Annual Report 2018–2019 Middle Tennessee State University College of Media and Entertainment Introduction to the Index Center for Popular Music Introduction and Year’s Highlights 1 Founded in 1985, the Center for Popular Collections 5 Music at Middle Tennessee State University is Programming 7 designated one of the state’s prestigious CPM-Supported Events 10 Centers of Excellence. The CPM is a research New Grant Projects 11 center with one of the country’s oldest and Spring Fed Records 12 largest popular music archives, a world-class collection of more than one million items Exhibits 13 Visitors and Instruction 14 relating to every aspect of folk and commercial music making in America from colonial times Staff News 16 CPM Donors 20 to the present. In addition to its function as a repository of historical materials, the Center Collections and Usage Statistics 20 2018–2019 Budget 24 also maintains a robust calendar of public programs, an active internet presence, a Grammy-winning record label, and various other outreach activities. CPM Named Tennessee Music Pathways Official Location Originally an independent unit within the administrative structure of MTSU, in 2010 The The Center for Popular Music continued its Center became part of the university’s College trajectory of growth, improvement, and of Media and Entertainment. Its resources and increased visibility in 2018-2019. Central to activities are not limited to the goals of the this year’s success were two tremendous college, however. The CPM serves the accolades. First, the CPM was named an students, faculty, and programs of MTSU as a official location on the Tennessee Music whole, as well as an international community Pathways by the state’s Department of Tourist of researchers and musicians, and the general Development. The program is designed to public. recognize and promote music sites of historic and cultural importance across Tennessee. The CPM staff and administration are The mission of the Center for Popular enormously proud that the state Tourism Music is to promote research and Commissioner and Governor recognized the scholarship on American vernacular importance of the Center for Popular Music as music, and to foster an understanding part of the state’s incomparably rich musical of the nation’s diverse musical culture heritage. and its global reach. |1 The CPM’s $205,000 NEH Grant and Archival Renovation This year’s second highlight was a renovation of the CPM’s archival storage room made possible by generous funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Presentation of the official Tennessee Music Pathways Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant signage with (L:R) Rutherford County Convention and program. The grant of $205,000 was the Visitors Bureau Director of Cultural Heritage and CPM’s third NEH award and its largest dollar- Tourism Ginna Foster Cannon, College of Media and Entertainment Dean Ken Paulson, CPM Director Greg value grant to date. Combined with funds from Reish, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development the MTSU Provost’s Office, the MTSU Office Director of Outreach and Engagement Melanie of Research Services, and the CPM’s own Beauchamp, Rutherford County Convention and operating budget, this was the CPM’s biggest Visitors Bureau Senior Vice President Barbara Wolke, capital improvement project in nearly a and Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Donna Klempnow. decade. The primary goals of the project were to update storage units and lighting in the Center’s 3,300 square foot archival facility (located in the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building). In addition to providing more storage space—badly needed with the significant growth of the Center’s collections in recent years—the project provides more efficient use of space, better air circulation and environmental conditions, better lighting, improved accessibility and security, and a more sustainable approach to the long-term preservation of these cultural heritage materials, many of them rare or unique and more than a century old. |2 A Picture Timeline of the CPM’s Archival Renovation The old mezzanine and staircase on the north side of the CPM archive, which used to feature inefficient, A crew from MTSU Construction and Renovation stationary shelving. Discontinuous fluorescent lights removed the old shelving, mezzanine, and stairs, created dark areas in the room and especially the lower preparing the space for brand new shelving. level, which was also not protected by the fire suppression sprinklers in the ceiling. (L) CPM staffer Allison Centobene packs up some of the Workers from Patterson-Pope, Inc. prepare for the CPM’s rare books and musical scores in preparation for installation of SpaceSaver moveable compact shelves removal of the old shelving, mezzanine, and staircase. by building a flooring platform with tracks. Note the (R) Spring Fed Records Manager John Fabke and student addition of new, continuous LED lighting running the intern Trey Robertson roll boxes of supplies to length of the room to avoid dark areas. temporary storage