Physical description:

4 digital audio tape cassettes (TCD-0160A/D)

18 5x7 black and white photographs
 

Dates:

14-15 February 1992. 22 February 1992. 28 March 1992.
 

Provenance:

The audio tapes were made by Center audio specialist Bruce Nemerov, Tom Jimison, and Gary Ingle at Middle Tennessee State University 14-15 February 1992 and 28 March 1992 The photographs were taken by Robert Cogswell, Tennessee state folklorist.
 

Biographical sketch:

The Four Eagles Gospel Singers was formed in 1941 at the U.S. Steel plant in Fairfield Alabama. Although some personnel changes have occurred since 1941 the group is still considered one of the finest black a cappella groups in the country.
 

Scope and content:

The Four Eagles appeared in concert at the music hall of Wright Music Building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro TN on 14 February 1992. This concert was sponsored by the Center for Popular Music as part of the University's celebration of Black History Month.

These tapes contain a recording of that concert made by Tom Jimison; an off-air recording of a radio program on Alabama gospel singers featuring the Four Eagles which aired 22 February 1992 on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered"; and performances recorded in the studio of the Center for Popular Music 15 February and 28 March 1992. Selected takes from these two sessions were later issued by Global Village as Traditional Gospel Quartet Singing from Alabama (C 227).

A log of the songs performed during the 14 February concert; a log of the 15 February and 28 March sessions prepared by Center audio archivist Bruce Nemerov, who served as engineer for the sessions, annotated to indicate quality of various takes; a log of the 15 February session prepared by Douglas Seroff, who produced the commercial recording for Global Village, annotated to show which takes were used in the final recording; and a press release produced by NPR describing the 22 February radio program follow.
 

Related material:

The audio tape issued by Global Village (C 227)for which selections from these tapes were used is filed by label and issue number with other commercial cassettes.
 

Location:

These audio tapes are filed first by format, then by tape number in the audio visual archives. The photographs are filed in the biographical iconographic file under Four Eagles.