THE CENTER FOR
POPULAR MUSIC, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY,
MURFREESBORO,
TN
TOM
MORGAN COLLECTION 09-015
Creator:
Morgan,
Tom
Type of Material:
Manuscript
Materials, Photographs, Performance Documents, Artifact
Physical Description:
12 boxes,
including contact lists, performance flyers and resources, sheet music,
newspaper clippings, Tom Morgan’s career and performance documents, oversized
articles, artifacts, photographs, contracts, and correspondence.
Dates:
circa 1970-2010
Abstract (Descriptive Summary):
This is a
collection of mostly papers and photographs related to Tom Morgan and his career.
It also includes resources about renowned country and bluegrass artists whom
Tom Morgan worked with and knew.
Access/Restrictions:
The collection
is open for research use. All materials
in this collection are subject to standard national and international copyright
laws. Center staff are able to assist with copyright questions for this
material.
Provenance and Acquisition
Information:
Tom
Morgan, local bluegrass musician and luthier, gave the material in this
collection to the Center for Popular Music in multiple installments, beginning
in 2009. Accession numbers for Mr. Morgan’s collection include: 09-015, 12-018,
14-031, 14-035, 14-049, 14-066, 15-001, 15-011, 15-039, and 15-040.
Subjects/Index Terms:
Fiddling--Southern
States
Old-time
music
Old-time
music—Tennessee
Fiddler's
Convention
Fiddling—Competitions
Banjo
Guitar
Mandolin
Fiddle
Folklife Festival – Smithsonian
Chattanooga
Audubon Society
Chattanooga
Historical Society
Chattanooga
(Tenn.)
SIEM
Bluegrass
Country
and western music
Luthiers
Tennessee
Bluegrass
unlimited--Indexes.
Tennessee
Banjo Institute
Agency History/Biographical Sketch:
Pioneer bluegrass musician, luthier, and educator, Tom Morgan, was born in Morgan Springs, Tennessee on April 19, 1932. He became interested in country music early in life and was deeply influenced by family members, as well as by musical friends and neighbors, such as banjo player Ed Cullis. Throughout his childhood, Morgan continued his efforts to play and sing while he absorbed country music and bluegrass through the many radio shows that appeared on stations such as WDOD, WDXB, and the well-known Grand Ole Opry on WSM.
In 1950, Morgan enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While in that city, he began learning to play the upright bass and guitar, crossing paths with many veteran country musicians and radio personalities such as Lowell Blanchard and Cas Walker. Following his university studies, Tom enlisted in the Air Force. After brief postings in Texas and New York, he was assigned to duty in Washington D.C., which was, at that time, a major hub of activity in the bluegrass music scene.
Mr. Morgan became an important figure in the Washington D.C. bluegrass community during the peak of its creative contributions to that style. While based in the D.C. area, Tom performed with bluegrass legends Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, The Country Gentlemen, Red Allen & Frank Wakefield, Bernarr “Buzz” Busby, Bill Harrell, Mike Seeger, Hazel Dickens, and Alice Gerrard. He worked with and inspired other now-legendary musicians such as David Grisman, Bill Keith, and the Seldom Scene. During this time, Tom began to “build, repair or embellish” the guitars, mandolins, and banjos that were favored by bluegrass musicians. He was a significant early practitioner of this art and trade, now an important part of bluegrass culture.
Morgan left the Washington D.C. area when he retired from the Air Force in 1972 and returned to Tennessee where he settled down on family land in Morgan Springs. Back in Tennessee, he continued his work as a luthier and continued to perform in a family bluegrass band that included his beloved wife, Mary (d. 1993) and their two sons. In 1977, Tom added legendary fiddler, Curly Fox, to his band. This allowed Fox to keep his performance career alive for a significant period. During this productive time, Tom and his family recorded LPs for the Davis Unlimited and Folkways labels and organized the Chattanooga Area Friends of Folk Music.
As of 2016, Tom is still an active booster for traditional music and arts in Tennessee. He and his current musical partner, Lynne Haas, work as educators and performers to share their love and knowledge about traditional music with listeners of all ages at countless shows throughout the state. In 2015, the Center for Popular Music reissued the album, Music from Morgan Springs, on their Spring Fed Records label.
