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Collection Number: 20257

Collection Title: Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection, 1982-1986

This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


Archival processing of the Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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Size 68 items
Abstract The Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection consists of audio recordings, 1982-1986, created and compiled by historian and radio host, Tom Hanchett, at Charlotte's WFAE public radio station. The collection includes programs from three radio series: The Blues Show, An American Almanac, and An American Almanac: Live in the Studio. The Blues Show was a thematic one-hour program that introduced viewers to blues music through such subjects and figures as Piedmont blues, jump blues, Blind Boy Fuller, and Rev. Gary Davis, among others. An American Almanac was a thematic program featuring artists who recorded in Charlotte, N.C. between the years 1927-1945. Subjects of the show included the Blue Sky Boys, the Delmore Brothers, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, the Mainer family, the Carter Family, the Morris Brothers, and Jimmie Davis. An American Almanac featured recordings from reissues available on LP, recordings of covers by modern performers, and new recordings by featured artists, with commentary by Hanchett. An American Almanac: Live in the Studio consisted of edited performances and interviews with folk musicians, including nationally-known artists, Charlotte natives, and "living room pickers." Artists featured in this program included David Holt, Si Kahn, Cathy Fink, Rory Block, Claude Caset, Don White, Whitey and Hogan, Nappy Brown, Dot and Chester Lorenz, The Down Home Folks, and the Slop Jar Serenaders.
Creator Hanchett, Thomas W.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
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 Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection #20257, Southern Folklife Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Tom Hanchett in 1987 (Acc. 102580).
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.
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Encoded by: Anne Wells, May 2016

Archival processing of the Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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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.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Thomas (Tom) Hanchett began volunteering at WFAE as a news reader and jazz disc jockey in the fall of 1981, not long after arriving in Charlotte to direct an "inventory of architectural and historic resources" in the city's older neighborhoods for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commision. Hanchett took over hosting duties of An American Almanac in 1983 after its previous host, Frank Talbert, departed.

Hanchett is best known as a historian, especially of the history of Charlotte, N.C., and joined Levine Museum of the New South in uptown Charlotte as staff historian in 1999. Educated at Cornell, University of Chicago, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he writes widely on southern culture and urban history. Highlights include Sorting Out the New South City (UNC Press); Salad Bowl Suburbs in Charlotte NC: Global Evolution of a New South City; and essays collected at www.historysouth.org.

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The Charlotte Folk Music Society Collection consists of 68 open reel audio recordings, 1982-1986, created and compiled by historian and radio host, Tom Hanchett, at Charlotte's WFAE public radio station. The collection includes programs from three radio series: The Blues Show, An American Almanac, and An American Almanac: Live in the Studio. The Blues Show was a thematic one-hour program that introduced viewers to blues music through such subjects and figures as Piedmont blues, jump blues, Blind Boy Fuller, and Rev. Gary Davis, among others. An American Almanac was a thematic program featuring artists who recorded in Charlotte, N.C. between the years 1927-1945. Subjects of the show included the Blue Sky Boys, the Delmore Brothers, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, the Mainer family, the Carter Family, the Morris Brothers, and Jimmie Davis. An American Almanac featured recordings from reissues available on LP, recordings of covers by modern performers, and new recordings by featured artists, with commentary by Hanchett. An American Almanac: Live in the Studio consisted of edited performances and interviews with folk musicians, including nationally-known artists, Charlotte natives, and "living room pickers." Artists featured in this program included David Holt, Si Kahn, Cathy Fink, Rory Block, Claude Caset, Don White, Whitey and Hogan, Nappy Brown, Dot and Chester Lorenz, The Down Home Folks, and the Slop Jar Serenaders.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. The Blues Show, 1982-1984.

13 items.

Arrangement: Original order has been maintained.

Titles compiled from the Southern Folklife Collection database.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4850

The Blues Show: Blues of N.C., 18 September 1982

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4851

The Blues Show: N.C. Guitar, 13 November 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4852

The Blues Show: Piedmont Blues, 9 April 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4853

The Blues Show: Jug Bands, 15 August 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4854

The Blues Show: Mississippi to Chicago, 27 August 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4855

The Blues Show: Ragtime, 10 December 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4856

The Blues Show: Reverend Gary Davis, 20 January 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4857

The Blues Show: Blind Boy Fuller's Piedmont Blues, 16 June 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4858

The Blues Show: Robert Johnson, 25 August 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4859

The Blues Show: Blues and Gospel, 1 September 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4860

The Blues Show: Elizabeth Cotton, 18 May 1984 and 14 October 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4861

The Blues Show: Piano Blues, 9 August 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4862

The Blues Show: Jump Blues, 29 December 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. An American Almanac, 1983-1985.

12 items.

Arrangement: Original order has been maintained.

