Red Clay Ramblers Papers Inventory (#4756)

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contact Information:

Manuscripts Department

CB#3926, Wilson Library

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890

Phone: 919/962-1345

Fax: 919/962-3594

Email: mss@email.unc.edu

URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/

Processed by

Jackie Dean and Caroline Weaver

Date Completed

May 1996, November 1999

Encoded by

Caroline Weaver

Descriptive Summary Including Abstract

Title

Red Clay Rambler Papers (#4756) 1970s-1990s

Creator

Red Clay Ramblers.

Extent

About 225 items (1.0 linear feet).

Repository

Southern Historical Collection

Abstract

The Red Clay Ramblers began in 1972 as a trio of musicians who had been playing in and around Chapel Hill, N.C. Personnel has included Tommy Thompson, banjo, guitar, vocals (1972-1994); Jim Watson, mandolin, guitar, vocals (1972-1986); Bill Hicks, fiddle, vocals (1972-1981); Clay Buckner, fiddle, vocals (1980- ); Mike Craver, piano, vocals (1973-1986); Bland Simpson, piano, vocals (1986- ); Jack Herrick, bass, horns, vocals (1976- ); and Chris Frank, piano, guitar, accordion, horns, vocals (1987- ). Over the years, they have released numerous albums, gone on U.S. State Department-sponsored tours, collaborated with Sam Shepard on plays and films, and had several successful off-Broadway runs. The collection contains materials, 1970s-1990s, chiefly relating to the Red Clay Ramblers' musical performances and theatrical presentations. Included are programs, newspaper reviews, and publicity posters from Hot Grog: A Tuneful Pirate Saga; Life on the Mississippi; The Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas; A Lie of the Mind; Far North; Sam Shepard's Silent Tongue; Fool Moon; and Kudzu: A Southern Musical. Also included are drafts of the musical Diamond Studs: The Life of Jesse James by Jim Wann and Bland Simpson, along with materials relating to its performances; a manuscript and call sheet for Silent Tongue; a scrapbook with materials relating to Bland Simpson's Southern States Fidelity Choir, Diamond Studs, and other works; a radio script for The Last Song of John Proffit, an historical play by Tommy Thompson based upon the life Dan Emmett and his interactions with the Snowdens, an African-American family from Ohio, which touches on the development of the banjo, the culture surrounding minstrel shows, and the interaction between Anglo-American and African-American musicians; photographs documenting Ramblers' musical and theatrical activities; biographies and venue lists created for promotional purposes; and correspondence, primarily between Bland Simpson and theater companies about performances.

Administrative Information

Access

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Provenance

Received from Bland Simpson of Chapel Hill, N.C., in May 1995 (Acc. 95065), October 1998 (Acc. 98211), August 1999 (Acc. 98424), and September 1999 (Acc. 98447).

Online Catalog Terms

Afro-American musicians--Drama.

Banjo.

Emmett, Daniel Decatur, 1815-1904--Drama.

Minstrel shows.

Musical groups--North Carolina.

Musical theater--United States.

Musicians--North Carolina.

Red Clay Ramblers.

Shepard, Sam, 1943- .

Simpson, Bland.

Snowden family--Drama.

Thompson, Tommy, 1937?- .

Wann, Jim.

Biographical Note

The Red Clay Ramblers began in 1972 as a trio of musicians who had been playing in and around Chapel Hill, N.C. Personnel has included Tommy Thompson, banjo, guitar, vocals (1972-1994); Jim Watson, mandolin, guitar, vocals (1972-1986); Bill Hicks, fiddle, vocals (1972-1981); Clay Buckner, fiddle, vocals (1980- ); Mike Craver, piano, vocals (1973-1986); Bland Simpson, piano, vocals (1986- ); Jack Herrick, bass, horns, vocals (1976- ); and Chris Frank, piano, guitar, accordion, horns, vocals (1987- ).

In 1973, the Ramblers released their first album and joined forces with a band known as the Southern States Fidelity Choir to create the musical Diamond Studs: The Life of Jesse James, which, after a successful run in Chapel Hill, moved off-Broadway the following year. The Ramblers collaborated with the Southern States Fidelity Choir again in 1982 when they provided the music for Tommy Thompson and Choir member Bland Simpson's dramatization of Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi.

The Ramblers returned to off-Broadway in 1985 when they provided the music for Sam Shepard's play A Lie of the Mind. The Ramblers collaborated two more times with Shepard, providing the score for his 1988 film, Far North, and playing a medicine show band in his 1993 film, Silent Tongue. When the Ramblers celebrated their 20th anniversary in 1992, they had released twelve albums, gone on three United States State Department-sponsored tours, and performed with critically-acclaimed artists Shawn Colvin and Michelle Shocked.

Collection Overview

Materials, 1970s-1990s, chiefly relating to the Red Clay Ramblers' musical performances and theatrical presentations. Included are programs, newspaper reviews, and publicity posters from Hot Grog: A Tuneful Pirate Saga; Life on the Mississippi; The Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas; A Lie of the Mind; Far North; Sam Shepard's Silent Tongue; Fool Moon; and Kudzu: A Southern Musical. Also included are drafts of the musical Diamond Studs: The Life of Jesse James by Jim Wann and Bland Simpson, along with promotional materials and newspaper clippings relating to its performances; a manuscript and call sheet for Silent Tongue; a scrapbook with materials relating to Bland Simpson's Southern States Fidelity Choir, Diamond Studs, and other works; a radio script for The Last Song of John Proffit, an historical play by Tommy Thompson based upon the life Dan Emmett and his interactions with the Snowdens, an African-American family from Ohio, which touches on the development of the banjo, the culture surrounding minstrel shows, and the interaction between Anglo-American musicians and African-American musicians; photographs documenting Ramblers' musical and theatrical activities; biographies and venue lists created for promotional purposes; and correspondence, primarily between Bland Simpson and theater companies about performances.

Organization of Collection

1. Papers
2. Pictures

Series Descriptions

Items Separated

Items separated include oversize papers (OP-4756), a scrapbook (V-4756/S-1), and photographs (P-4756).

Related Collections

Bland Simpson Papers (#4755). Southern Historical Collection;
The Last Song of John Proffit (FT3315-FT3317), Southern Folklife Collection, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.