Scope and Content:
This collection
contains contact lists, photographs, information related to Tom Morgan’s career
and personal folders, correspondence, a railroad spike, folders (in
alphabetical order by last name) with materials related to renowned bluegrass
and country artists and bands, performance flyers, festival and fair programs,
contracts, information on workshops, and subject folders. Dates range between
the late 1970s and early 2010s.
The
collection includes sound recordings, videos, serials, performance documents,
photographs, books, and trade catalogs that have been removed from the
Manuscript Collection and cataloged separately.
This collection
also contains 472 digital files of scanned materials, including scanned
photographs from Tom Morgan’s personal scrapbooks.
Collection Contents (Folder/Box List):
Box # Folder
# Description
Box
1: Tom Morgan Career: business and performance
contracts, contacts, correspondences,
awards
Folder 1 Tom Morgan – photos
Folder
2 Tom
Morgan career
Folder
3 Reviews
of “Red Allen & Frank Wakefield: The WDON
Recordings 1963”
Folder 4 Tom Morgan –
performance
Folder 5 Hillbrook
Recreation Bluegrass Reunion
Folder 6 Tusculum College Old
Oak – Contract and performances
Folder 7 Ozark Center performances
Folder 8 Contracts
Folder 9 Morgan Company
Folder 10 Tom Morgan – Luthier
Folder 11 Charity
Folder 12 Tennessee Committee for
the Humanities
Folder 13 Tributes and Awards
Folder 14 Folklife
Heritage Award Nominee
Folder 15 Order of Kentucky
Colonels
Folder 16 Correspondence
Folder 17 Correspondence –
European clients
Folder 18 Contacts
Box 2: Tom Morgan Personal Files/Family & Friends
Folder 1 Personal: Silhouette,
Newspaper clippings
Folder 2 Biographies, Family
histories
Folder 3 Scott
Morgan
Folder 4 Bill Foshag
Box
3: Subjects (Alphabetically) Variety of subjects including
guitar, mandolin, song history
Folder
1 Appalachia
Folder
2 Banjo
Folder
3 Banjos
in Japan (1/2)
Folder
4 Banjos
in Japan (2/2)
Folder
5 Bluegrass
music: definition, etc.
Folder
6 Chattanooga,
Tennessee
Folder
7 Country
music: definition, etc.
Folder
8 Folklorists
Folder
9 Guitars
Folder
10 Historic
Rugby
Folder
11 Luthier
Folder
12 Sacred
Harp
Folder
13 Scopes
Trial history
Folder
14 Shape
Note Singing
Folder
15 Sheet
music: instrumental/vocal parts
Box
4: Subjects (Alphabetically)
Folder
1 Song
history
Folder
2 Miscellaneous:
photocopied images
Folder
3 Miscellaneous
papers
Box 5: Fairs, Festivals, Reunions Fairs, Festivals, Tennessee
Homecoming
Folder 1 Appalachian Christmas
Folder 2 Appalachian River
Reunion
Folder 3 Audubon Fiddle
Festival
Folder 4 Bear
on the Square Mountain Festival
Folder 5 Bluegrass Festivals
(assorted)
Folder 6 Bluegrass Strawberry
Festival
Folder 7 Cave Spring Arts
Festival
Folder
8 Cherokee
Indian Heritage & Sandhill Crane Viewing
Days
Folder
9 Coke
Ovens Bluegrass Festival
Folder
10 Coker
Country Fair
Folder
11 Color
Cruise Festival
Folder
12 Expo
1982: World’s Fair Folklife Festival
Folder
13 Fall Arts & Crafts Festival:
Ersie’s Needle & Thread
Folder
14 Fan
Fair Family Reunion
Box
6: Fairs, Festivals, Reunions
Folder
1 Grand
Master’s Fiddle Contest
Folder
2 Jubilee
Festival
Folder
3 Lookout
Valley Folk Festival
Folder
4 Mountain
Makins’ Festival
Folder
5 Morgan
Springs Homecoming 1987
Folder
6 National
Folk Festival, Chattanooga, TN
Folder
7 National
Folk Festival/NCTA
Folder
8 Newport
Folk Festival
Folder
9 Ochlockonee River Bluegrass and Folk Music Festival
