ARCHIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND CULTURE liner notesNO. 19 / 2014-2015 Petrella Pollefeyt: First Lady of Country Soul aaamc mission From the Desk of the Director The AAAMC is devoted to the collection, preservation, and dissemination of materials for In drafting this column for the first sang with the aesthetic beauty and the purpose of research and time as Director of the AAAMC, I feel spiritual grace fitting for such an iconic study of African American compelled to acknowledge the legacy figure. From Grammy-award winning music and culture. of Portia Maultsby, whose vision in Dr. Bobby Jones of Sunday morning www.indiana.edu/~aaamc 1991 led to its founding. Initially BET Gospel fame to GospoCentric supported by a Ford Foundation grant, founder, Vicki Mack Lataillade, the the Archives represented Dr. Maultsby’s tributes extolled Hobbs’ commanding desire to identify and gather the many leadership in the world of gospel music. Table of Contents print, audio and visual resources The public face of the Archives which document the richness of this year was most strongly evident From the Desk of the Director .....................2 African American music in shaping in our Themester event, Hot Buttered and defining the American musical Soul: The Role of Foodways and Music In the Vault: landscape. It is a history most worthy Making in Building and Sustaining Recent Donations .................3 of preservation, and following the African American Communities, which path forged by Dr. Maultsby is both an attracted an extremely responsive One on One: Interview honor and a challenge. We welcome her audience of almost 150 students, faculty, with Petrella Pollefeyt ...........4 continued involvement in identifying staff, and community members. As potential contributors and securing a collaborative effort which engaged Featured Collection: collections. our student and full-time staff, as well Petrella Pollefeyt: With the unwavering support of as an invited scholar and our research First Lady of Country Soul ....10 Provost Lauren Robel, the AAAMC associates, this exchange reinforced the continues to pursue its overarching subtleties and complexities inherent in AAAMC and Robert Marovich vision, in our welcome of William the interpretation of African American Team Up to Preserve Gospel Vanden Dries, who joins our staff as musical and cultural practice. The Music History ....................11 digital archivist in June 2015. William Archives is pleased with the prospect of brings a wealth of knowledge, skill, our findings being presented at future A Tribute to Al Hobbs ..........14 energy and fresh ideas to our unit. scholarly meetings, and also being The fact that he and his family eagerly translated into publication. Themester 2014: anticipate the snow of an Indiana As always, AAAMC welcomes Hot Buttered Soul...............18 winter, as they bid farewell to the your input. Please let us hear from sweltering heat of Austin, Texas offers you regarding Liner Notes, or about New Research Associate: Alisha Lola Jones ...............22 us a promising glimpse of the positive individuals, organizations, or resources impact that he will have on our work which you feel could contribute to William Vanden Dries environment. To Ronda Sewald, whose our efforts. It is our sincere hope that Joins AAAMC Staff .............26 expertise and diligence contributed in you continue to visit our website, and so many significant ways during her six- take advantage of the many offerings New Books by AAAMC Staff year tenure as a member of the Archives’ designed to support and affirm African and Research Associates ....27 staff, we extend our most sincere thanks American music in all its guises. and gratitude. The Archives mourns the loss of our On the Cover: friend and advocate, Al “The Bishop” Hobbs, whose homegoing services were held at Christ Church Apostolic in Indianapolis in August 2014. Hundreds gathered from far and near to celebrate the life and career of the man with the golden voice, who, for decades, commanded the WTLC airways and worked tirelessly to develop, promote, and advance gospel music locally, nationally, and globally. The mass choir, comprised of members of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) under the direction of Sherri Garrison, Petrella Pollefeyt in the studio, 2007. distinguished Minister of Music at Eastern Star Church in Indianapolis, 2 In the Vault: Recent Donations Jacquie Gales Webb Collection: Ericka Blount Danois Collection: Materials documenting her career as an award-winning producer, Personal papers documenting her journalism career, including including interviews and production materials used in the public over 100 audiocassette recordings of interviews conducted for her radio series Remembering Slavery and Jazz Singers, the television book, Love, Peace, and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America’s Favorite documentary Melodies from Heaven, and her “Sunday Afternoon Dance Show Soul Train: Classic Moments (2013). Gospel Music Program” on 96.3 WHUR in Washington, DC. African American Arts Ronald C. Lewis Collection: Institute