taylor, a fourth-generation fiddler from West Virginia; and Matt Glaser, fiddler and Artistic Director of the American Roots Program at the Berklee College of Music.

The next day, Berline, Taylor, and Glaser will again perform as part of a symposium in the Wilson Special Collections Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program will also feature lectures by Paul F. Wells, former director of the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University, and Mark Wilson, producer of the North American Traditions Series at Rounder Records.

Both the concert and lecture are free and open to the public. However, the concert requires tickets, now available through the Memorial Hall Box Office, (919) 843-3333 and online at http://memorialhall.unc.edu.

The third and final symposium in the Southern Folklife Collection’s Instrument Series will take place March 23 at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, N.C. It will focus on the steel guitar, with performances by Cindy Cashdollar, and Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun.

Related Links

• Southern Folklife Collection
• Nashville Bluegrass Band
• Byron Berline
• Bobby Taylor

Download event flier (pdf)

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012
Wilson Special Collections Library
Cookies at 5 p.m. | Lobby
Program at 5:30 p.m. | Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Free and open to the public
Information: Liza Terll, Friends of the Library, (919) 548-1203

Storytellers and musicians will entertain children of all ages at the Friends of the Library’s 20th annual Winter Stories program on Dec. 6 in Wilson Library.

Brian Sturm, associate professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), and SILS students will enchant with folk tales and literary tales from around the world with the theme “Chilly and Charming.” Library staff members and SILS students will provide music and lead sing-alongs.

To mark the 20th anniversary of this winter tradition, Winter Stories founder Jeffery Beam and professional storyteller and early participant Terry Rollins will take part. Beam, a poet based in Hillsborough, retired from the Library in 2011 after 36 years of service.

Also telling stories and making music will be SILS students Kate Barr, Marianne Bell, Emily Childress-Campbell, Veronica Koven-Matasy, Brianna Leesch, Virginia Neisler, Peter Shirts, Emily Vardell, and Nicole Lehotsky; senior English major Hugh Koeze; and Chris Lehotsky.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a new or gently used children’s book to contribute to a book drive for the Book Fairy, an organization that donates children’s books to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UNC Hospitals.

Ben Taylor Concert

Singer-songwriter Ben Taylor and his band will perform Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. The Southern Historical Collection in the Wilson Special Collections Library is sponsoring the evening.

Concert tickets are $16 for UNC students and ArtsCenter Friends; $20 for all others ($22 on day of show). Purchase tickets from the ArtsCenter box office: (919) 929-2787 or online.

Taylor is the son of rock icons James Taylor and Carly Simon. His performance will help celebrate the 90^th birthday of his grandmother, Trudy Taylor, and the placement of Taylor family materials with the Southern Historical Collection.

Taylor recently released Listening, his first record in four years. Joining Taylor in concert will be his aunt, Kate Taylor.

The Taylors have deep ties to Chapel Hill and Carolina. James Taylor and his musical siblings grew up in Chapel Hill, where their father, Isaac, was dean of the UNC School of Medicine from 1964 to 1971. Isaac Taylor graduated from UNC in 1942. In 1989, the medical school’s Taylor Hall was named in his honor.

Related Links

• Ben Taylor concert information from The ArtsCenter
• Ben Taylor website

The hour-long daytime performances will each begin at 11 a.m. All are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Sept. 18

Blues artist Bobby Rush will bring his self-named “folk funk” to the Pleasants Family Assembly Room in the Wilson Special Collections Library. Rush’s distinctive style blends R&B, soul, and funk.

Tuesday, Oct. 2

Tommy Edwards, lead singer and guitarist for The Bluegrass Experience, will perform in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of the Wilson Special Collections Library. Edwards was twice named World Champion Bluegrass Guitarist and has played and recorded with many bluegrass greats.

Thursday, Nov. 8

Conga and percussion player Alfred “Uganda” Roberts will perform New Orleans funk alongside John “Jojo” Hermann in Hill Hall 107.

The concert series is sponsored by the Southern Folklife Collection in UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library, the Center for the Study of the American South, the College of Arts & Sciences and the departments of history and American studies.

For concert information, contact Steve Weiss, curator of the Southern Folklife Collection: (919) 962-7105.

For event information, contact Liza Terll, Friends of the Library, liza_terll@unc.edu, (919) 548-1203.

