DOUG SEROFF COUNTRY MUSIC COLLECTION

 

CREATOR: Doug Seroff                                                                        ACC.NO: 10-034

 

TYPE OF MATERIAL
Manuscripts, photographs

 

 

Physical Description:

1 linear foot. Contains 2 books, 1 rare book, approximately 100 photographs, 16 serials, 15 (approx) trade catalogs, performance documents and manuscripts.

 

Scope and content:

This collection is comprised of 1 linear foot of materials that was donated to the CPM by Doug Seroff. Some of the material in this collection came from the estate of Bob Pinson (1934-2003). The majority of the materials relate to Country, Bluegrass and Western Swing styles circa 1950s-1990s. One of the highlights is a collection of 12 home-made newsletters produced by the Chet Atkins fan club. This newsletter, “Gallopin’ Guitar” (circa 1950s), contains interesting articles on 1950’s era performers as well as a number of informal photographs of Atkins and other performers. The collection also features a number of large (8 1/2x 11) promotional photographs of country music artists circa 1950s-1990s as well as smaller photos of festivals and casual shots of performers. The manuscripts contained in 10-034 cover a wide range of interesting country music related topics such as Western Swing, promotional materials, correspondence, festival programs, etc. This grouping also includes trade catalogs (circa 1950s-1990s) from Gruhn’s Guitars of Nashville and small catalogs for Jazz, Blues, Country, Old Time and Ragtime recordings as well as serials on topics such as record collecting, Marimba music, and classical style guitar. 

 

 

Dates:
1917-2000s

 

 

RESTRICTIONS:

Mr. Seroff asked that the CPM return any materials in this donation that were duplicates of items already held in our collections. (Materials returned March, 2011)

 

Provenance:
Donated by  Doug Seroff on March 7, 2011. Some of the material came from the estate of Bob Pinson. 

 

Agency History/biographical sketch:

Doug Seroff, born February, 21st, 1947 in Newark, NJ and currently residing in Greenbrier, TN, has been involved in recording, researching and promoting African American vernacular music since the 1970s. He has written a number of books on the subject as well as many liner notes for reissues of older music. Mr. Seroff has been also been a consultant with TV and radio documentaries about the gospel quartet tradition as well as a promoter of gospel quartet performances.
Bob Pinson, April 29th, 1934-Sept 4th, 2003 was a pioneering country music scholar and record collector. Pinson worked as researcher and reference librarian at the Country Music Hall of Fame from 1973 to 2001. 

 

 

 

Location:

CPM library, rare books library, serials in compact shelving, trade catalogs and Box #1 (10-034) in the stacks.

 

Related Materials:
Doug Seroff collections 10-034, 89-073, 89-009, 89-031, 89-024

Bob Pinson collection 90-058

 

Series Description:

Box 1-Manuscripts, performance documents, photographs, Chet Atkins newsletters

Serials
Books

Rare books

Trade catalogs

 

Notes

All photos have been scanned (@ 600 dpi) and are numbered for identification.

 

Folder/box list:

Books: 2 books.)Dangerous Curves-The Art of the Guitar (Darcy Kuronen), Roy Rogers and Dale Evans-It Was Always the Music (Eric Van Hamersveld)

 

 

Folder #1
Contains record company promotional items circa 1950’s-60’s from Starday, Golden West, Bullet, Voyager, Spivey etc. Artist promotional materials circa 1950’s-60’s. Festival related materials (programs, posters etc) circa 1950’s-60’s from Hugo, OK Bluegrass Festival, 1965 UCLA Folk Festival, Mustang Almanac etc. 5 Photographs (includes promotional glossy photos for Statler Bros, Hank Williams Jr). Concert flyers for Flatt & Scruggs. Press folder for the film Bronco Billy (starring Clint Eastwood) Early Johnson Mountain Boys bio/press information. Also contains some news clippings about Randy Wood.

 

Folder #2-Western Swing
Copy of Eldon Shamblin’s funeral program and obituaries. Promotional material for Leon Rausch. Mimeograph of Texas Playboys band biography, copies of news articles about the band (ca 1979). Original copy of correspondence between Bob Pinson and Leon Rausch. Original promotional folder for the Bob Wills Tiffany Transcriptions (ca 1946-47). Sam Gibbs of Wichita Falls, TX orchestra service datebook (1961) with advertising for Bob Wills, Miller Brothers, Johnnie Lee Wills etc. 3 Photographs (Leon Rauch promo glossy, two photos of unknown Western Swing band)

 

Folder #3-Photos/Correspondence

Correspondence to Bob Pinson. Note from Henry Young (Mac McClintock biographer) Envelope #1 Photos-Festival snapshots (Wilbur Ball/Cliff Carlisle-Almanac Festival 1971?). Postcard photos of King Ganam, Tommy Tompkins (signed), J.T. Hall, Jack Perry and Light Crust Doughboys, Slim Rinehart, Lakeland Sisters, Cowboy Slim  Photos of Hodges Brothers (Mississippi String Band), unknown bands and musicians, Pickard Family, Aunt Idy Harper (Renfro Valley Barn Dance) and Stamps Quartet. Approx 24 photos.

 

Folder #4 “Surplus photos from Pinson estate. Mostly Jimmy Dean, Gene Autry, Carson Robison, Marty Robbins”

Glossy promotional photos of country artists circa 1950s-1980s. (Contains some duplicate images) Many are autographed. Jimmy Dean, Smitty Smith, Johnny Gimble, Jerri Kelly, Shawn Camp, Tom Carlisle, Jim Newberry, Bonnie Nelson, Eddie Kirk, Jimmie Rodgers (from fan club), Bob Wills, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Johnson Mountain Boys, Sons of the Pioneers, Peter Rowan, Bobby Bare, George Burns, Chico Hamilton Quintet, Hoyt Axton, Asleep at the Wheel, Bill Anderson, Moe Bandy. Approx 36 photos.

