{"id":1355,"date":"2009-09-16T13:45:07","date_gmt":"2009-09-16T18:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ezing.me\/transfer\/?p=1355"},"modified":"2014-09-23T08:36:04","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T13:36:04","slug":"blues-archive-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/blues-archive-25\/","title":{"rendered":"World-renowned Blues Archive Celebrates 25th Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Archived rare and historically significant items included in exhibition<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

OXFORD, Miss. – When the University of Mississippi opened its Blues
\nArchive to the public in 1984, it was touted to become “the finest of
\nits kind in the world.” <\/p>\n

\n\"blues?exhibit.jpg\"<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


Those familiar with the many treasures sheltered in the archive say
\nit’s a dream come true. <\/p>\n

\n“With the exception of the Library of
\nCongress, I know of no other such archive in the world that surpasses
\nit,” said Greg Johnson, blues curator and associate professor in the
\nJ.D. Williams Library. “Every year, fans from around the world visit to
\nexamine commercially unavailable audio and video recordings of their
\nfavorite blues performers.”\n<\/p>\n

\nJohnson is curator of “Still Got
\nthe Blues: A Silver Anniversary Exhibition,” celebrating the archive’s
\n25th year. An opening reception for the exhibition is scheduled 4-6
\np.m. Tuesday (Sept. 22), in Archives and Special Collections on the
\nlibrary’s third floor. Scheduled for a yearlong run, the exhibition is
\nfree and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through
\nFridays.\n<\/p>\n

\nVisitors can sign out portable audio\/video players onsite to
\nhear musical selections and view interviews with the featured artists
\nas they tour the exhibition. The elaborate display fills 18 cases in
\nthe Faulkner Room and includes rare and historically significant
\nholdings from many of the archive’s audio, visual and print
\ncollections. Some of the material will be rotated throughout the year.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe material highlights artists such as B.B. King, Robert
\nJohnson, The Red Tops and James “Son” Thomas, as well as blues
\ncollectors\/authors including Sheldon Harris, Kenneth Goldstein and
\nGayle Dean Wardlow.\n<\/p>\n

\nItems include original record contracts for Elmore James and
\nSonny Boy Williamson, rare sound recordings by Robert Johnson and
\nCharlie Patton, artwork by Lightnin’ Hopkins and James “Son” Thomas and
\nrecords from the personal record collection of world-renowned blues
\nicon B.B. King, as well as a recently donated bronze bust of King by
\nTaylor artist William Beckwith, adjunct assistant professor of art.\n<\/p>\n

\n\"lb2553.jpg\"<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The exhibition also examines the history of the Blues Archive
\nand follows Living Blues magazine from its 1970 origins in Chicago to
\nits present home in UM’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture,
\nwhere the blues archive began as the brainchild of the center’s first
\ndirector, William Ferris. The magazine’s spring 1984 issue stated:
\n“This archive will be the finest of its kind anywhere in the world, and
\nits resources will be available to all blues scholars and researchers.”<\/p>\n

\nFounded by the center, the archive resided with the music
\nlibrary in Farley Hall for nearly two decades before merging with the
\nlibrary in 2002. It comprises more than 60,000 audio recordings,
\nranging from wax cylinders to compact discs; more than 20,000
\nphotographs; at least 7,000 books, magazines and newsletters; 900 video
\nrecordings; and many collections of manuscripts, posters and ephemera.\n<\/p>\n

\nTed Ownby, CSSC director, sees the archive as an important part
\nof Southern culture and in line with the center’s mission.\n<\/p>\n

\n“Through his own work and his encouragement of Living Blues
\nmagazine and the archive, William Ferris worked to establish the
\nUniversity of Mississippi as a place to study the blues,” Ownby said.
\n“Today, the Blues Archive, along with ‘Highway 61’ radio show and the
\npublication of Living Blues, gives the university a central role in
\ndocumenting and studying the blues.” \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\nThe archive continues to expand with the donation of new
\ncollections, such as the recently acquired Sid Graves Collection of
\nmaterials related to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale and the David
\nHinckley Collection of 300 78-rpm records.\n<\/p>\n

\nUniversity-sponsored academic interest in the blues can be
\ntraced as far back as 1907; however, in-depth study of the blues began
\nin 1977 with the center’s founding. CSSC offers courses in blues music,
\nhistory and culture; publishes Living Blues magazine; and co-hosts the
\nannual “Blues Today: A Living Blues Symposium.”\n<\/p>\n

\n“This exhibition is a tribute to all those who have helped
\nfurther the field of blues scholarship at the University of Mississippi
\nthrough teaching, writing and producing films and radio programs,”
\nJohnson said.\n<\/p>\n

\nFor more information about the J.D. Williams Library, visit http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/depts\/<\/wbr>general?library\/<\/a>. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-5858. \n<\/p>\n

\nTo learn more about the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, visit http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/depts\/<\/wbr>south\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Archived rare and historically significant items included in exhibition \u00a0 OXFORD, Miss. – When the University of Mississippi opened its Blues Archive to the public in 1984, it was touted to become “the finest of its kind in the world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[345],"yoast_head":"\nWorld-renowned Blues Archive Celebrates 25th Anniversary - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/blues-archive-25\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"World-renowned Blues Archive Celebrates 25th Anniversary - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0Archived rare and historically significant items included in exhibition \u00a0 OXFORD, Miss. – When the University of Mississippi opened its Blues Archive to the public in 1984, it was touted to become “the finest of its kind in the world.”\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/blues-archive-25\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"-0001-11-30T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-09-23T13:36:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/ezing.me\/transfer\/wp-content\/uploads\/stories\/blues?exhibit.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Ole Miss News\",\"description\":\"The official source for University of Mississippi news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/blues-archive-25\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/ezing.me\/transfer\/wp-content\/uploads\/stories\/blues?exhibit.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/blues-archive-25\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/blues-archive-25\/\",\"name\":\"World-renowned Blues Archive Celebrates 25th Anniversary - 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