August 25, 2012
The Banjo: Southern Roots, American Branches (read more)
Symposium and concert inaugurating the Southern Folklife Collection’s Instrument Series. The concert will feature Tony Trischka; Riley Baugus with Kirk Sutphin; and Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Symposium
7:30 p.m. – Concert
Concert in Memorial Hall. Free tickets required from the Memorial Hall box office: 919-843-3333.

August 29, 2012
The Carolina Parakeet and Relatives: A Look at Some Natural, Un-natural, and Cultural Histories (read more)
A talk about the exotic extinct bird, with scientists from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. In conjunction with the exhibit The Carolina Parakeet in Art: Images from the Powell Collection.
5:15 p.m. – Exhibit viewing; reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:45 p.m. – Program

Sept. 6, 2012
Preserving Your Intellectual Legacy at UNC: An Information Session for Faculty and Staff Nearing Retirement (read more)
Retiring faculty and staff members can get answers to the question “What do I do with my books and papers?” Spouses and guests are welcome.
4 p.m. – Program followed by reception

September 13, 2012
Two Captains from Carolina: Moses Grandy, John Newland Maffitt, and the Coming of the Civil War (read more)
UNC professor Bland Simpson shares a grand tale of race and maritime culture in the antebellum South.
5 p.m. – Reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:30 p.m. – Program

September 14-15, 2012
“To Gain Attention to Their Various Claims”: Historic Political Campaigns in North Carolina (read more)
An examination of significant North Carolina campaigns from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Dinner will feature a moderated discussion between Republican strategist Carter Wrenn and Democratic political consultant Gary Pearce. (Conference: $10 per person. Dinner: $50 per seat.)
Visit the conference website for schedule information.

September 20, 2012
Rufus Edmisten Watergate Materials (read more)
Chancellor Holden Thorp interviews Rufus Edmisten, Deputy Chief Counsel to the Watergate Committee, honoring the donation of Edmisten’s papers to the Southern Historical Collection.
5 p.m. – Display of selected materials from the Edmisten papers and related collections; reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:30 p.m. – Program

October 2, 2012
First Amendment Day: Banned and in the Rare Book Collection (read more)
Readings from original editions of banned and rare books.
5 p.m. – Display of rare editions; reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:30 p.m. – Program

October 7, 2012
Honoring Doris Betts
A remembrance of the beloved North Carolina writer and UNC professor, sponsored with the Department of Creative Writing.
3 p.m.
Program in Alumni Hall, Hill Alumni Center

October 11, 2012
Knowledge Capital and Human Flourishing: Educating North Carolinians, 1865-1970 (read more)
Yale historian Glenda Gilmore delivers the keynote address for the second New Voyages to Carolina conference, organized by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History.
5 p.m. – Reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:30 p.m. – Program

October 25-26, 2012
13 Bak’tun: New Maya Perspectives in 2012 (read more)
A symposium on Maya civilization in recognition of the end of the current great cycle in the Maya Long Count calendar. Programs and exhibits in Wilson Library, the FedEx Global Education Center, and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
Symposium website: http://maya2012.unc.edu/.

October 27, 2012
Gridiron Glory at Carolina (read more)
An encore presentation of archival videos, along with photographs, programs, and memorabilia.
Begins three hours before kickoff.

November 1, 2012
Photojournalist James Wallace (read more)
The James A. Hutchins Lecture, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the American South. In conjunction with the exhibit Photographic Angles: News Photography in the North Carolina Collection.
5 p.m. – Exhibit viewing; reception for Friends of the Library and guests
5:30 p.m. – Program

November 13, 2012
Help Me to Find My People
Heather Williams, associate professor of history at UNC, will discuss and read from her new book about the African American search for family lost in slavery.
5:30 p.m. – Program

December 6, 2012
20^th Annual Winter Stories for Children of All Ages
Special anniversary presentation of a beloved Chapel Hill tradition.
5 p.m. – Cookies and juice
5:30 p.m. – Program

Download an event flier (pdf)

The banjo, one of America’s iconic musical instruments, will be the topic of a celebration Aug. 25 at UNC. The Southern Folklife Collection in the Wilson Special Collections Library will present lectures and music as part of The Banjo: Southern Roots, American Branches.

The day will bring together speakers and performances, along with an exhibit in Wilson Library. Events are free and open to the public. The concert requires free tickets, available from the Memorial Hall box office beginning July 23.

SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Wilson Special Collections Library

Lectures and panel discussions on the history of the banjo, with:

• Robert Cantwell, Townsend Ludington Professor of American Studies at UNC, author of Bluegrass Breakdown: The Making of the Old Southern Sound;  
• Bob Carlin, musician, author of The Birth of the Banjo: Joel Walker Sweeney and Early Minstrelsy;
  
• Cecelia Conway, professor of English at Appalachian State University, author of African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia;
• Laurent DuBois, professor of romance studies and history at Duke University;
• Dom Flemons, musician with the Carolina Chocolate Drops;
• Jim Mills, IBMA Banjo Player of the Year six-time winner (Ricky Scaggs, Vince Gill);
• Philip Gura, William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at UNC, author of America’s Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century  (with James F. Bollman); and
• Stephen Wade, musician, author of The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience 

CONCERT
Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall on the UNC campus
Free tickets required from the Memorial Hall box office (available July 23)

Performances by banjo artists:

• Tony Trischka;
• Riley Baugus with Kirk Sutphin; and
• Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops

EXHIBIT: “The Banjo: Southern Roots, American Branches”
July 15 – Dec. 31, 2012
Wilson Special Collections Library, 4^th floor
An exhibit of banjo instruments and related items such as photographs and fliers

The banjo event is the first of the three-part Southern Folklife Collection Instrument Series. Panels, exhibits, and concerts in 2013 will feature the pedal steel guitar and the fiddle.

The series seeks to provide an opportunity for music lovers to learn from leading musicians and scholars about the music, history, and culture of the American South.

For additional information about the banjo celebration or the Southern Folklife Collection, contact the Collection at (919) 962-7105 or wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

Related Links

• Southern Folklife Collection

Early Dolly Parton publicity photo, from the Goldband Recording collection in the Southern Folklife Collection.

Dolly Parton’s first recording is among the items that the Southern Folklife Collection (SFC) in the Wilson Special Collections Library will preserve, thanks to a new grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The $131,765, three-year grant is called “From the Piedmont to the Swamplands: Preserving Southern Traditional Music.” It will help the SFC digitize and make available more than 1,650 hours of rare sound recordings and 4,500 photographs of musical figures from the 1920s to the 1980s.

The Parton recording dates from 1960, when the 13-year-old Dolly traveled by bus from Tennessee to Lake Charles, La. There she recorded “Puppy Love” for the Goldband Recording Corporation. The SFC holds the original master tape for the recording.

Other rarities to be preserved include:

• Studio and field recordings of musicians B.B. King, Elizabeth Cotten, Hazel Dickens, Bob Dylan, Iry LeJune, and Tommy Jarrell;
• African-American musician “Boozoo” Chavis’s “Paper in My Shoe,” the first commercial recording of Zydeco music (1954); and
• Early photographs of the musical Seeger family, whose members include musician and folklorist Mike Seeger and his sister Peggy and half-brother, Pete.

“This grant allows us to preserve national treasures and provide online access to our collections for the first time,” says Steve Weiss, curator of the Southern Folklife Collection.

The SFC will use the grant to preserve materials from four of its most significant collections:

Goldband Recording Corporation Collection, 1930 – 1995 – The Goldband Recording Corporation has played a key role in documenting American musical traditions and shaping tastes since 1944. The grant will digitize the Parton recording and an additional 550 hours of recordings and 1,500 photographs from the Goldband collection.

William R. Ferris Collection, 1910s – 2003 – Ferris is professor of history at UNC and a former director of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Ferris collection, consisting of music and oral history interviews that he conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, is one of the most comprehensive archival collections documenting the music of the Delta.

Mike Seeger Collection, 1955 – 2002 –  The Seeger collection contains photographs, interviews, performances, and studio and field recordings that document Southern traditional musicians; Seeger’s group, the New Lost City Ramblers; and unedited masters for some of Seeger’s commercial recordings.

John Edwards Memorial Foundation Records, 1960 – 1988 – The SFC acquired the collection of the Foundation dedicated to American folk music in 1983. Its photograph holdings document key figures in Southern traditional music, including artists such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.

Once digitized, the materials will be accessible online through the UNC Library website.

Related Links

• “Grant to preserve rare American music recordings and photos” (from UNC News Services)
• Southern Folklife Collection