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 Paul Freeman Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Paul Freeman was a conductor, composer, and founder of the Chicago Sinfonietta. The collection contains conductor scores, recordings, and other materials related to his conducting performances with the Chicago Sinfonietta and other orchestras.
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Guide to the Paul Robeson Centennial Project Records
Columbia College Chicago
These records chronicle the Chicago centennial project in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paul Robeson, actor, athlete, singer, and activist, headquartered at Columbia College Chicago; one of many such local committees who came together globally.
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Guide to the Reginald L. Davenport House Music Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Reginald L Davenport came of age to the sound of hot mixing Chicago radio DJs during the 1980s and he carried his love of house music to the United Kingdom when he left home to serve in the armed forces abroad, DJ’ing around England when he wasn’t on base. The collection contains flyers primarily from the United Kingdom of house music venues in which he DJ’ed, tapes of his mixes, and documents related to his work.
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Guide to the Richard E. Stamz Collection
Columbia College Chicago
Richard E. Stamz was a broadcast pioneer and active member of Chicago’s Englewood community. His 1950s radio show on WGES, “Open the Door, Richard,” helped promote and popularize urban black musical genres such as soul, blues, and gospel, and was an outlet for advertisers to reach African American audiences. The collection includes material from his broadcasting career, his involvement in the Englewood community, and his personal life.
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Guide to the R. Nathaniel Dett Club Records
Columbia College Chicago
The R. Nathaniel Dett Club Records contain the administrative records of this Chicago branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) including bylaws, constitutions, minutes and agendas and also, programs from concerts and other events.