Blues (Archives): Home

While materials useful to blues research are available in the main stacks and databases of the J. D. Williams Library, the richest collection of materials can be found in the library's Blues Archive.

The Blues Archive at the University of Mississippi acquires and preserves blues and blues-related materials in a variety of formats. With over 100,000 sound recordings, in most audio formats; over 300,000 photographs; more than 3,000 videos; over 6,000 books, periodicals and newsletters; and numerous manuscripts and ephemera, the Blues Archive houses one of the largest collections of blues recordings, publications, and memorabilia in the world.

Established in 1984, the Blues Archive serves not only students and faculty within the University of Mississippi, but researchers worldwide. This non-circulating collection is located within Archives and Special Collections on the third floor of the John Davis Williams Library. The Archive is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, except during select University holidays.

Research Collections

Benny Andrews Collection
The Benny Andrews Collection contains exhibit posters, catalogs, brochures, postcards, posters, and news clippings related to the visual artist Benny Andrews.
William Barlow Collection
This collection contains photocopies of William Barlow's early typescripts for "Voices from the Heartland: A Cultural History of the Blues," Ph.D. Dissertation and his book Looking Up at Down.
Blues Clothing Collection
Collection of blues-themed shirts, hats, and jackets sampling official blues festival, concert, and world tour clothing merchandise in the 1980s and 1990s.
Blues Photograph Collection
The Blues Archive houses a large number of blues-related photographs. Taken by a variety of photographers, these images help document the blues from the beginnings of its popularity in the 1920s through today. The photographs highlight performers, festivals, and locations important to the blues.
Blues Poster Collection
Blues and blues-related collection of posters.
Blues Radio Playlists Collection
Blues playlists from various radio stations, primarily in the 1980s.
Field School for Cultural Documentation - North Mississippi Music Project
This collection consists of oral histories regarding music in north Mississippi, with particular emphasis on gospel music.
Thomas “Tom” Freeland, IV Collection
Blues research files, primarily concerned with Robert Johnson
Winne Freyer Collection
This collection consists of photocopied typescripts for Winne Freyer's ongoing works, The VIP's of Black Music and the "Bluz Encyclopedia , 3rd edition" (1986).
Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection
The Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection primarily contains research and audiovisual materials on folk music and folklore from the greater Anglo-Celtic diaspora, as well as materials from various world folk traditions.
Sidney Graves Collection
Sid Graves' personal and business correspondence, photographs, and other materials related to Clarksdale, Mississippi's Carnegie Public Library and Delta Blues Museum. There are also materials about the Mississippi Library Association and Mississippi literary figures.
Roy Greenberg Collection
The collection consists of six audio interviews (on cassette tape) and their transcriptions, along with versions of the interviews that were published as articles in The Aquarian.
Dardanelle Collection
Sound recordings, concert programs, and clippings of Mississippi jazz pianist Dardanelle (Marcia Marie Mullen Hadley).
William E. "Bill" Donoghue Collection
The William E. “Bill” Donoghue Collection mostly contains materials related to the life and music of blues musician Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Harmonica Project
Begun in 1989 by Blues Archive Research Associate Walter Liniger and continued by Research Associate Jonny Miles, the Harmonica Project was an interdisciplinary research effort which attempted to analyze the playing styles, equipment preference, influences, and future of the blues harmonica, or blues harp. The collection consists of correspondence between the Archive and various "blues harpists," several instruments, information sheets on musicians, and cassette tapes of harmonica players.Part of the project consisted of surveying contemporary harmonica players about their playing styles, influences, instruments, etc. The majority of the correspondence in this collection is between Walter Liniger and the various participants in the Harmonica Project.
Sheldon Harris Collection
Collection of recordings, sheet music, photographs and research materials gathered through Sheldon Harris' person collecting and research.
Sandra Lieb Collection
Collection composed of materials pertaining to blues-related projects: a film, Maxwell Street Blues (1980), and a book, Mother of the Blues: A Study of Ma Rainey (University of Massachusetts Press, 1981.) Included are photocopies of research materials about classic blues singer Gertrude "Ma" Rainey (1886 1939), four notebooks of research notes, negatives of illustrations used in the hook, transcriptions of song lyrics, and information concerning copyright registrations and renewals. Also included are taped interviews about Ma Rainey with musicians Clyde Bernhardt, Thomas Dorsey, Sam Chatmon, and Sunnyland Slim.
Walter Lyons Scrapbook
In 1967 Mrs. Walter Lyons wrote letters to a number of her husband’s favorite jazz musicians, asking them to surprise her husband by wishing him happy birthday. This scrapbook contains letters, postcards, and signed photographs extending birthday greetings to Mr. Walter Lyons. Musicians include Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Chuck Mangione, J. J. Johnson, Benny Golson, Sonny Rollins, Phil Woods, Wayne Shorter, and others.
Percy Mayfield Collection
Collection of correspondence, funeral programs, obituaries, photographs, memorabilia, and ephemera related to the life of Percy Mayfield.
Tina Mayfield Collection
Collection of materials related to Percy Mayfield, Lowell Fulson, and Tina Mayfield.
Jas Obrecht Collection
Print and audio interviews by music journalist and editor Jas Obrecht with various Blues musicians.
Barry Lee Pearson Collection
The Barry Lee Pearson Collection contains a copy of the typescript with the working title "The Road is Rough and Rocky: The Lives and Art of Two Virginia Bluesmen." It was later published as Virginia Piedmont blues : the lives and art of two Virginia bluesmen.
Dionizy Piątkowski Collection
Publications and news clippings on Polish blues and jazz written by Dionizy Piatkowski and other Polish writers. Materials are written in Polish.
Record Company Catalog Collection
Collection of blues record company catalogs mostly from the 1980s.
John Richbourg Collection
Collection of recordings, clippings, correspondence and ephemera of WLAC disc jockey John Richbourg.
Jimmie Rodgers Foundation Collection
Documents related to the operation of the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation and Museum
Shape Note Music Collection
The Shape Note Music Collection contains sheet music, singing convention minutes and programs, and other materials related to shape note singing traditions, such as the Sacred Harp.
Bob Shatkin Collection
Collection of audio cassettes and research files on blues harmonica created and compiled by Bob Shatkin, a harmonica player, teacher, and researcher from New York.
Southern Punk Archive
The Southern Punk Archive documents the history of various punk scenes across the American South through a variety of formats.
Guy Sterling Collection
Collection of blues photographs, posters, newsletters, and festival programs, including a number of autographed items.
Subject Files
Collection of news clippings, articles, and ephemeral materials organized by artist, events/festivals, media, organizations, places, and record companies. Inventory available in the Archive.
Trumpet Records Collection
Materials document the life of Lillian Shedd McMurry and the history of the Trumpet Records label.
University of Mississippi Gospel Choir Collection
Materials related to the University of Mississippi Gospel Choir from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
Unpublished Manuscripts and Theses
Unpublished manuscripts, drafts, proofs, theses, and student papers related to blues music.