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Size | 3.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1200 items) |
Abstract | John Edwards (1932-1960) of Sydney, Australia, was one of the first collectors of early American country music and a pioneering discographer of this music. Edwards's collection of about 2,500 rare records and tapes is now housed in the Southern Folklife Collection, Manuscripts Department, Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondence, discographies, writings, and other materials of Edwards, chiefly letters to Edwards from fellow collectors and Edwards's record collection inventories. There are also some letters from John Edwards, writings, legal papers, copies of song lyrics, photographs, and material about Edwards. The letters generally concern record finds, discographical information, and tape or record trades. |
Creator | Edwards, John, 1932-1960. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Chuck Israel, November 1988 and additions
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Back to TopThe 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.
In his short life, John Edwards (1932-1960) amassed a valuable collection of early American folk music from his home in Sydney, Australia.
While in his teens Edwards started listening to, playing, and collecting what he called American "hillbilly" music. As his collection grew in the mid-1950s, he also began compiling professional discographies of early American country music of the 1920s and 1930s. Edwards, along with a few others, such as Eugene Earle, pioneered discographical research in this field. Around 1953, he started corresponding with other record collectors in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He continued both activities, producing a greater output each year until he died in an automobile crash in 1960.
After he was graduated from high school, Edwards accepted the job he would hold until his death, roster officer in the Department of Transport. He apparently worked there chiefly to earn money to build his collection.
Edwards had another avocation, hiking. He was a "bush walker," and also apparently an amateur botanist and map maker. In 1967, Mount Edwards was named in commemoration of his outdoor work.
Back to TopThis collection consists chiefly of letters from fellow collectors and Edwards's record collection inventories. There are also some letters from John Edwards, writings, legal papers, copies of song lyrics, photographs, and material about Edwards. Edwards was a prolific correspondent in the period 1954-1960. The letters generally concern record finds, discographical information, and tape or record trades.
Ever the meticulous record keeper, Edwards logged his outgoing correspondence for 1956 and 1958. Beginning in 1958, Edwards produced typed copies of his record collection discographies, updating them several times annually. These listings will help researchers determine the original holdings of what became the John Edwards Memorial Collection.
Photocopies of letters from John Edwards to Jim Evans. Originals are housed at the Country Music Foundation.
Back to TopCorrespondence between John Edwards and his early country music-collecting colleagues, and two letters from his mother Irene Edwards to two of these colleagues after Edwards's death in 1960. The bulk of this series runs 1953 to 1960, consisting chiefly of letters from John Edwards to others. The letters chart the development of Edwards's record and tape collections, as well as his discographical work. Edwards's chief correspondents were Eugene Earle, Keith Christie, Jim Evans, D. K. Wilgus, Archie Green, and Will Roy Hearne. He also corresponded frequently with the "hillbilly" musicians he admired. With these musicians' help, he began building his discographical inventories. Edwards also wrote to many record companies for discographical information.
The letters show several important developments in collecting this type of folk music. Edwards and his friends were the first to apply discography to "hillbilly" music. They also used technology, taping records on reel-to-reel players in the mid-1950s.
Edwards's collecting habits, his extraordinary energy, and his professional approach also are revealed by the letters. He completed his collection of Jimmie Rogers records by the late 1950s, but was still collecting his favorite group, the Carter Family, when he died. By purchasing and trading for better copies of records that he already had, Edwards improved his collection in later years.
The correspondence series has been divided into two subseries: incoming correspondence and outgoing correspondence.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder 1 |
1950 |
Folder 2 |
1951 |
Folder 3-4
Folder 3Folder 4 |
1952 |
Folder 5-10
Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10 |
1953 |
Folder 11-15
Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15 |
1954 |
Folder 16-25
Folder 16Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25 |
1955 |
Folder 26 |
1956 |
Folder 27-39
Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38Folder 39 |
1957 |
Folder 40-48
Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48 |
1958 |
Folder 49-57
Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57 |
1959 |
Folder 58-66
Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66 |
1960 |
Folder 67 |
1961 |
Folder 68 |
Undated letters (six letters received after Edwards's death were annotated by his mother to indicate that she acknowledged them) |
Folder 69-70
Folder 69Folder 70 |
Discographical listings not clearly associated with particular letters |
Folder 71 |
Auction and want lists not clearly associated with particular letters |
Folder 72 |
Address list of correspondents |
Folder 73 |
Circulars, auction notices, and newsletters |
Arrangement: alphabetical by last name of correspondent..
Some of these letters are originals, apparently added by their recipients to this collection before it arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some are photocopies of originals, the whereabouts of which are unknown to the Manuscripts Department staff. Edwards held mail auctions of items from his collection and distributed want lists; records of both activities are included here. Correspondent registers list the correspondent, date, and the subject of Edwards's letters.
