CREATOR

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Manuscript Collection

THE CENTER FOR POPULAR MUSIC

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY, MURFREESBORO, TN

EVERETT CORBIN COLLECTION 09-011

PAPERS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND SOUND RECORDINGS 10-033

Creator:

Corbin, Everett J.

Physical Description:

12.72 linear feet of manuscripts, including nearly 1000 photographs

3 trade catalogs, 18 rare books, 5 reference books, 16 pieces of sheet music, 21 performance documents and 12 artifacts.

[The collection also includes over 400 serials, about 900 sound recordings and 260 video recordings. Of the sound recordings, a portion are of Mr. Corbin’s interviews with country artists and work with Vernon Oxford. These items are to be reviewed and cataloged by Center staff as of April 2011.]

Dates:

1948 – 2011

RESTRICTIONS:

All materials in this collection are subject to standard national and international copyright laws. Center staff are able to assist with copyright questions for this material.

Provenance and Acquisition Information:

This collection was donated to the Center by Mr. Everett Corbin of Murfreesboro, Tennessee in November 2009 and February and March of 2011.

Subjects/Index Terms:

Subjects:

Old-time music

Country music

Popular music--Writing and publishing.

Names:

Corbin, Everett J.

Oxford, Vernon

Occupations:

Singer-songwriter

Journalist

Agency History/Biographical Sketch:

Everett Corbin, originally from Hampton, South Carolina, was a prolific songwriter employed as a journalist from 1961 to 1980. He started his career at the Columbia Gazette in South Carolina and the Lake City Reporter in Florida. In 1965, Mr. Corbin moved to the Nashville area to pursue a career as a country music songwriter. Finding little success, he took work again as a journalist, writing for both Music City News and the Donelson News Diary. He interviewed Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Skinner, and others at the height of their popularity. He also conducted Dolly Parton’s first major interview for a country music publication. He served as editor of Music City News in 1966 and 1967, and for longer at the News Diary. In 1980, Mr. Corbin published Storm Over Nashville: A Case Against Modern Country Music, which chronicles the battle between “traditionalist-purists” and “modern” country music groups during the 1970s. Since then, he has continued to write informally and acted as a songwriter, co-producer and promoter for traditional country artist Vernon Oxford, becoming especially active in this capacity from 2003 to 2008.

Scope and Content:

This collection of papers contains nearly 2 linear feet of correspondence with country music artists, labels, some politicians, as well as numerous reader responses to his editorial pieces. Correspondence is arranged by date. Additionally, the collection consists of 2.3 linear feet of Mr. Corbin’s written work in the forms of newspaper clippings, copies and drafts. There are .83 linear feet of material related to Corbin’s work with Vernon Oxford. Of considerable interest are 2.085 l.f. of subject files containing press kits, photos, newspaper clippings and other information concentrated largely on “traditionalist” country and hillbilly performers, with some material about “modern” country performers and music, gospel and pop stars, actors, politicians and country music institutions. 4 linear feet of handwritten “original” songs and poems make up the largest portion. They are mostly in notebooks and undated, and so not arranged. A small portion of these papers is comprised of biographical materials, documents and personal mementos.

Series Description:

Personal/Biographical: Materials related to Mr. Corbin’s education and career, articles written about him and his work, photos and short autobiographical pieces.

Correspondence: Rejections of Mr. Corbin’s songs are dispersed throughout this series, with higher concentrations in the 1950s and 1960s. As a Nashville-area journalist from 1965 to 1980, Mr. Corbin received a number of thank you letters from country music artists for his write-ups on their work. From 1978 to 1980, Storm Over Nashville dominates this series: his research on the Jimmie Rodgers Stamp, letters to and from publishers and requests for copies of it. Vernon Oxford also appears in 1978-1980, but a greater concentration of material about him is located in the 2000’s.

Published Manuscripts: Clippings of articles, 1961 to 1980. Drafts of Storm Over Nashville and printed newspaper articles. As an editor, Mr. Corbin mostly wrote opinion pieces in weekly columns like “Viewpoint,” “The Nashville Beat” and “This We Believe.” Topics range from the country music industry and artists to current issues. A fiscal and social conservative, Mr. Corbin discussed everything from the Civil Rights Movement to the existence of life on other planets.

Self-Published Manuscripts: The bulk of the material is made up of print-outs of mass e-mails and internet postings from the 2000’s. The web has allowed Mr. Corbin to editorialize outside of a formal publication. Topics range from the lawsuit over the estate of Eddy Arnold and his continued championship of old-time country music to current topics like September 11^th, Hurricane Katrina, the election of President Obama and the 2008 economic recession.

Unpublished Manuscripts: Drafts of unpublished books, articles, poems, short stories, and a comic strip. See description below for items.

Vernon Oxford: This series includes a group of playlists primarily from 2000-2003, tracking when Oxford’s songs were played, mostly on European radio. Journal entries about Oxford, contracts, photos, publicity and reviews of his music are also included.

Scrapbooks: One on Vernon Oxford and a second on Dick Flood.

Subject Files: Photographs, press kits and newspaper clippings pertaining to specific performers and institutions. The bulk of the series has been arranged alphabetically by performer. A last box includes various other subjects, including his research on the Jimmie Rodgers stamp for Storm Over Nashville. Many of these materials were requested from or sent by promoters for Mr. Corbin to use in writing about them for his publications.

“Old Original Songs”: Mr. Corbin’s ideas for songs, single lines, lyrics and hand-written sheet music make up this series. Most are in notebooks.

