Newswise — 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."
Those familiar with the many treasures sheltered in the archive say it's a dream come true. "With the exception of the Library of Congress, I know of no other such archive in the world that surpasses it," said Greg Johnson, blues curator and associate professor in the J.D. Williams Library. "Every year, fans from around the world visit to examine commercially unavailable audio and video recordings of their favorite blues performers."
Johnson is curator of "Still Got the Blues: A Silver Anniversary Exhibition," celebrating the archive's 25th year. Scheduled for a yearlong run, the exhibition is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Visitors can sign out portable audio/video players onsite to hear musical selections and view interviews with the featured artists as they tour the exhibition. The elaborate display fills 18 cases in the Faulkner Room and includes rare and historically significant holdings from many of the archive's audio, visual and print collections. Some of the material will be rotated throughout the year.
The material highlights artists such as B.B. King, Robert Johnson, The Red Tops and James "Son" Thomas, as well as blues collectors/authors including Sheldon Harris, Kenneth Goldstein and Gayle Dean Wardlow.
Items include original record contracts for Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson, rare sound recordings by Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton, artwork by Lightnin' Hopkins and James "Son" Thomas and records from the personal record collection of world-renowned blues icon B.B. King, as well as a recently donated bronze bust of King by Taylor artist William Beckwith, adjunct assistant professor of art.
The exhibition also examines the history of the Blues Archive and follows Living Blues magazine from its 1970 origins in Chicago to its present home in UM's Center for the Study of Southern Culture, where the blues archive began as the brainchild of the center's first director, William Ferris. The magazine's spring 1984 issue stated: "This archive will be the finest of its kind anywhere in the world, and its resources will be available to all blues scholars and researchers."
Founded by the center, the archive resided with the music library in Farley Hall for nearly two decades before merging with the library in 2002. It comprises more than 60,000 audio recordings, ranging from wax cylinders to compact discs; more than 20,000 photographs; at least 7,000 books, magazines and newsletters; 900 video recordings; and many collections of manuscripts, posters and ephemera.
Ted Ownby, CSSC director, sees the archive as an important part of Southern culture and in line with the center's mission.
"Through his own work and his encouragement of Living Blues magazine and the archive, William Ferris worked to establish the University of Mississippi as a place to study the blues," Ownby said. "Today, the Blues Archive, along with 'Highway 61' radio show and the publication of Living Blues, gives the university a central role in documenting and studying the blues."
The archive continues to expand with the donation of new collections, such as the recently acquired Sid Graves Collection of materials related to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale and the David Hinckley Collection of 300 78-rpm records.
University-sponsored academic interest in the blues can be traced as far back as 1907; however, in-depth study of the blues began in 1977 with the center's founding. CSSC offers courses in blues music, history and culture; publishes Living Blues magazine; and co-hosts the annual "Blues Today: A Living Blues Symposium."
"This exhibition is a tribute to all those who have helped further the field of blues scholarship at the University of Mississippi through teaching, writing and producing films and radio programs," Johnson said.
For more information about the J.D. Williams Library, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-5858.
To learn more about the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/.
RSS