Restrictions to Access

This collection contains additional materials that are not processed and are currently not available to researchers. For information about access to these materials, contact Research and Instructional Services staff. Please be advised that preparing unprocessed materials for access can be a lengthy process.

Use of audio or moving image materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Access to streaming audio or moving image materials may be restricted to researchers who can authenticate with an ONYEN or who are physically present on campus. For further information about access to streaming audiovisual materials, contact Research and Instructional Services staff at Wilsonlibrary@unc.edu

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law,

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Jack Bernhardt Papers (#20061), Southern Folklife Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Received from Jack Bernhardt, of Durham, N.C., on 11 June 1993 (Acc. 98648), 3 July 2012 (Acc. 101618), and September 2022 (Acc. 20230316.1).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: Steven Weiss.

Encoded by: Steven Weiss.

Revisions: Updated in January 2013 by Danielle Fasig and May 2023 by Kensi Laube and Laura Smith.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Adkins, Trace.
• Bernhardt, Jack.
• Bluegrass music.
• Brady, Rafe.
• Bush, Sam, 1952-
• Carpenter, Mary-Chapin, 1958-
• Clark, Guy.
• Clements, Vassar.
• Coffin, Susanna Clark.
• Conway, Cecelia.
• Country music.
• Crowe, J. D.
• Crowell, Rodney.
• Diller, Dwight.
• Douglas, Jerry, 1956-
• East, Ernest.
• Galax (Va.)--Songs and music.
• Gerrard, Alice, 1934-
• Gill, Vince.
• Gospel music.
• Grisman, David.
• Hartford, John.
• Hicks, Bill (Fiddler).
• Jabbour, Alan.
• Jackson, Alan, 1958-
• Jarrell, Tommy, 1901-1985.
• Johnson, Joe, Uncle.
• Jones, George, 1931-
• Judd, Naomi.
• Judd, Wynnona, 1964-
• Krauss, Alison, 1971-
• Kristofferson, Kris.
• Lawson, Doyle.
• Louvin, Charlie, 1927-2011.
• Loveless, Patty.
• Lynn, Loretta.
• Martin, Jimmy.
• Mattea, Kathy.
• McBride, Martina.
• McCoury, Del, 1939-
• McEntire, Reba.
• McReynolds, Jesse.
• Milnes, Gerry.
• Moffatt, Hugh.
• Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996.
• Mount Airy (N.C.)--Songs and music.
• North Carolina--Songs and music.
• Old-time music.
• Olney, David.
• Radio broadcasters.
• Radio stations.
• Redbone, Leon.
• Reed, Henry.
• Scruggs, Earl.
• Skaggs, Ricky.
• Stuart, Martu.
• Sullivan family.
• Sullivan, Jerry.
• Sullivan, Tammy.
• Thompson, Joe, 1918-2012.
• Thompson, Tommy, 1937-
• Travis, Randy.
• Van Zandt, Townes.
• Vincent, Rhonda.
• Virginia--Songs and music.
• WPAQ (Radio station : Mount Airy, N.C.)
• Watson, Jim, 1947-
• West Virginia--Songs and music.
• Wilson, Gretchen.

Jack Bernhardt was born in Canton, Ohio, on 23 July 1944. As an anthropology student, he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Kent State University. In the mid-1970s, he studied at Columbia University where he received his M.Phil. in anthropology.

Bernhardt's archaeological career includes research on prehistoric settlement patterns in New Mexico and on Ohio Hopewell and Late Woodland cultures. He also led Cultural Research Management projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and New York State.

In January 1980, Bernhardt moved to Chapel Hill, N.C. He had developed a strong interest in country music and playing guitar. He began making trips to Galax, Va., and Mount Airy, N.C., interviewing musicians and recording musical performances. In 1987, he was hired The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C., as its correspondent covering country and traditional music.

In the early 1990s, Bernhardt began coursework in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Curriculum in Folklore, where he studied southern religious traditions. In 1993, he initiated a long-term ethnographic research project, joining bluegrass gospel musicians Jerry and Tammy Sullivan on their tour of small churches in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Bernhardt has contributed to numerous publications, including The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Encyclopedia of Country Music, The Journal of Country Music, Bluegrass Unlimited, The Bluegrass Reader, In the Spirit: Alabama's Sacred Music Traditions, American Indian Quarterly, Caves and Culture, and Pennsylvania Archaeologist.

Jack Bernhardt's collection includes materials on contemporary country artists; the Jerry and Tammy Sullivan Bluegrass Gospel Project; old-time music and musicians; and Uncle Joe Johnson, radio personality at WPAQ in Mount Airy, N.C.

The contemporary country artists materials are interviews conducted by Jack Bernhardt with many of America's leading bluegrass and country music stars, including Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, David Grisman, George Jones, Wynnona Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Kathy Mattea, Jesse McReynolds, Hugh Moffatt, Bill Monroe, David Olney, Leon Redbone, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Joe Thompson, Randy Travis, and Townes Van Zandt.

The Jerry and Tammy Sullivan Bluegrass Gospel Project materials include interviews with Jerry Sullivan, Tammy Sullivan, and other members of the Sullivan family and field recordings of performances by the group in small churches in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Background information on the Sullivan family, photographs of performances, and concert posters are also included.

Old-time music and musicians materials consist of interviews with and performances by many notable old-time musicians and scholars, some from the Galax, Va., and Mount Airy, N.C., areas. They include Rafe Brady, Cecelia Conway, Dwight Diller, Ernest East, Alice Gerard, Bill Hicks, Alan Jabbour, Tommy Jarrell, Gerry Milnes, Henry Reed, Tommy Thompson, and Jim Watson. Musical performances were recorded in both informal home settings and at workshops, fiddling conventions, and competitions.

Uncle Joe Johnson materials include a magazine article written by Bernhardt for Bluegrass Unlimited about Mount Airy, N.C., radio station WPAQ and a number of photographs of WPAQ radio personality Uncle Joe Johnson and others.

The Addition of July 2012 contains interviews conducted by Bernhardt with a variety of contemporary musicians and composers. Arists interviewed include Trace Adkins, Sam Bush, Guy Clark, Susanna Clark, Vassar Clements, J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, John Hartford, Alan Jackson, Naomi Judd, Alison Krauss, Doyle Lawson, Charlie Louvin, Patty Loveless, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Martin, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, Del McCoury, Reba McEntire, Ricky Scaggs, Earl Scruggs, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Rhonda Vincent, and Gretchen Wilson.

Additions received after July 2012 have not been integrated into the original deposits, Researchers should always check additions to be sure they have identified all files of interest to them.

Artist file (NF-2815)

Audiocassettes (FS-20061/1688-1750, FS-20061/4685-4742, FS-20061/12126-12273, FS-20061/18261-18284)

Magazine article (WPAQ Radio File)

Photographs (P-3987-3994, P-4259)

Oversize papers (OP-20061/1-2 and XOP-20061/1)