 

Envelope # 2 Trade Catalogs-Gruhn Guitars Catalogs/record catalogs
7 catalogs from Gruhn Guitars (Nashville, TN) circa 1996-97.
1. November, 1996
2. December, 1996
3. October, 1996
4. February, 1997
5. March, 1997
6. January, 1997
7. April, 1997


Record catalogs
A. Historical Records, Jersey City, NJ. Circa 1968. Early Country music reissues (E. Stoneman, Fields Ward etc.)
B. Tradition Records Winter 1956-57 Catalogue. Recordings from Jean Ritchie, Oscar Brand, Ewan McColl/Peggy Seeger etc.
C. Folk-Legacy Records of Huntington, VT. Circa 1960s. Recordings from Frank Profitt, Edna Ritchie, Fleming Brown, Eugene Rhodes etc.
D. Euphonic Sound Recording Company of Ventura, CA catalog circa 1960s. Recordings from Dink Johnson, Brun Campbell (blues & ragtime piano, gospel)
E. Pinnacle Recordings catalog circa late 1950s-early 1960s. Recordings from Franz Jackson, Arthur Logan Singers (classic jazz, gospel)
F. Pinnacle Recordings catalog circa late 1950s-early 1960s.Recordings from Franz Jackson (classic jazz)
G. Delmark Records (Chicago, IL) Catalogue circa 1960s. Recordings from Yank Rachell, Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes (blues) and George Lewis, Jimmy Forrest, Bob Graf (jazz)
H. Brunswick Records catalog, Vol 1, #1, 1928. Reprint of original 1920s catalog by the Country Music Foundation (1983) Small articles on Brunswick artists The Tennessee Ramblers, Mac and Bob, Dr. Humphrey Bate, Bascom Lunsford, Buell Kazee, Kessinger Brothers etc.


 

Folder #5-Chet Atkins Fanclub

12 mimeographed editions of the Chet Atkins Fan Club newsletter circa 1950s. Contains record reviews, notes from Chet and his wife, questions from fans to Chet, performance schedules, West Coast News, Opry reviews, photos, discussion of other musicians (Wilburn Bros, Kitty Wells etc), short Merle Travis autobiography, Many interesting small snapshots of Chet Atkins, his family, Grady Martin, Billy Byrd etc. There is an interesting “Just Ask” section where musicians such as Atkins, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jerry Byrd etc answer questions in their own words. 

A.     Gallopin’ Guitar. February, 15th, 1955. Articles about Chet Atkins, Pee Wee King, Wilburn Brothers, “Ask Chet” and photographs.

B.     Chet Atkins Fan Club, April 6th, 1953. Articles about fan club members and Chet Atkins.

C.     Chet Atkins Fan Club (No date. Circa 1950s) Articles about fan club members, Webb Pierce etc. Opry performance reviews, record reviews, letters from Chet and Leona Atkins.

D.     Gallopin’ Guitar News (No date. Circa 1950s) Articles by fan club members, letters from Steve Sholes, Jimmy Atkins, Chet Atkins, Red Foley, Jerry Byrd and others. “Ask Chet” feature.

E.      Gallopin’ Guitar News (No date. Circa 1950s) Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. Record reviews, Opry reviews “Just Ask” feature with Jerry Byrd, photographs.

F.      Gallopin’ Guitar News circa 1954. Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. Articles about the Davis Sisters, Bernie Smith, record reviews and photos of Atkins, Pee Wee King, Grady Martin, Billy Byrd etc.

G.     Gallopin’ Guitar News circa 1955. Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. Articles on “West Coast News, “Just Ask Me” with Hawkshaw Hawkins and Chet Atkins, record reviews, etc. Photographs and postcard images of Atkins and Jo Davis.

H.     Gallopin’ Guitar News circa 1956. Letters from fan club president, and Chet Atkins. “Just Ask Me” featuring Chet Atkins, Arlie Duff, record reviews, West Coast news, short bio on Bennie Martin etc. Photographs of Chet and Leona Atkins, Doug Kirkum, Floyd Cramer, Harry Floyd and others.

I.        Gallopin’ Guitar News circa 1954. Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. Articles on Carl Smith, “Ask Chet”, postcard photos.

J.       Gallopin’ Guitar News circa 1954. . Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. Record reviews, letter from Ginger Callahan, West Coast News, photographs of Chet Atkins etc.

K.    Chet Atkins Fan Club (No date. Circa 1950s). Letter from president. News about Chet Atkins. Autobiographical article by Merle Travis, short obituary for Django Reinhardt, articles about Martha Carson, The Louvin Brothers, Faron Young, Noel Boggs etc.

L.      Merry Christmas-Chet Atkins Fan Club (No date. Circa 1950s). Letters from fan club president and Chet Atkins. West Coast News, “Ask Chet”, Jimmy Bryant biography, Maddox Brothers and Rose biography, short Chet Atkins discography, photographs of Chet Atkins and fan club officers. Folder also contains two loose covers from another issue of the newsletter.

 

 

Approx 32 photographs total in all 12 issues.

 

 

Folder # 6-Serials

Contains 4 serials. One marimba music magazine, “Old Sailor’s Almanac” record collecting catalog, and two copies of Guitar Review (ca 1961-classical guitar) with transcriptions and interviews with players such as Andres Segovia.

 

Folder # 7 Rare book -A songbook of Negro Spirituals published in London in 1917. 

 


Approx 100 photos in box

 

John Fabke 4/5/11