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Descriptive Summary Including Abstract
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Title
- Hal Kemp Papers (#4923)
1918-1992
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Creator
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Kemp, Hal.
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Extent
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- About 900 items (4.5 linear feet)
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Repository
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Southern Historical Collection
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Abstract
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Orchestra and band leader James Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Ala., on 21 March 1904, son of T. D. Kemp, Sr., and Leila Rush Kemp. He was graduated from Central High School in Charlotte, N.C., and, beginning in 1922, attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Kemp's musical success led to a career as a big band leader that earned him national and international recognition. Correspondence, photographs, clippings, legal documents, sheet music, and recorded music, documenting Hal Kemp's career as a musician and orchestra leader. Also included are many are photographs of Kemp, taken throughout his life, as well as group and individual photographs of various Kemp family members, celebrities, and the Hal Kemp Orchestra.
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Administrative Information
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Access
- No restrictions, but the use of sound recordings may require production of listening copies.
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Usage Restrictions
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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Provenance
- Received from Thomas D. Kemp III of Charlotte, N.C., in April 1998 (Acc. 98071), J. Taylor Doggett of Greensboro, N.C., in December 1999 (Acc. 98529), and Jenifer Palin of Merrit Island, Fla., in January of 2000 (Acc. 98551).
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Processing Information
- Additions have not been integrated with other materials. Researchers should check additions to be sure they have identified all files of interest to them.
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Online Catalog Terms
- Big band music--History.
- Big bands--History.
- Hal Kemp Orchestra.
- Kemp family.
- Kemp, Hal.
- Musicians--United States--History--20th century.
- Popular music--1931-1940.
- Popular music--United States.
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Biographical Note
James Hal Kemp, orchestra and band leader, was born in Marion, Ala., on 21 March 1904. He was the son of T. D. Kemp, Sr., and Leila Rush Kemp, a poet. Kemp began his musical training while working at Marion's Bonita Theater, playing piano. After his family moved to Charlotte, N.C., he attended and was graduated from Central High School in that city. While in school, he organized his first dance band, a five-piece combo called the Merrymakers.
In 1922, Kemp entered the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he organized a campus band known as the Carolina Club Orchestra. This band performed in Europe during summer vacations. Kemp was active on campus and held memberships in the Musical Club, band, orchestra, glee club, and Delta Sigma Phi and Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternities. He also served as president of Wigue and Masque, the dramatic arts association. During his time at UNC, Kemp also formed a seven-piece combo, the forerunner of his nationally-known orchestra. Members of the combo included Skinnay Ennis, John Scott, and Saxie Dowell.
Kemp never completed his academic pursuits at the University of North Carolina. His musical success, however, soon led to the launching of a professional career that earned him national and international recognition. His orchestra played in New York during the mid 1920s and toured throughout Europe and the United States. In 1932, Kemp married Dallas, Tex., debutante Betsy Slaughter. The couple moved to Shogum Lake, N.J. They had two children: Sally and Hal, Jr.
Hal Kemp was a proficient trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone player. He was recognized for the clean, smooth style in the saxophone and brass sections of his orchestra, as well as his unusual choral arrangements. In addition, he arranged "When the Summer is Gone (How I'll Miss You)," the band's theme song. Other popular tunes recorded by the band included "Got a Date with an Angel," "Lamplight," and "Remember Me."
The band played on a number of radio shows, including Penzoil Parade and Chesterfield Program. Bandleader Kay Kyser credited Kemp with encouraging him to enter the field. Several vocalists also achieved fame with Kemp's band, among them Maxine Gray and Bob Allen. Kemp's band was the first to be featured in a motion picture, Radio City Revels of 1938. In addition, the band was named by Variety magazine as the favorite "sweet-swing" band of 1938 and received the Associated Collegiate Press All-American Musical award for that year.
In 1938, Kemp's marriage to Betsy Slaughter ended in divorce, and he married Martha Stephenson in January 1939. He served as a guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony in 1939, partially fulfilling his secret ambition to be a symphony conductor. An automobile accident cut short his dreams, however. He sustained severe injuries, including a punctured lung, in a head-on collision in Madera, Cal. Kemp developed pneumonia and died 21 December 1940 at the age of 36.
Adapted from "James Hal Kemp" by William B. Allen in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (1988).
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Collection Overview
This collection is comprised of correspondence, photographs, clippings, legal documents, sheet music, and recorded music documenting Hal Kemp's career as a musician and band leader. Included are many photographs of Kemp, beginning at age one and continuing throughout his life, as well as group and individual photographs of various Kemp family members,celebrities, and members of the Hal Kemp Orchestra.
