University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch …………………………………………………………………… i Scope and Content …………………………….……………………………………... ii Series Notes ……………………………...……………………………………………. ii Container List ………………………………..………………………………………….. 1 Series I: Correspondence …………………………...………………………. 1 Series II: Contracts …………………………………………………………… 2 Series III: Financial Logbooks ………………………...…………………. 3 Series IV: Miscellaneous …………………………...………………………. 6 Series V: Photographs ………………………………..………………………….. 6 Series VI: Manuscript Scores [Books I-XVI] ………………………………..….. 6 Book I ....…………………….…………………………………... 6 Book II ………………………...…………………………………. 22 Book III …………………………………………………………… 39 Book IV …………………………………………………………… 55 Book V …………………………………………………………… 71 Book VI …………………………………………………………… 87 Book VII …………………………………………………………… 103 Book VIII …………………………………………………………… 118 Book IX …………………………………………………………… 133 Book X …………………………………………………………… 149 Book XI …………………………………………………………… 165 Book XII …………………………………………………………… 181 Book XIII …………………………………………………………… 196 Book XIV …………………………………………………………… 203 Book XV …………………………………………………………… 219 Book XVI …………………………………………………………… 235 Series VII: Manuscript Scores ………………………..……………..…… 251 Series VIII: Published Music ………………………………...…………………. 305 Series IX: Oversize ……………………………....…………………………… 328 Warren Durrett Collection, MS59 University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Warren R. Durrett was born in Lebanon, KS, December 28, 1920, the youngest of seven children. His parents were Benjamin H. Durrett and Wilma Myers Durrett. Durrett attended colleges at the University of Oklahoma and Maryville, MO, before graduating in 1951 from Kansas City University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. His schooling was self financed using earnings from playing in college dance bands. In 1945, he started his own band of ten pieces playing weekends at the Continental Hotel Sky Hy Roof at 11th and Baltimore. The band grew rapidly in popularity playing single-night private parties and dinner dances at hotels, country clubs, area colleges, and ballrooms like the Pla-Mor where they set an attendance record for a local band of 1200 admissions in one night. Durrett also expanded the size of the band which grew to 18 pieces by the 1960s and then occasionally to 25 pieces by adding six strings and two singers. During the last years of performance part of the schedule involved performing as the KJLA Music of Your Life Orchestra for ballroom dancing at the Adams Mark Hotel. Durrett retired the big band when he reached the age of 65. The final performance was a public dance held at the Marriott Hotel in Overland Park sponsored by KJLA radio featuring his 25 piece orchestra. The event was sold out three weeks in advance and marked Durrett's 42nd year as a band leader. During the following 14 years he wrote a 312 page book entitled A Chronology of the Warren Durrett Big Band in Kansas City-1945-86 with pictures and discussions of band personnel and jobbing dates by decades. From 1949 to 1967 Warren operated Durrett Productions, a musical advertising company which composed and arranged music for advertising agencies for use in radio and television commercials throughout the Midwest. In 1960 he started a career in real estate investment and land development. He formed and directed several syndicates and corporations in this field. He was a member of the National Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City and the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Village Presbyterian Church where he sang in the choir for 16 years. In 1991 he was awarded the annual Distinguished Achievement award by Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Warren Durrett died Sunday, March 24, 2002. Source Obituary. Kansas City Star 28 March 2002. NewsBank NewsFile Collection. 2 Aug 2007. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com>. Warren Durrett Collection, MS59 i University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION SCOPE AND CONTENT The Warren Durrett Collection was donated to the Miller Nichols Library at the University of Missouri-Kansas City by Janice Durrett, his widow. The manuscript collection is housed in the Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections, while the sound recordings are held in the Marr Sound Archives. The collection contains 145 boxes and is divided into nine series, which includes correspondence, contracts, financial logbooks, miscellaneous, photographs, manuscript scores (Books I-XVI), manuscript scores (individual), published music and oversized material. The collection is strong in many areas, but the wealth of the collection