Folder 74 |
Letters to Keith Christie, 1958-1960 (photocopies) |
Folder 75 |
Letters to David L. Crisp, 1958-1960 (photocopies) |
Folder 76 |
Letters to John Greenway, 1956 |
Folder 77 |
Letters to Will Roy Hearn, 1955-1960 |
Folder 78 |
Letters to Willard Johnson, 1960 |
Folder 79 |
Letters to Gerald F. Mills, 1958 |
Folder 80 |
Letters to D. K. Wilgus, 1957-1958, 1961 |
Folder 81 |
Letters to miscellaneous correspondents, 1960-1961 |
Folder 82 |
Registers of outgoing correspondence, 1956, 1958 |
Folder 83-84
Folder 83Folder 84 |
Auction and want lists of records, undated |
Box 6 |
Letters to Jim Evans, 1956-1958Acquisitions information: Accession 93105 Photocopies. |
Arrangement: chonological.
Edwards compiled typed and handwritten lists of his record collections. It appears that in the beginning he did so mainly for himself. After 1955, however, he sent copies out to his collecting friends. These lists, with supplements for 1958-1960, will give researchers a notion of the original John Edwards Collection (which has swelled tenfold since 1960). A book list of John Edwards's personal library also is included.
Folder 85 |
Collection lists: 1949-1952, 1955 |
Folder 86 |
Collection lists: 1957 |
Folder 87 |
Collection lists: 1958 |
Folder 88 |
Collection lists: 1959 |
Folder 89 |
Collection lists: 1960 |
Folder 90 |
Collection lists: Miscellaneous undated lists |
Folder 91 |
Collection lists: Records of tape trades and additions to record collections, 1959 and undated |
Folder 92 |
Collection lists: List of library books |
Arrangement: by subseries, as noted below.
An essay, notes, and letters-to-the-editor by John Edwards, song lyrics copied by him, a copy of Edwards's will, and tributes to Edwards.
Arrangement: by type of writing.
While only one essay is included here, Edwards wrote many essays on country music that appeared in magazines such as Hillbilly-Folk, International Discophile, Disc Collector, and Country and Western Spotlight, from 1954 to 1960.
Folder 93 |
Untitled essay and notes on folk music and ballads |
Folder 94 |
Letters to the editor |
Arrangement: chronological.
As a guitar and banjo player, Edwards copied hillbilly song lyrics and chords. He kept lyrics to songs by Jimmie Rogers, the Carter Family, and others in notebooks and on loose papers.
Folder 95 |
Four notebooks of songs copied by John Edwards, 1947-1949, and undated |
Folder 96 |
Songs of others copied by John Edwards on loose sheets, some handwritten and some typed |
Edwards drew up his will in 1958; it provided that Eugene Earle be made executor of his collection and that the collection would be housed in the United States.
Folder 97 |
One copy of the will plus a photocopy of a letter from Irene Edwards to Eugene Earle, informing him of the will, 24 December 1960 |
After his death, Edwards was recognized for his record collecting and his outdoor trail-blazing. The tributes include an essay, a song by Jim Hulgan, and a mountain named after him.
Folder 98 |
The official announcement of the naming of Mount Edwards, a photocopy of the song "John Edwards," a copy of Hulgan's song, and an alumni accolade |
Clippings, programs, and other items collected by Edwards, relating to Australian and American folklore and music. Similar items have been placed according to subject in the vertical files of the Southern Folklife Collection.
Folder 99 |
Miscellaneous Items |
Arrangement: by subject.
Chiefly images of John Edwards and his bedroom. The photographs show Edwards in informal moments such as playing his guitar. Several photos also may give researchers some idea of Edwards's collecting habits--they picture bins of carefully arranged records and desk compartments stuffed with correspondence. The photographer is unknown, although the pictures of Edwards's room were presumably taken by a family member.
The two photo albums contain pictures of some early country music stars. All of the pictures appear to be reprints of earlier photographs, and hence are of little research value. The albums were labeled "#3" and "#5" by Edwards. The staff does not know if other albums, i.e., #1, #2, or #4, exist.
Image P-20000/1-8
P-20000/1P-20000/2P-20000/3P-20000/4P-20000/5P-20000/6P-20000/7P-20000/8 |
John Edwards, 1948-1960 (negatives on file for photographs 1, 2, 6, and 7). |
Image P-20000/17 |
John Edwards, circa 1948-1960 |
Image P-20000/9 |
John Edwards with others looking at a Sydney, Australia, streetcar, 1958. |
Image P-20000/10 |
John Edwards's parents and sister at his gravesite, 1960. |
Image P-20000/11 |
Jim Evans, 1949. |
Image P-20000/12 |
John Edwards's gravestone inscription, 1960. |
Image P-20000/13-16
P-20000/13P-20000/14P-20000/15P-20000/16 |
John Edwards's bedroom, 1961. |
Photograph Album PA-20000/1-2
PA-20000/1PA-20000/2 |
Photograph albums of early country music stars. |