Note that additions have not been integrated with other materials. Researchers should check additions to be sure they have identified all files of interest to them.
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Organization of Collection
1. Correspondence
2. Legal Papers
3. Clippings
4. Writings
4.1. Writings by Hal Kemp
4.2. Writings by Others
5. Publications
6. Music
6.1. Sheet Music and Other Materials
6.2. Record Albums
6.3. Audio Cassettes
7. Pictures
Additions
Addition of December 1999
Addition of January 2000
1. Correspondence
3. Clippings
4. Writings
4.1. Writings by Hal Kemp
5. Publications
6. Music
6.1. Sheet Music and Other Materials
7. Pictures
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Series Descriptions
1. Correspondence, 1918-1990.
About 200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily letters and telegrams exchanged between Hal Kemp and various family members. These materials document Kemp's travels, accomplishments, and social activities, as well as the orchestra's bookings and performances in the United States and abroad.
Folder
1
1918
Folder
2
1921
Folder
3
1923
Folder
4
1924
Folder
5
1925
Folder
6
1926
Folder
7
1927
Folder
8
1928
Folder
9
1929
Folder
10
1930
Folder
11
1932
Folder
12
1934-1935
Folder
13
1936
Folder
14
1937
Folder
15
1938
Folder
16
1939
Folder
17
1940-1941
Folder
18
1942-1990
Folder
19
Undated
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2. Legal Papers, 1938-1981.
About 50 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Legal documents and correspondence pertaining to matters of Hal Kemp's real property, divorce from his first wife, last will and testament, settling of his estate, and legal agreements concerning the interests of the Kemp children.
Folder
20
1938-1940
Folder
21
1941
Folder
22
1942-1981
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About 200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Clippings from a wide variety of regional and national magazines and newspapers that covered the professional life and career of Hal Kemp with his orchestra.
Folder
23
1933-1938
Folder
24
1939-1940
Folder
25
1941-1983
Folder
26
Undated
Folder
27
Photocopies, 1936-1982 and undated
Folder
1/OP-4923
Newspaper clippings, Joslin's Jazz Journal, 1991
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About 30 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Literary and scholarly writings addressing musical topics and Hal Kemp's contributions to music.
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4.1. Writings by Hal Kemp, 1940.
10 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Writings on symphonic music, musicians, and musical conductors in America. Included is a copy of Kemp's essay, "Let's Face the Music," 10 June 1940.
Folder
28
Writings by Hal Kemp
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4.2. Writings by others, 1937-1993.
20 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Writings about the life and accomplishments of Hal Kemp. Items include a copy of the script of "Radio City Revels" and a portion of a biographical manuscript by Kemp's mother, Leila Rush Kemp, who was a poet.
Folder
29
"Radio City Revels," by Matt Brooks and Eddie Davis, 2 November 1937
Folder
30
"Tribute to Hal Kemp" and other biographical writings
Folder
31
"A Prince, a Ship, and Hal," by Joseph E. Bennett, 1989, and "Hal Kemp: A Chronological History of His Life and Music," by Bob Conrad, 1993
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10 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Material relating to the Big Band music era in America. Items examine the emergence of major bands, performers, and musical traditions, such as "Swing" and "Sweet." Included are short biographies of Hal Kemp and many others.
Folder
32
Publications
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About 60 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials pertaining to Hal Kemp's musical renderings.
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6.1. Sheet Music and Other Materials, 1937-1940s.
About 10 items.
Music by Hal Kemp and featuring the Hal Kemp Orchestra, including copies of "When the Summer is Gone (How I'll Miss You)," "The Chestnut Tree," performance and album brochures, and "Hal Kemp Programs."
Folder
33
Sheet music and other materials
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6.2. Record Albums, 1941?
4 items.
Record albums (78s) from the "Hal Kemp Memorial Album: Eight of Hal's Best Loved Recordings" series. Included are "Got a Date With an Angel," "Remember Me?" "Whispers in the Dark," and "Lamplight."
D-4923/1-4
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6.3. Audio Cassettes, 1982-1994.
40 items.
Audio cassettes of Hal Kemp's musical selections, 1920s-1940s, and excerpts used in movie shorts and slide presentations. Included are material from some of Kemp's early recordings and rare 78s, selections featured on New York City radio shows, and a rough tape of a proposed album.
T-4923/1-40
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About 70 items, plus 5 volumes containing pictures and scrapbook materials.
Arrangement: by subject groupings and volume number.
Individual and group photographs of Hal Kemp, members of the Kemp family (his parents, children from the first marriage, and his wives), and Hal Kemp Orchestra. There are photographs of Kemp as a toddler, an adolescent, a college student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and as orchestra leader.
