Manuscript Collection
JOHN
S. MITCHELL COLLECTION OF 03-023
Sound Recordings, Sheet Music, Books
Physical Description:
1,413 Sound recordings
589 pieces
of Sheet music
24 Books,
1 film
22 Performance
posters
Dates:
1851- 1992 (bulk 1900-1950)
Provenance:
Donated by John S. Mitchell to the Center for
Popular Music in April 2004 and July 2004.
Over the course of ten years, John S. Mitchell
acquired the collection through mail auction listings, Internet auction sites
such as Ebay, collecting magazines, and dealers. He
began collecting 78 rpm sound recordings in 1992, then moved toward
concentrating on Tennessee sound recordings in late 1993, specifically those
with Tennessee in theme or song title. He compiled a database of Tennessee 78
rpm sound recordings for reference, which is published as A
song for you in Tennessee / by John S. Mitchell, 1995, a discography of 468
songs. Mr. Mitchell began collecting sheet music in late 1996 and ceased collecting
in 2003.
Agency History/biographical
sketch:
John S. Mitchell was born December 1, 1969 in
Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Millington Central High School, graduating in
1988, and received a BS from Tennessee Tech University in 1993. His professional
work includes Administrator of the Cookeville Depot Museum from 1997-99 and
Education Coordinator, Chattanooga Regional History Museum, 2000-2001.
Presently he is a teacher with the Hamilton County Department of Education. Mr.
Mitchell is a member of the Tennessee Folklore Society, Tennessee Geographic
Alliance, Tennessee Council for Social Studies, The Tennessee Tech University
History Club, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. He currently
resides in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee with his wife, Cami,
and son, Samuel.
Scope and content:
The John S. Mitchell Collection of Tennessee Music
chronicles the people and events of Tennessee history by focusing on how
Tennessee is thematically represented in music. This collection documents
artists significant in the development of popular music in Tennessee as well as
how Tennessee has shaped popular music.
The John S. Mitchell Collection of Tennessee Music
consists of sound recordings, sheet music, song books, and other music-related
materials with a Tennessee theme. The majority of the sound recordings and
sheet music either have a title that refers to Tennessee or the subject matter
of the music pertains to Tennessee. The collection was compiled by
concentrating on a systematic overview of Tennessee history. It begins with
Tennessee’s earliest history and becoming a state, then
proceeds to the Civil War. The state’s Centennial in 1896 follows through
Vaudeville and the turn of the 20th century. The romanticized notion
of the South and Tennessee are thematically represented in the music, as well
as vernacular or regional genres such as blues and jazz. Other major themes
include representatives of people significant in the formation of popular music
from Tennessee such as Bessie Smith and Jimmie Rogers. Geographic
representations abound, along with other recurrent themes such as campaign
songs, rivers, railroads, political figures, and other famous people from
Tennessee.
Sound recordings make up the majority of the
collection, including 78 rpm, 45 rpm, 33 1/3 rpm, cylinders, a souvenir post
card with sound advertisement, and three compact discs. The 78 rpm records
include such titles as Tennessee Waltz, Beale Street Blues, Sunny Tennessee,
Chattanooga Choo Choo, On
Top of Old Smokey, and Memphis Blues. Artists include Gene Autry, DeFord Bailey, Owen Bradley, Fiddlin’
John Carson, Delmore Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford,
and many others. Dates of the 78 rpm sound recordings range from
1905-1959. “Carry Me Back to Tennessee”
recorded by Carrol C.Clark,
a black minstrel performer from Columbia, Tennessee in 1910 and one of the
earliest recorded Tennessee songs, was cited as one of the collector’s
important pieces. The sheet music for this song is also found in the
collection.
The 45 rpm sound recordings (352 total)
include recordings by Eddy Arnold, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Red
Foley, and Dolly Parton. Dates range from 1955-1993.
The sheet music portion of the collection
corresponds to most of the major music genres, including waltz, blues, ragtime,
country, folk, ballads, instrumental, rock and roll. Sheet music titles,
lyrics, and imprints represent major Tennessee cities of Memphis, Nashville,
Chattanooga, and Knoxville. Dates range from 1851 to 1992. Titles and themes
include Davy Crockett, Casey Jones, College alma
matters, Civil War, love songs, dances, and rivers. About 18% of the sheet
music pieces have a Tennessee imprint.
Advertising posters of movies and performances about
Tennessee are included in the collection. Other music-related items within the
collection are a film titled “Memphis Blues,” a key from the O.K. Hauck Piano
Company in Memphis, The Cincinnati Enquirer containing an article about Edison's phonograph
machine, and a map of Tennessee musicians.