Folder
10 Old
Time Music Day: Hendersonville Arts Council
Folder
11 Opryland
Crafts – Country America Lifestyles Festival
Folder
12 Pickin’ Waterloo Bluegrass Festival
Folder
13 Riverbend
Festival
Folder
14 Scopes
Trial Festival & Plays
Folder
15 Slagle’s
Pasture Bluegrass Festival
Folder
16 Smithsonian
Institution Folklife Festival
Folder
17 Soil
Conservation Awards Banquet
Folder
18 Southern
Folk Festival
Folder
19 Stones
River Crafts Fair
Folder
20 Tennessee
Banjo Institute
Folder
21 Tennessee
Homecoming
Folder
22 “Tennessee
Valley Adventures,” Barges & 50th Anniversary Celebration
Folder
23 TN
Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention
Folder
24 Three
Rivers Art Festival
Folder
25 Uncle
Dave Macon Days
Folder
26 Festivals
& Fairs (miscellaneous)
Box
7: Organizations (Alphabetically) Organizations Tom was involved in, had
interest in, or performed for
Folder
1 Allied
Arts of Chattanooga
Folder
2 American
Diabetes Association
Folder
3 The American Woodworker
Folder
4 Audubon
Society
Folder
5 Aunt
Lou’s Family Restaurant
Folder
6 Berea
College
Folder
7 Bill
Wills Arts Council
Folder
8 Bluegrass
Unlimited
Folder
9 Center
for Southern Folklore
Folder
10 Center
for Traditional Music
Folder
11 Chattanooga
Area Friends of Folk Music (CAFFM)
Folder
12 Chattanooga
Downtown Partnership
Folder
13 Chattanooga
Recreation Center
Folder
14 Chattanooga
Regional History Museum
Folder
15 Chattanooga
Visitors Center
Folder
16 Chickamauga
Battlefield Friends of the Park
Folder
17 Copper
Creek Records
Folder
18 Cumberland
County Playhouse
Folder
19 Cumberland
Trails Project
Folder
20 Design
for Arts in Education
Folder
21 Dixie
Frets
Folder
22 Dollywood
Folder
23 Elf
Records
Folder
24 Folklife Center of the Smokies
Folder 25 Folk School of
Chattanooga
Folder 26 Folkways Album
Folder 27 Folkways Center of the
Georgia Mountains
Folder 28 Ganns
Middle Valley Elementary School
Folder 29 Gibson Banjo
Folder 30 Grand Ole Opry
Folder 31 Holly Theater
Folder 32 Hunter Museum of Art
Folder 33 International
Bluegrass Music Association
Folder 34 International Bluegrass Music
Museum
Folder 35 Jack Wingate’s Fishing
Lodge
Folder 36 John C. Campbell Folk
School
Folder 37 John Edwards Memorial
Foundation
Folder 38 Kiuka
Kountry Music & Krafts
Fair
Folder 39 Library of Congress:
Archive of Folk Songs
Folder 40 Midday
Merry Go Round Reunion
Folder 41 Mountain Music Shows
Folder 42 Mountain Opry
Folder 43 Museum of the Appalachia
Folder 44 Old Time Music and Dance
Foundation
Folder 45 The
Original Old Time Music Show
Folder 46 Real People’s Music
Folder 47 Rebel Recording Company
Folder 48 Renfro Valley, Kentucky
Folder 49 Rhea Arts Council
Folder 50 Roadside Theater
Folder 51 Shuptrine,
Hubert
Folder 52 Sierra/Briar Records
Folder 53 Smithsonian Folkways
Folder 54 Southeast Institute for Education
in Music (SIEM)
Folder 55 SIEM manual information
1
Folder 56 SIEM manual information 2
Folder 57 SIEM manual information 3
Folder 58 SIEM manual information 4
Folder 59 SIEM manual information 5
Folder 60 SIEM manual information 6
Folder 61 SIEM manual information 7
Folder 62 SIEM manual information 8
Folder 63 SIEM manual information 9
Folder 64 SIEM manual information 10
Folder 65 SIEM manual information 11
Folder 66 SIEM manual information 12
Folder 67 SIEM manual information 13“Aesthetics
of Art”
Folder 68 SIEM manual information 14
Folder 69 Southern Folk Cultural
Revival Project, Inc.