in another campus building. |3 New compact shelving units, custom sized and designed to maximize space in the CPM’s archival storage room and increase accessibility of the Center’s valuable materials. Librarian Stephanie Bandel placing some of the Center’s collection of rare hymnals and sacred music books into their new homes. End panels (in MTSU Blue!) installed, along with geared handles to move the new shelves with ease. The completed renovation! |4 Collections The Lee Zhito Collection While collection growth was deliberately The late Lee Zhito enjoyed a long and slowed during this year of archival renovation, distinguished career as a writer, editor, and some opportunities to add to the CPM’s eventually publisher of Billboard magazine. holdings were just too important to pass up. Donated by his daughters, this remarkable Here are some highlights of this year’s collection of business papers, memos, acquisitions. correspondence, and research materials, provides documentary evidence of the behind- The Bob Menasco Collection the-scenes operation of the most important industry publication in the history of American Robert “Bob” Menasco was a professional popular music. photographer in Shreveport, Louisiana during the heyday of that city’s Louisiana Hayride, one of the most important country music radio barn dances in popular music history. Donated by Bob’s son Rob Menasco, this small but highly significant collection includes some of the finest studio quality portraits of musicians like Kitty Wells (pictured below), Hank Williams, and Jim Reeves ever taken. Letter from Yoko Ono to Lee Zhito following the death of John Lennon. The David Morton Collection The Sonny James Collection Researcher David Morton gifted the Center for Popular Music with much of his extensive This collection includes photos, scrapbooks, collection documenting the life and career of correspondence, business papers, and original DeFord Bailey, a pioneering African American recordings by Country Music Hall of Fame country music performer and early star of the singer, songwriter, and fiddler Sonny James. Grand Ole Opry. |5 The John Hartford Manuscript Collection Adding to the already significant holdings in the CPM’s John Hartford Audio and Video Collections, the family of the late songwriter and newgrass pioneer donated 73 of his original, handwritten music manuscript books containing thousands of original fiddle tunes and transcriptions. These notebooks were the basis for John Hartford’s Mammoth Collection of Fiddle Tunes, published in 2018 and co- compiled by CPM Director Greg Reish. Individual Acquisitions Among the most exciting individual additions to the Center’s world-class collection of historic materials this year were an 1857 banjo contest advertisement, an event described contemporaneously as the first banjo competition in the United States; and a three- page manuscript by Asa Hutchinson of the Hutchinson Family, one of the most famous musical groups of 19th century America, memorializing his wife Lizzie with a copy of the last song she performed in public. A page of handwritten music from John Hartford’s music notebooks, showing one of thousands of original fiddle tunes by the famous songwriter of “Gentle on My Mind.” |6 Programming As with collection development, the Center’s agenda of public programming was deliberately lighter this year while the archival renovation occupied much of the staff’s time and attention. Nonetheless, 2018-2019 remained another stimulating year on the Center’s programming calendar with a number of fascinating book talks, concerts, and Center support for various events organized by partner organizations. Langston Wilkins on Houston Hip-Hop and Car Culture Dr. Michael Doubler discussing the topic of his latest Author, folklorist, and ethnomusicologist book, his great-grandfather and country music pioneer, Uncle Dave Macon. Langston Wilkins presented a program entitled Swangin’ and Bangin’: Hip-Hop Music, Car Culture, and Identity in Houston, Texas. Michael Doubler on Uncle Dave Macon Distinguished historian Michael Doubler gave a public talk on his new book, Dixie Dewdrop: The Uncle Dave Macon Story. A Rutherford County resident, Uncle Dave Macon was one of country music’s most important performing and recording artists in the first two decades of the genre’s existence, and was the first major star of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Doubler is Macon’s great-grandson, and combined extensive research in the CPM archive with interviews and other family materials to write the first comprehensive biography of this original and highly influential musician. |7 Don Cusic on Music City In February the Center hosted Don Cusic, Curb Professor of Music Industry History at Belmont University, who discussed his latest book, Nashville Sound: An Illustrated Timeline. The book was published with research assistance from the CPM’s Assistant Archivist Olivia Beaudry. During the well- attended event, Cusic covered the musical history of Nashville, from fiddling politicians the Alf Brothers, to the Fisk Jubilee Singers and all the way up the 2016 Grammys.