Collection Contents (Folder/Box List): (Titles in quotes are Mr. Corbin’s.)

Personal/Biographical, Box 1

Correspondence, Boxes 2-6

Published Manuscripts, Boxes 7-10

Self-published Manuscripts, Box 11

Unpublished Manuscripts, Boxes 12-13

Vernon Oxford, Boxes 14-15

Scrapbooks, 16

Subject Files, Boxes 17-21

“Old Original Songs,” Boxes 22-25

Box # Folder # Description

Box 1 Personal/Biographical

Folder 1 High School & College

1949 Talent Show Program

1949 Draft of Short Story “Pirates Under Coastal Gale”

1949 “Cardinal” Varnville School Paper

I Want A Word: A Word Manual and Exercise Book

Published letter to “Cowboy Songs”

Commencement Programs:

1951 Varnville High School

1959 University of South Carolina

Copies of Diplomas

Folder 2 Photos

Images of Mr. Corbin, 1950 - 2010

Folder 3 Mementos, Employment and Awards

Tickets, Press Passes, Business Cards, Autographs

Storm Over Nashville book contract

Employment Documents

Laminated biographical note

Awards

Folder 4 “Articles About Everett”

Folder 5 Storm Over Nashville Reviews & Publicity, 1980-1981

Folder 6 Short Autobiographical Writings

“What It’s Like To Be Valedictorian of Your Class”

“From Newspaper Editor to Janitor”

“Did I Tell You About My Day With Dolly Parton?”

“The Songwriter’s Dilemma”

Untitled – “I have often wanted to write a book about country . . .”

“The Makings of a Newspaperman”

“Everett and Juanita Corbin (and children)”

“Corbin Makes New Donation to Center for Popular Music at MTSU”

Folder 7 “The Monthly Digest of the Murfreesboro Worldwide Church of God”

Box 2 Correspondence

Folder 1 1948-1959

Folder 2 1960-1967

Folder 3 1968

Folder 4 1969

Folder 5 1970-1974

Folder 6 1975

Box 3 Correspondence

Folder 1 1976

Folder 2 1977

Folder 3 1978

Folder 4 January – May 1979

Folder 5 June – December 1979

Folder 6 Undated (ca. 1960’s – 1970’s)

Box 4 Correspondence

Folder 1 January – August 1980

Folder 2 September – October 1980

Folder 3 November – December 1980

Folder 4 January – May 1981

Folder 5 June – December 1981

Folder 6 1982-1984

Box 5 Correspondence

Folder 1 1985-1989

Folder 2 1990-1999

Folder 3 2000-2004

Folder 4 2005-2006

Folder 5 2007

Folder 6 January – June 2008

Box 6 Correspondence

Folder 1 July – December 2008

Folder 2 2009-2010

Folder 3 Undated (ca. 2000’s)

Box 7 Published Manuscripts

Folder 1 Clippings of Editorials & Articles from The Lake City Reporter, 1961 – 64

Folder 2 Clippings, 1960 – 64

Folder 3 Assorted Clippings, 1960’s – 1970’s

1948 Pageant of Poetry

Box 8 Published Manuscripts

Folder 1 Assorted Clippings, 1960’s – 1980

Folder 2 “This We Believe,” Clippings, 1970’s

Folder 3 “This We Believe,” Clippings, 1975-1980

Folder 4 “This We Believe,” Clippings, 1975-1980

Folder 5 Assorted Clippings of Articles, 1960’s – 2000’s

Folder 6 “Speech I Gave: ‘Lest We Forget,’” 1977

Folder 7 Drafts of Articles & Editorials

Folder 8 Copies of Articles

Box 9 Published Manuscripts

Folder 1 Sample of Storm Over Nashville

Copy of Ballatine Books’ Rejection Letter

Item Complete Storm Over Nashville Manuscript – copy 1

Box 10 Published Manuscripts

Item “Original” Storm Over Nashville Manuscript – copy 2

Box 11 Self-Published Manuscripts

Folder 1 The Hourglass Newsletter, November 1998 – December 1999

Folder 2 Web postings, Mass emails, etc., 2000’s

Folder 3 Web postings, Mass emails, etc., 2000’s

Folder 4 Web postings, Mass emails, etc., 2000’s

Box 12 Unpublished Manuscripts

Folder 1 “Story of How My Mother Was Killed in a Hospital” – The Waiting Room

Folder 2 Drafts of “Enemy of the People” – 2 copies

Folder 3 Short Stories:

Untitled – “Slaving Over A Hot Desk”

“No Love Could Hold Him”

“A Wife for Randy”

Folder 4 Children’s Book, “Monkey Business”

Folder 5 Drafts of opinion pieces, stories, poems, etc.

Box 13 Unpublished Manuscripts

Folder 1 Drawings & Comic Strip Proposal

Item 1 Sketchbook, art projects

Item 2 Sketchbook, art projects

Item 3 Sketchbook, art projects

Box 14 Vernon Oxford

Folder 1 Playlists, 2000-2002

Folder 2 Playlists, January – February 2003

Folder 3 Playlists, March 2003

Folder 4 Playlists, April 2003

Folder 5 Playlists, May – July 2003

Folder 6 Playlists, August – October 2003

Folder 7 Playlists, November – December 2003

Box 15 Vernon Oxford

Folder 1 Playlists, 2004

Folder 2 Playlists, 2005-2010

Folder 3 Promotional Materials, 1970’s – 80’s & 2000’s

Biographical sketches