Box
8: Organizations (Continued)
Folder 1 Sonyatone
Records
Folder 2 The
Tennessean, “The People & their Land”
Folder 3 Tennessee Artist and
Craftsmen Association
Folder 4 Tennessee Arts
Commission
Folder 5 Tennessee Aquarium
Folder 6 Tennessee Folklore
Society
Folder 7 Tennessee Wesleyan
College
Folder 8 Tennvale
Records
Folder 9 United Way – Rhea
County
Folder 10 The
Wiggins Memorial Fund
Folder 11 Wolf Trap Farm Park for
the Performing Arts
Box
9: Musicians & Bands Alphabetical listings by last name,
first name
Folder 1 Acuff, Roy
Folder 2 Adcock, Eddie &
Martha
Folder 3 Adkins, Tom
Folder 4 Allen, Harley “Red”
Folder 5 Atkins, Chet
Folder 6 Austin, Judy
Folder 7 Bailes
Brothers
Folder 8 Bailey Brothers &
the Morgans
Folder 9 Baker, Sandra
Folder 10 Ball, Patrick
Folder 11 Blake, Norman &
Nancy
Folder 12 Boosinger,
Laura
Folder 13 Bowen, Robin Huw
Folder 14 Brewer, Carl
Folder 15 Bright, Fletcher
Folder 16 Brown, Ed
Folder 17 Bryson, Wally
Folder 18 Burke, Susie
Folder 19 Burns, Jethro
Folder 20 Busby, Buzz
Folder 21 Campbell, Phil
Folder 22 Cantrell,
Al & Emily
Folder 23 Carawan, Guy, Candy,
& Evan
Folder 24 Carmack,
Richard
Folder 25 Carol, Bonnie
Folder 26 Carter, Bill
Folder 27 Carter Family
Folder 28 Cas Walker Show
Folder 29 Case Brothers
Folder 30 Champion, Paul
Folder 31 Citigo
Folder 32 Clements, Vassar
Folder 33 Clements, Zeke
Folder 34 Clifton, Bill
Folder 35 Cline, Charlie “Lonesome
Pine Fiddlers”
Folder 36 Cluster Pluckers
Folder 37 Coe, Pete
Folder 38 Cole, Jack
Folder 39 Connally,
John
Folder 40 Connor, Jim
Folder 41 Cooper, Jim
Folder 42 Cotten,
Libba
Folder 43 The
Country Gentlemen
Folder 44 Cousin Wilbur &
Blondie Brooks
Folder 45 Critton
Hollow
Folder 46 Cullis,
Ed
Folder 47 Culver, Joe
Folder 48 Dautry, Jim
Folder 49 Davis, Buddy
Folder 50 Davis, Stephen
Folder 51 Dawson, Zeke
Folder 52 Days, Reginald “Reggie”
Folder 53 Delmore
Brothers
Folder 54 Dismembered Tennesseeans
Folder 55 Douglas, Bob
Folder 56 Dow, Nick
Folder 57 Duer,
Shirley
Folder 58 Dula,
Tom
Folder 59 Dunton
Sisters
Folder 60 Emerson, Bill &
Kelly
Folder 61 Erbsen, Wayne
Folder 62 Espinola,
Tom
Folder 63 Faircloth, Charles
“Peanut”
Folder 64 Fiddlers Grove
Folder 65 Fink, Cathy
Folder 66 Flatt & Scruggs
Folder 67 Foote, Tom
Folder 68 Foster Family
Folder 69 Fox, Curly
Folder 70 Foxfire/Eliot Wigginton
Folder 71 Franks, Randall
Folder 72 Freundlich,
Susan – sign language artist
Folder 73 Gerrard, Alice &
Hazel Dickens
Folder 74 Goins, Meredith
Folder 75 Grier, Lamar
Folder 76 Grisman,
David
Folder 77 Guthrie, Arlo
Folder 78 Haden, Darrell “Singing
Professor”
Folder 79 Haggard, Merle
Folder 80 Hall, Dixie & Tom
Folder 81 Hambly,
Scott
Folder 82 Harmony Sisters
Folder 83 Harrell, Bill
Folder 84 Hartford, John
Folder 85 Heart & Hands
Folder 86 Henry, Red & Murphy
Folder 87 Hicks, Curtis
Folder 88 Holt, David
Folder 89 Hoover, Elmer
Folder 90 Hunt, Raymond
Folder 91 Jones,
Tom & Angel Newell
Folder 92 Keith, Bill
Folder 93 Kling, Marcia
Folder 94 Krise,
Speedy
Folder 95 Lewis Family
Folder 96 Longworth, Mike &
Paul Hopkins
Folder 97 Louvin
Brothers
Folder 98 Lucas, Randy
Folder
99 Lundy,
Ted, Bob Paisley & Southern Mt. Boys
Folder 100 Maple on the Hill
Folder 101 Marc Pruett Band
Folder 102 Martin, Jimmy
Folder 103 McConnell, Doc
Folder 104 McCoury,
Del
Folder 105 McCutcheon, John