Subgroup
One: Scopes Trial
A noteworthy subgroup of the Mitchell Tennessee
music collection consists of songs relating to the famous Scopes trial of 1925
in Dayton, Tennessee. [The teaching of
evolution was tested in court, with John Scopes, a high school biology teacher
charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution.] Various songs and recordings were made
before, during, and after the trial focusing on the trial and people involved,
the theory of evolution, and the controversy surrounding it. Mr. Mitchell
collected songs with "evolution" in the title, represented in the
lyrics, as well as thematic spin-offs, such as "You Can't Make a Monkey Out of Me."
Formats included in this subgroup are sound
recordings (mostly 78rpm), sheet music, and books. Sheet music titles include
"Darwin's Monkey Trot," "Evolution," and "Don't Monkey
with Evolution," all copyrighted 1925. "Evolution (or the Darwinian theory)," copyrighted 1885, "Evolution March"
from 1902, and "Too Thin (or Darwin's little joke)" from 1874 are
among the earlier pieces. Sound recording titles relating
to the Scopes trial from 1925 include "The Death of William Jennings
Bryan," recorded by Charlie Oaks on the Vocalion
label, "Evolution Blues," recorded by Doc Dasher on Columbia, and the
same title recorded by Hill's Blue Devils on Gennett.
"The John T. Scopes Trial" is represented in recordings by both
Charlie Oaks and Vernon Dalhart on various separate labels. (See
separate list of Scopes materials.)
Location:
Materials of each format have been interfiled in the
suitable Center for Popular Music collection category. The sheet music is
cataloged in the Center’s InMagic
database and accessible through the website and in-house systems. The original
sheet music pieces are housed with the other sheet music collections on the
mezzanine of the collections storage area by catalog number (TENN). Many of the
sound recordings have been cataloged and available in the Center's in-house
sound recording database. The actual sound recordings(including
the cylinders) are filed in the collections storage area according to format.
The song books have been cataloged and are searchable through the Rare book category of the InMagic
database. They are filed with other rare books on the mezzanine by catalog
number. Performance documents are cataloged and searchable in the InMagic catalog and are housed in
the Performance section of the storage area and in the extra-large metal
cabinet by catalog number. Other materials are stored in the Manuscript and Artifact
sections of the mezzanine and in the oversize Manuscript box (see itemized list
below).
Related Materials:
The Center for Popular Music holds other Tennessee
sheet music, sound recordings, song books, and performance documents. These include items with a Tennessee theme,
title, artist, and/or imprint. The sheet music may be searched through the InMagic database online and in-house Sound recordings are searchable
through the InMagic in-house catalog and MTSU Walker
Library catalog, but not all titles have been cataloged, and will require a
record label and issue number. Song books may also be searched in-house and
online through the Center's website. Performance documents are searchable
through the InMagic in-house
catalog.
LPC 11/04
Folder/box list:
MANUSCRIPTS:
Box # 1
[1] 1 Miscellaneous Manuscripts
One
notebook of receipts compiled by John S. Mitchell
MANUSCRIPTS
(Oversize): (located in oversize box opposite
Performance section)
Box # OVERSIZE Description
Announcement
from Billboard, March 6, 1982 for “Rocky Top” as Official State Song of
Tennessee.
Newspaper -
The Cincinnati Enquirer, May 31, 1878 (Edison
Phonograph p.4)
Map of
Tennessee musicians (photocopy)
ARTIFACTS
Box # Description
[1] Key:
“O. K. Houck Piano Co. Key to Memphis”
Post card with audio: “Souvenir Record of Rock City Gardens”
Film: “Memphis Blues.” Jerri Sullavan. Official Films.
(16mm.
Sound film with optical sound track)
Book - Evolution:
A Fantasy by Landon Smith, 1909.
CYLINDERS
641 Song. Much Obliged to You. Collins.
5059 The John T. Scopes Trial. V. Dalhart & Co.
2881 The Memphis Blues – Fox Trot. N. P. Band.
8844 Down Tennessee. Orchestra.
695 Tennessee Tessie. Quartette.
450 Casey Jones.
(Eddie Neuton) Comic Song. Murray & Chorus.
3423 For You and Tennessee. The
Harmony Four.
1026 Overture Zampa, Band.
10467 In Dear
Old Tennessee. (Harry L. Newman) Soprano. Elizabeth
Spencer.
2314 Celebratin’ Day in Tennessee.
Collins & Harlan.