PA-4923/1. Album containing sheet music, photographs of Hal Kemp and his orchestra members, and a few photographs of family members.
PA-4923/2. Album containing photographs of Hal Kemp and his orchestra members and a few photographs of family members.
PA-4923/3. Album containing clippings and a few photographs of Kemp family members and the family home.
PA-4923/4. Album containing clippings and a few photographs of Hal Kemp.
PA-4923/5. Album containing clippings and photographs of Kemp family members.
Folder
1-2/P-4923
Individual photographs of Hal Kemp
Folder
3/P-4923
Individual photographs of Kemp family members and the Hal Kemp Orchestra
Folder
4/P-4923
Group photographs of Kemp family members
Folder
5-6/P-4923
Photographs of the Hal Kemp Orchestra
Folder
7/P-4923
Commercial photographs and scenes of a backyard and a New York marquee
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Addition of December 1999 (Acc. 98529)
1 item.
1925.
Enlarged print of Hal Kemp's Carolina Club orchestra with explanatory text.
OP-P-4923/1. Hal Kemp's Carolina Club orchestra, 1925
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Addition of January 2000 (Acc. 98551)
About 300 items (0.5 linear feet).
1937-1941.
Correspondence, newspaper clippings, writings, publications, sheet music, and pictures of Hal Kemp. Note that, while this addition has not been integrated into the original deposit, it has been arranged according to the organization scheme of the previously deposited materials.
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1. Correspondence, 1937-1941 and undated.
About 25 items.
Correspondence, including several telegrams to Kemp regarding his automobile accident; a letter to Martha Stephenson Kemp on the death of Kemp; and a letter written by Kemp, 2 December 1940, informing his insurance agent about the purchase of a new car.
Folder
34
1937-1941 and undated
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3. Clippings, 1939-1941 and undated.
About 50 items.
Clippings from magazines and newspapers covering the personal life and professional career of Hal Kemp with his orchestra. Also included are three professionally prepared albums of newspaper clippings, identified by date and periodical, with printed photographs and articles about Hal Kemp and his orchestra from newspapers throughout the country.
S-4923/1. 1938-1939. Album containing newspaper clippings about Hal Kemp's personal life and career, including articles about Kemp's second marriage to Martha Stephenson Kemp.
S-4923/2. 1939-1940. Album containing newspaper clippings about Hal Kemp's personal life and career, including news of Kemp's death.
S-4923/3. 1940-1941. Album containing newspaper clippings about Hal Kemp's personal life and career, including news of Kemp's death and of Martha Stephenson Kemp.
Folder
35
1939-1941 and undated
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4. Writings.
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4.1. Writings by Hal Kemp, 10 June 1940.
1 item.
Draft of the essay "Lets Face the Music," written on the back of a piece of Hotel Blackhawk stationary.
Folder
36
"Let's Face the Music," 10 June 1940
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5. Publications, 1938-1941 and undated.
About 10 items
Music magazines and other items featuring Kemp.
Folder
37
Magazines
Folder
38
Ephemeral posters and announcements
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6. Music.
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6.1. Sheet Music and Other Materials, undated.
1 item.
Folder
39
"I Like Love," by Hugh Martin
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7. Pictures, undated.
About 200 items.
Photographs of Hal Kemp, his orchestra, and Kemp with individuals and groups. Many are MCA publicity photographs and carry the name of Weissman Studios in Beverly Hills, Calif. Among them are pictures of Kemp with Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lawford, Jackie Cooper, Jack Benny, Maria Montez, Herbert Marshall, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Kemp's wife, Martha Stephenson Kemp.
Folder
8-9/P-4923
Individual photographs of Hal Kemp
Folder
10/P-4923
Photographs of Hal Kemp and Martha Stephenson Kemp
Folder
11-13/P-4923
Photographs of Hal Kemp with individuals and groups
Folder
14-15/P-4923
Photographs of European trip
Folder
16/P-4923
Photographs of Hal Kemp with orchestra members
Folder
17/P-4923
Individual photographs of Hal Kemp Orchestra members
Folder
18/P-4923
Group photographs of Hal Kemp Orchestra
Folder
19/P-4923
Publicity photographs for Hal Kemp Orchestra
Folder
20/P-4923
Unidentified group photographs
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Items Separated
Items separated include oversize papers (1/OP-4923), photographs (P-4923/1-20), oversize photographs (OP-P-4923/1-13), photograph albums/scrapbooks (PA-4923/1-5), newspaper clipping scrapbooks (S-4923/1-3), audio cassettes (C-4923/1-40), and record albums (D-4923/1-4).
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