Folder 106 McGinley, Danny
Folder 107 McNeil, Maddie
Folder 108 McReynolds, Jim &
Jesse
Folder 109 Monroe, Bill
Folder 110 O’Connor, Mark
Folder 111 O’Day,
Molly & Skeets Williamson
Folder 112 Osborne Brothers
Folder 113 Pickett, Otis
Folder 114 Pinion, Thomas “Boxcar”
Folder 115 Poole, Charlie
Folder 116 Puckett, Riley
Folder 117 Rager,
Mose & Laverda
Folder 118 Ragtime Millionaires –
Scott & Mark
Folder 119 Ramona Jones & Grandpa
Folder 120 Rector, “Red” William
Folder 121 Red Clay Ramblers
Folder 122 Red
River Dave McEnery
Folder
123 Reno,
Don and Red Smiley
Folder
124 Rita
& Rufus
Box
10 : Musicians
& Bands (Continued)
Folder 1 Roberts,
Dalton
Folder 2 Rodgers, Jimmie
Folder 3 Rogers, James
Folder 4 Rogers,
Sally
Folder 5 Rogers, Will
Folder 6 Rousseau, Bernie
Folder 7 Rucker, Sparky
Folder 8 Russell, Keith
Folder 9 Sarrell,
Andrew & Don
Folder 10 Sawtooth
Mountain Boys
Folder 11 Seeger, Mike, Pete &
Peggy
Folder 12 Shelton, Allen
Folder 13 Siminoff,
Roger
Folder 14 Skaggs, Ricky
Folder 15 Smith, Betty
Folder 16 Smith, Kennett
Folder 17 Sparks, Larry “Lonesome
Ramblers”
Folder 18 Spring,
Sally
Folder 19 Stanley Brothers
Folder 20 Star, Orrin
Folder 21 Stonemans
Folder 22 Story, Carl
Folder 23 Striker,
Arthur “Art”
Folder 24 Sturgills
Folder 25 Tack, Bob & Mary
Folder 26 Joe Taylor Family (Taylor,
Joe)
Folder 27 Thomas, Tommy & Bonnie
Jean
Folder 28 Thompson, Luke
Folder 29 Tillman, Max
Folder 30 Tottle,
Jack
Folder 31 Turner, Grant
Folder 32 “Utah” Phillips
Folder 33 Van Der Puy, Mark
Folder 34 Vernon, Bill
Folder 35 Wakefield, Frank
Folder 36 Watson, Arthel “Doc”
Folder 37 Wernick,
Peter
Folder 38 West, Harry & Jeanie
Folder 39 White, Clarence
Folder 40 Williams, Benny
Folder 41 Williams, Doc & Chickie
Folder 42 Wills, Bob
Folder 43 Wiseman, Mac
Folder 44 Witt, Elise
Folder 45 Wolfe, Charles
Folder 46 York, Alvin C.
Folder 47 Miscellaneous
artists/groups
Box
11: Oversized Oversized manuscripts containing
performers, subjects, newspapers, etc.
Box
12: Artifacts Railroad spike from near the Carter
Family home
Buddy
Davis’ pair of glasses
Materials
Cataloged Separately:
Per Center
policy, certain formats are filed and cataloged separately for accessibility. Examples
of these materials from this collection include sound recordings, videos,
serials, performance documents, photographs, trade catalogs, and books. [For a complete list of separated materials,
please contact the archivist at rachel.morris@mtsu.edu.]
Arrangement:
Unless
otherwise noted in the folder and box list, the arrangement scheme for the
collection was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original
order. Digital files are located on the CPM server, organized by accession
number.
Location:
These
materials are located among the manuscripts arranged in twelve boxes by
accession number. Folders are listed alphabetically and by subject.
Related Materials:
Other
related materials in the CPM collection include the Bill Harrison Collection,
Lance LeRoy Collection, a collection of videos and
photographs related to Bill Monroe, Tennessee Banjo Institute Collection, Tennessee
Banjo Institute Records and photographs, TN Valley Old Time Fiddlers
Competition, Tennessee Old Time Fiddlers Convention, and Uncle Dave Macon Days collections.
Processed
by Emily Boersma, March 2016.
Updated by
Emily Boersma, November 2016.