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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 56 items items |
| Abstract | Born in Lenoir, N.C., in 1951, Bobby McMillon has performed professionally since 1978 as a singer, musician, and storyteller in the Appalachian tradition. As a performer, he is best known for his ballad and story renditions about Frankie Silver, to whom he is distantly related. He has also collected interviews with and songs and stories from family members, neighbors, and friends since 1968. The collection includes recordings of Bobby McMillon in performance, documentary recordings made by McMillon, and materials McMillon collected. Performance materials are from 1978 and 1997 and include the ballad and legend of Frankie Silver. Open-reel recordings made by McMillon, 1968-1995, consist of songs, stories, and talk by the family members and friends who taught him ballads and stories of his Appalachian heritage. There are also recordings of his family's 78-rpm records, which also influenced McMillon's work. Featured in the recordings are Janette Carter, Rolf Ellison, W. T. Ellison, Wade Gilbert, Isaac Hopson (Paw), Lounette Hopson (Granny), Mae Phillips (Maw Maw), Jean Schilling, and Lee Schilling. Materials collected by McMillon include acetate disc recordings of the 50th Hollow Springs annual shape note singing convention held in 1947 at the Hollow Springs Primitive Baptist Church where McMillon's grandfather McMillon served as an Elder. Also included is a song folio called Cowboy Loye Presents 20 Famous Heart Songs. |
| Creator | McMillon, Bobby. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
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Related Collections
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Biographical Information
Bobby McMillon was born 20 December 1951 in Lenoir, N.C. He developed an early appreciation for the traditional stories, ballads, and religious songs performed by his grandparents and other older relatives in the southern Appalachian region and started learning them as a child. He has performed professionally since 1978 as a traditional ballad singer, musician, and storyteller. As a performer, he is best known for his ballad and story renditions about Frankie Silver, to whom he is distantly related. He received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 2000. In addition to continuing the tradition with his own performances, McMillon has collected interviews with and songs and stories from family members, neighbors, and friends since 1968 when he earned his first RCA sound recording machine in his late teens.
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Scope and Content
The collection of traditional ballad singer, musician, and storyteller Bobby McMillon of Lenoir, N.C., includes recordings of McMillon in performance, documentary recordings made by Bobby McMillon, and materials McMillon collected. Performance materials are from 1978 and 1997 and include the ballad and legend of Frankie Silver. Open-reel recordings made by McMillon, 1968-1995, consist of songs, stories, and talk by the family members and friends who taught him ballads and stories of his Appalachian heritage. There are also recordings of his family's 78-rpm records, which also influenced his work. Featured in the recordings are Janette Carter, Rolf Ellison, W. T. Ellison, Wade Gilbert, Isaac Hopson ("Paw"), Lounette Hopson ("Granny"), Mae Phillips ("Maw Maw"), Jean Schilling, and Lee Schilling. Materials collected by McMillon include acetate disc recordings of the 50th Hollow Springs annual shape note singing convention held in 1947 at the Hollow Springs Primitive Baptist Church where McMillon's grandfather McMillon served as an Elder. Also included is a song folio called Cowboy Loye Presents 20 Famous Heart Songs.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Bobby McMillon in Performance, 1978-1997.
Arrangement: Orginal order is preserved.
Recordings were made of Bobby McMillon performing songs, stories, and riddles on three separate occasions in 1978 and once in 1997. Several songs and stories are performed more than once, including the ballad and legend of Frankie Silver. All recordings from 1978 have play lists associated with them.
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Series 2. Documentary Recordings, 1968-1995 and undated.
Arrangement: Original order is preserved.
Bobby McMillon started making documentary recordings of his relatives, neighbors, and friends in 1968 when he received his first RCA sound recording machine. This collection includes the open reel recordings of songs, stories, and talk made by McMillon 1968-1978 and undated. In addition to live recordings, McMillon recorded several of his family's 78-rpm records. Janette Carter, Rolf Ellison, W. T. Ellison, Wade Gilbert, Isaac "Paw" Hopson, Lounette "Granny" Hopson, Mae "Maw Maw" Phillips, Jean Schilling, and Lee Schilling are featured in this collection. Also included are Doc Addington, Ronnie Barlow, Doug Brookshire, Lou Brookshire, A. P. Carter, Maybelle Carter, Sara Carter, Frenis Coffey, Mae Coffey, Sylvia Carter Edwards, Woodrow Goforth, Lucy Gortney, Nathan Gortney, Karen D. Helms, Nancy Jones, Carl McConnell, Bobby McMillon, Glenn Massey, Artus Moser, Lula Moss, Dellie Norton, Bard Ray, Annie Roberts, Betty Smith, Bud Tolley, Cas Wallin, Virgie Wallin, Clyde Wilson, and a few others documented by first name only. Written documentation, primarily from the original storage boxes, is available for most of the recordings. The original numbering system is notated by (BM#).
The series also contains eleven digital audio tapes recorded in May 1995. These tapes document McMillon singing from his collected songs.
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Series 3. Acetate Discs, 1947.
Three acetate discs were given to Bobby McMillon by the widow of Sam Hartley of Caldwell County, N.C. The discs are recordings from the 50th annual shape note singing convention in Hollow Springs, N.C. This convention was held 17 August 1947 at the Hollow Springs Primitive Baptist Church where Bobby McMillon's grandfather served as an Elder. The non-denominational singing began in 1897 and continued to be held every third Sunday in August. On the recordings, an announcer gives context to the songs and singers.
Because the acetate had deteriorated considerably by the time preservation masters were made in 1999, only fair sound quality and completeness were obtained.
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Series 4. Song Folio.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Elizabeth Matson, June 2003.
Encoded by: Elizabeth Matson, July 2003.
Finding aid updated by Alison Waldenberg, August 2006.
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