Titles compiled from the Southern Folklife Collection database and original containers.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4863

An American Almanac: Carter Family Special, September 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4864

An American Almanac: Carter Family, etc, May 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4865

An American Almanac: Fiddlin' Arthur Smith

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4866

An American Almanac: Delmore Brothers, October 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4867

An American Almanac: Delmore Brothers, August 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4868

An American Almanac: Delmore Brothers, June 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4869

An American Almanac: Delmore Brothers

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4870

An American Almanac: Blue Sky Boys, February 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4871

An American Almanac: Mainers Mountaineers, 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4872

An American Almanac: Cajun Sound, June 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4873

An American Almanac: Blue Sky Boys, July 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4874

An American Almanac: Morris Special, August 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. An American Almanac: Live in the Studio, 1982-1986.

43 items.

Arrangement: Original order has been maintained.

Titles compiled from the Southern Folklife Collection database and field notes.

Anecdotal field notes (by Tom Hanchett) for FT-20257/4875-4917 reside in Folder 844 within the Southern Folklife Collection Field Notes Collection (#30025).

According to Tom Hanchett these Live in the Studio sessions had only a few criteria: "Instruments had to be non-electric, except for electric bass. Players had to have an interest in traditional music (loosely defined as pre WWII), or be creating their own material. Professional polish was not a primary consideration. The segments' theme was a celebration of "people's music," local, acoustic and homemade."

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4875

Live in the Studio: Fiddlers' Grove 1982, Union Grove, N.C. , May 1982

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Recorded over Memorial Day weekend in Union Grove, N.C.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4876

Live in the Studio: Still Kickin', May 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Tim Mace (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar, mandolin, and lead vocals, Sand Jones on fiddle, and John Bloom on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4877

Live in the Studio: Wayne Erbsen, fall 1983

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Wayne Erbsen (of Asheville, N.C.) on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and vocals and Marilyn Price (of Matthews, N.C.) on second guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4878

Live in the Studio: Lois Hornbostel, January 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Lois Hornbostel (of Monroe, N.C.) on dulcimer and Ray Owens (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4879

Live in the Studio: Almanac Encore: Erbsen and Hornbostel

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Rebroadcast presentation featuring Wayne Erbsen and Lois Hornbostel

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4880

Live in the Studio: Slop Jar Serenaders, spring 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Trent VanBlaricom (of Atlanta, Ga.) on fiddle, Beth Williams (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar, Pam Englebert (of Charlotte, N.C.) on mandolin,Brian Schmiel (of Charlotte, N.C.) on mandolin, Bobby Schmiel on guitar, Bob Meyer (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar, and Dough Campbell (of Burlington Vt.) on mandolin

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4881

Live in the Studio: Bit O' Almanac: Morning Sky, Pat Mendoza, John Stanfield, 1983-1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

A compilation of highlights made by Tom Hanchett for rebroadcast. Morning Sky aired February 1984, and features Rose Stokes on fiddle, Eddie Stokes on banjo and vocals, David Phifer on bass, and Jon Szap on guitar. Pat Mendoza aired December 3, 1985 and features Mendoza vocals. John Stanfield aired on January 14, 1984 and features Stanfield on guitar.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4882

Live in the Studio: Jon Singleton, 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Jon Singleton (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar and Tim Mace on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4883

Live in the Studio: Roy "Whitey" Grant, Arval Hogan, 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Roy "Whitey" Grant (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar and Arval hogan on mandolin.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4884

Live in the Studio: Sandy Jones, Rob Hinson, summer 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Sandy Jones on fiddle and Rob Hinson on mandolin and bouzouki

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4885

Live in the Studio: Almanac Live Best 1984, June 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

A compilation of highlights made by Tom Hanchett for WFAE's June birthday. Included are Morning Sky, Wayne Erbsen, Pan Mendoza, Lois Hornbostel, John Stanfield, Tom Mace and Jon Singleton, the Slop Jar Serenaders, Whitey and Hogan, and Rob Hinson and Sandy Jones.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4886

Live in the Studio: Downhome Folks, October 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Marilyn Price on bass and guitar, Floyd Ellington on hammer dulcimer, Ray Owens on guitar, and Dave McKnight on fiddle

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4887

Live in the Studio: Country Matters, November 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Jim Whitley (of Charlotte, N.C.) on banjo, Joe Cline (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar, Jim[?] Brown on bass, and an unidentified fiddler player

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4888

Live in the Studio: David Holt, fall 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

David Holt on banjo and guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4889

Live in the Studio: Hot Shandy Live at Spirit Square, October 1984

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Part of an ongoing arrangement between WFAE and Jerry Van Campen, the tech director at Charlotte’s Spirit Square Arts Center. It aired in October 1984 as an "American Almanac Special". Features Rick Bouley on guitar and Jim Magill on mandolin

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4890

Live in the Studio: Don White, January 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

