Archives Collection


SEROFF, DOUG                                                 89-031
COLLECTION OF NEGRO HARMONY SINGING
 

Physical description:

11 1/2" video cassette tapes (VCH-0090 A-J. VCH-0098)

Dates:

1920's - 1980's

Provenance:

These materials were lent for copying by gospel music researcher Doug Seroff of Greenbriar TN.

Scope and content:

Video tape copies of motion picture, television, concert and other footage of a wide variety of Negro harmony singing performances collected by black music researcher Doug Seroff of Nashville, TN, from originals held by archives, libraries and private collectors.

These tapes date from the late 1920s to the 1980s and were made in various locations in the United States including Nashville and Memphis, TN, and New Orleans, LA, as well as Yugoslavia, Japan, Trinidad, Jamaica and several countries in Africa.

Among the music genres represented are American religious choirs and quartets (tapes A,B,E,F,G); American secular quartets, trios and soloists (tapes A,B,C,D); American jazz (tapes D,E,I); American rhythm and blues (tapes D,I); African choral [Zulu] (tape H); African popular (tapes H,I); and Caribbean including calypso, soca and reggae (tape J).

A log for each tape made by Center audio archivist Bruce Nemerov during copying and a contents list of each tape made by Doug Seroff follows. Logs/contents lists usually include song titles and performers and may also show event, location, date and/or source as well.

Video quality is in some cases poor, primarily because of the condition of the original footage. Note that not all of the material on the original tape was copied; Seroff's logs have been annotated to show omissions.

Location:

The tapes are filed by tape number with other archival audio visual materials.