The Center for Black Music Research Collection contains materials that reflect many areas of Black music including collections from composers, ethnomusicologists, music researchers, music journalists, and also scores, published music, and audiovisual collections across all genres. These collection guides, or finding aids, provide access to materials held in archival special collections. The guide describes the organization and offers content information so researchers can discover relevant information.
Many musical works listed in these guides are handwritten; those listed with a publisher's name are printed. Please check the guides for more information.
Additional guides will be added as they are completed..
Please contact archives@colum.edu with questions.
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Guide to the Sue Cassidy Clark Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Sue Cassidy Clark is a music journalist and photographer who specialized in soul, gospel, and rock music in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the collection contains her recorded interviews, interview transcripts, and other research materials for her interviews of the musical pioneers she interviewed.
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Guide to the Talib Rasul Hakim Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Talib Rasul Hakim, born Stephen Alexander Chambers, was an educator, musician, and composer. The collection contains his early scores and performance notes about his compositions, as well as recordings and research notes.
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Guide to the Theodore Charles Stone Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Theodore Charles Stone was a Chicago-based opera singer and journalist who served as president of both the National Association of Negro Musicians and Chicago Music Association. The collection provides insight into the African American operatic music scene throughout the 20th century.
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Guide to the Wendell Wright Collection
Columbia College Chicago
The Wendell G. Wright Collection consists primarily of materials relating to the Lois J. Wright Memorial Concert Series as well as programs and correspondence. Also included are several published musical scores by Black composers and manuscript and facsimile manuscripts of Gerald Burks Wilson.
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Guide to the William A. Brown Collection
Columbia College Chicago
William A. Brown was a founding member of the Center for Black Music Repertory Ensemble and a Distinguished Professor of Voice at the University of North Florida. He was a tenor and a recitalist and his collection includes concert programs, promotional materials, photographs, correspondence, and media chronicling his career.