Collections: Personal papers, sounds recordings, and videos documenting Mr. Interviews and production files for the book project, The Black Wonderful Productions, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky. Composer Speaks (1977); production files for a Black composer encyclopedia project (1970s); and video of recent interviews conducted for an IU Soul Revue oral history project. CD/DVD/Book/Image/Music Donors: 22 Ventures / Below Systems Ed Hines & Associates Legacy Recordings Reel People Music Alive Records EMI Recods Light In The Attic Rhymesayers Entertainment Arhoolie Entertainment One Mack Avenue Records Rick Scott AristoMedia Eothen Alapatt Mark Mclean Rock Paper Scissors Audio Preservation Fund Films Media Group Mark Pucci Media Rounder Records Ballin’ Entertainment First World Michael Woods Shanachie Entertainment Bear Family Forced Exposure Living Legends Shore Fire Media Bellamy Group FTG International MCG Records Shout Factory Betsy Blue Music Full Circle Entertainment Merlis for Hire SLG Bowling Green State University Fully Altered Media MoFunk Records SmallsLive Bjazz Promo Services Funky Town Grooves Monocentric Music Smithsonian Folkways Black Berry Ged Soul Motown Gospel Sony Music Masterworks Blind Racoon Girlie Action Muse Media Southgate Entertainment Blues Images Gold City Records Musebox Spencer Robinson BMF Media Golden Fetus Records MVD Stickfigure Distribution Brian Coleman Great Scott Production Myles Sanko Sub Pop! Byrd Communications Harmonia Mundi Naxos of America Sugar Shack Capital Entertainment Honorable South Music Now-Again Records Summersoul Entertainment Cherry Red Records Hot Casa Records Oakhill Music Terri Hinte City Hall Records Hot Milk Records Passion Music Tiny Human Cleopatra Records Imagine This Pendulum Records Tish Febach Concord Music Group Indigo Soul Per Notini Tompkins Square Conqueroo Jasmine Records Perry Tyscot Records Croshal Entertainment Group Jazz Promo Services Plug Research Music Universal Music Cumbancha Jeffrey James Press Junkie VP Records Daptone Records JS Music Reach Records Wolf Records Delmark Records K7 Records Real Gone Music World Music Network Distorted Soul Kayos Productions Red Distribution DL Media KG Music Red Hot Records Dust-to-Digital LCD Factory Red River Entertainment The AAAMC contributed to the following projects published in 2014-15: Print: African American Museum of Iowa, “Behind the Beat” (images) Sykes, Charles E. “The Black Forum Label: Motown Joins the Revolution.” ARSC Journal, Vol. 46, No.1 (Spring 2015). (images) Radio: Mighty Writers documentary, Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Associated Press. “Mercury Records Co-Founder Irwin Steinberg Soul Radio (audio) Dies at 94.” Billboard Magazine, January 4, 2015. (image) Smith, Walker. Mello Yello: The Incredible Life Story of Jack the Film and Television: Rapper as told to Walker Smith. Sonata Books, 2015. (images) TV One Unsung series episode on Chuck Brown (images) Exhibits: What Happened, Miss Simone?, a Netflix documentary about Nina Birthplace of Country Music Museum, “New Harmonies: Simone (audio) Celebrating American Roots Music” (images) 3 one-on-one 4 An Interview with Petrella Pollefeyt Country soul singer and songwriter I had a music teacher by the name of forefront in terms of your life? Petrella Pollefeyt, a native of Hot Springs, John Puckett, and I was in probably the Arkansas, was interviewed by AAAMC second grade when I first started to do PP: I understood that I needed to graduate assistant Christina Harrison stage work. He thought that I should protect my girls. I had no intentions of in the fall of 2014. In these excerpts imitate Pearl Bailey, because she was taking them on the road. But there was she discusses her entry into the music a really big icon at that time, so I did the spark that was always in the back business, her work in Nashville, and her Pearl Bailey and my brother was doing of my head concerning it. I was writing reasons for donating her collection to the Elvis Presley. And talent shows were poems and writing something that was AAAMC. very much a part of the school system indicative of me wanting to go into at that time. I always considered John the music business, mainly from the CH: So when did music become or Puckett as my mentor in music, because songwriting side. I had just always held start to become a part of your life? Were he also gave me piano lessons. When I that close to my heart without making you involved in the church? Were you finally got to junior high school, he was it public until my girls got older. Now, singing at an early age? When did it all also my music teacher and he started I always sung in my church choirs. My begin for you? me doing [Della Reese] songs. So, music girlfriend and I—she was a teacher at has always been a big part of my life. one of the elementary schools. We used PP: Well, on my father’s side, he had to go around to different elementary five siblings. His younger sister, her CH: So after you got your business schools and high schools and try and name was Velma, and my grandmother degree, what happened then? Where did teach a songwriting class.