An interview with cowboy singer Don White (born Walden Whytsel). Includes sampled recordings featuring White on vocals.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4891

Live in the Studio: Lucille Reilly, January 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Lucille Reilly (of Moorestown, N.J.) on hammered dulcimer

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4892

Live in the Studio: Robin Williams and Linda Williams, February 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Interview and recorded music only.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4893

Live in the Studio: Bill Mansfield and Tom Kuhn, February 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Bill Mansfield on banjo and Tom Kuhn on guitar.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4894

Live in the Studio: Si Kahn, February 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Si Kahn on vocals

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4895

Live in the Studio: Tim Mace, circa 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Interview and unpublished recorded music.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4896

Live in the Studio: Hot Shandy, March 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Rick Bouley on guitar and Jim Magill on mandolin

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4897

Live in the Studio: Carleton Moody and the Moody Brothers, circa 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Carlton Moody, Trent Moody, and David Moody

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4898

Live in the Studio: Rory Block, April 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Rory Block on guitar. Rory's father was Allan Block, whose Greenwich Village shop was a hub of folk music during the 1950s and 1960s.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4899

Live in the Studio: Dot Lorenz, Chester Lorenz, 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Chester Lorenz on mandolin and Dot Lorenz on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4900

Live in the Studio: Bob Harris and Company, 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Bob Harris (of Newark, N.J.) on guitar, B.D. Muldoon on electric bass, and Tim Kirkland (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4901

Live in the Studio: Dr. Doug and the Hip Replacements, May 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Dr. Doug Campbell on mandolin, Christ Campbell on bass, Jeff Reeves on fiddle and guitar, Julie Gillespie on banjo, and Trent VanBlaricom on fiddle and guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4902

Live in the Studio: The Singletons and Tim Mace, June 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring John Singleton on dulcimer, guitar and fiddle, Karen Shingleton on vocals, and Tim Mace on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4903

Live in the Studio: Preview of the Annual Latta Plantation Park Folk Festival, June 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Highlights from the annual Charlotte Folk Music Society's annual Latta Plantation Park Folk Festival. Featuring Jon and Karen Singleton and Jeff Reeves and Julie Gillespie.

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4904

Live in the Studio: Almanac Live Best 1985, September 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

A compilation of highlights made by Tom Hanchett for WFAE's fall fundraiser. Included are Bob Harris, Country Matters, Down Home Folks, Bill Mansfield, Si Kahn, Lucille Reilly, the Moody Brothers, David Holt, Dot and Chester Lorenz, Hot Shandy, Tim Mace, Jon and Karen Singleton, Jeff Reeves and Julie Gillespie, Dr. Doug and the Hip Replacements, and Rory Block

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4905

Live in the Studio: Andrew Booker and Friends, 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Andrew Booker (of Seattle, Wash.) on mandolin, Chris Rogers (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar, Buddy McManus (of Charlotte, N.C.) on mandolin, and Bill Hines (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar and bass

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4906

Live in the Studio: Andrew Booker and Friends Worktape, 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Most likely outtakes from FT-20257/4905. Original tape labeled "Chris and them"

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4907

Live in the Studio: Sweet Sunny South, November 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Wayne Seymour on mandolin and dulcimer, Tim Currin on fiddle, Ted Currin on banjo, and Fred Reynolds on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4908

Live in the Studio: Cathy Fink, November 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Cathy Fink on guitar and banjo

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4909

Live in the Studio: Arthur Smith interview, December 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Interview with guitarist Arthur Smith

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4910

Live in the Studio: Arthur Smith worktape, December 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Interview continued from FT-20257/4909

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4911

Live in the Studio: Wednesday Night Backporch String Band, January 1986

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Featuring Rob Daves (of Charlotte, N.C.) on banjo, George Johnson (of Charlotte, N.C.) on fiddle, Beth Williams on guitar, Tom Hanchett (of Chapel Hill, N.C.) on fiddle, and Pam Englebert on mandolin

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4912

Live in the Studio: Nappy Brown with Bob Margolin, January 1986

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Gospel singer Nappy Brown on vocals and Bob Margolin on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4913

Live in the Studio: Nappy Brown with Bob Margolin worktape, January 1986

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Outtakes from FT-20257/4912

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4914

Live in the Studio: Bill Dixon talks about Howard and Dorsey Dixon, August 1985

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Interview only

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4915

Live in the Studio: Claude Casey, March 1986

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Claude Casey on guitar

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4916

Live in the Studio: Casey and Dixon worktape, 1985-196

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Outtakes from FT-20257/4914 and FT-20257/4915

SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20257/4917

Live in the Studio: Scott Cable and Sandy Bell, March 1986

1/4" Open Reel Audio

10.5" reel

Scott Cable (of Charlotte, N.C.) on guitar and Sandy Bell (of Charlotte, N.C.) on harmonica

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