is the music series, which contains over 200 titles composed and arranged by Warren Durrett and other various individuals. In addition, there is a tenth series of sound recordings housed in the Marr Sound Archives. SERIES NOTES SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE This series is contained in 35 folders in Boxes 1-3. This series contains Durrett Productions and band correspondence dating from 1945 to 1963 and 2003. There are hundreds of letters included in this series. This series is organized in chronological order beginning with the most recent. SERIES II: CONTRACTS This series is contained in 17 folders in Box 3. Contained in this series are music contracts from several bands that Durrett had performed in. The contracts date from 1945 to 1963. This series is organized in chronological order beginning with the most recent. SERIES III: FINANCIAL LOGBOOKS This series is contained in 59 folders in Boxes 4-7. This series holds approximately 59 financial logbooks tracking finances for Durrett Productions and other businesses of Warren Durrett’s. This series is organized in chronological order beginning with the most recent. SERIES IV: MISCELLANEOUS This series is contained in 1 folder in Box 7. This series consists of miscellaneous material from the collection, including: show scripts; advertising proposals; schedules and inventories; programs; financial info; newspaper clipping; postcards; and an address list. SERIES V: PHOTOGRAPHS This series is contained in Boxes 8-11. This series holds over 200 black & white and color photographs. The photographs include promotional shots of Warren Durrett and his orchestra, photographs of other artists, performances, personal photographs and snapshots. This series is organized by subject matter. SERIES VI: MANUSCRIPT SCORES [BOOKS I-XVI] This series is contained in Boxes 13-75. The series includes manuscript scores in ink, pencil, and copies of the scores that were stored in individual, hard-shell cases for Tenor, Baritone, Drums, Trombone, Trumpet, Bass, Alto, Piano, Guitar, and Flute. The manuscript scores have been kept in the original order as they were found in the cases. There are over 200 titles in the series. Warren Durrett Collection, MS59 ii University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION SERIES VII: MANUSCRIPT SCORES This series is contained in Boxes 76-126. Boxes 76-78 include titles from A-B. Boxes 79-81, B- B. Boxes 82-87, C-E. Boxes 88-90, E-G. Boxes 91-95, G-I. Boxes 96-99, I-L. Boxes 100-105, L- N. Boxes 106-108, N-P. Boxes 109-115, P, R-S. Boxes 116 -126, S-W, Y-Z. The series contains manuscript scores in ink, pencil, and copies of the scores. The series includes compositions for Alto, Baritone, Bass, Bongos, Clarinet, Drums, Flute, Guitar, Piano, Saxophone, Tenor, Trombone, Trumpet, and Violin. This series is organized in alphabetical order. SERIES VIII: PUBLISHED MUSIC This series is contained in Boxes 127-135. This series includes published music by various individuals. The series includes instrument parts, such as Alto, Baritone, Bass, Clarinet, Drums and Tenor. This series is organized in alphabetical order by song title. SERIES IX: OVERSIZE This series is held in Boxes 136-145 and Oversized Drawer 21. This series includes oversize manuscript scores in ink, pencil, and copies of scores. Box 136 contains titles from A-D. Box 137, D-I. Box 138, I-L. Box 139, L-M. Box 140, N-R. Box 141, S-S. Box 142, T-U. Box 143, U- W, Y. Boxes 144 and 145 contain music-score compilations entitled Authentic Sounds of the Big Band Era: For Stage Band and Exciting Sounds of the Big Band Era: For Stage Band Warren Durrett Collection, MS59 iii University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION Box Folder Description CONTAINER LIST SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE Box Folder Description 1. 1. February, 2003. December-June, 1963 2. May-January, 1963 3. December-October, 1962 4. September-June, 1962 5. May-March, 1962 6. February-January, 1962 7. December-September, 1961 8. August-May, 1961 9. April-January, 1961 10. December-November, 1960 11. October-August, 1960 12. July-May, 1960 13. April-January, 1960 14. December-October, 1959 15. September-June, 1959 2. 1. May-April, 1959 2. March-January, 1959 3. December-September, 1958 4. August-June, 1958 5. May-March, 1958 6. February-January, 1958 Warren Durrett Collection, MS59 1 University of Missouri-Kansas City Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections NOT TO BE USED FOR PUBLICATION Box Folder Description 2. 7. December-October, 1957 8. September-July, 1957 9. June-January, 1957 10. 1955 11. 1954 12. 1953 13. 1952 14. 1951