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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 Tom Rankin Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Size | 31 items |
Abstract | The Tom Rankin Collection consists of 31 field recordings, 1980-1982, created and compiled by photographer, filmmaker, and folklorist, Tom Rankin, while he was a graduate student in the Curriculum in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The audio recordings primarily feature interviews and performances by blues, country, and old-time musicians from North Carolina. Artists featured on the recordings include Richard "Big Boy" Henry, a country blues artist of Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C; C. L. Scott, a traditional fiddler of Morehead City, Carteret County, N.C.; W. Earl Wicker, an old-time fiddler of Tramway, Lee County, N.C.; Jim Harris, a centenarian fiddler of New Bern, Craven County, N.C.; the Swain family of Columbia, Tyreell County, N.C.; and Mr. O. Williard, an old-time fiddler of Williamston, Martin County, N.C, among others. Rankin primarily recorded the artists performing at their home, while folklorist and banjo player, Bill Mansfield, accompanied many of the artists on the recordings. The collection also includes studio recordings of Big Boy Henry recorded at WUNC in Chapel Hill and dubs of Living Atlanta, a documentary radio series produced by WRFG. |
Creator | Rankin, Tom. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Anne Wells, June 2016
Encoded by: Anne Wells, June 2016
Archival processing of the Tom Rankin Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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.
A photographer, filmmaker, and folklorist, Tom Rankin has been documenting and interpreting American culture for nearly twenty years. He received a B.A. from Tufts University (1980), an M.A. in folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1983), and an M.F.A. in photography from Georgia State University (1987). For fifteen years he served as director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, where he is now the director of the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts. His photographs have been published widely in numerous magazines, journals, and books, and he has exhibited throughout the country. His books include Sacred Space: Photographs from the Mississippi Delta (1993), which received the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Photography; Deaf Maggie Lee Sayre: Photographs of a River Life (1995); Faulkner's World: The Photographs of Martin J. Dain (1997); and Local Heroes Changing America: Indivisible (2000).
Back to TopThe Tom Rankin Collection consists of 31 field recordings, 1980-1982, created and compiled by photographer, filmmaker, and folklorist, Tom Rankin, while he was a graduate student in the Curriculum in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The audio recordings primarily feature interviews and performances by blues, country, and old-time musicians from North Carolina. Artists featured on the recordings include Richard "Big Boy" Henry, a country blues artist of Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C; C. L. Scott, a traditional fiddler of Morehead City, Carteret County, N.C.; W. Earl Wicker, an old-time fiddler of Tramway, Lee County, N.C.; Jim Harris, a centenarian fiddler of New Bern, Craven County, N.C.; the Swain family of Columbia, Tyreell County, N.C.; and Mr. O. Williard, an old-time fiddler of Williamston, Martin County, N.C., among others. Rankin primarily recorded the artists performing at their home, while folklorist and banjo player, Bill Mansfield, accompanied many of the artists on the recordings. The collection also includes studio recordings of Big Boy Henry recorded at WUNC in Chapel Hill and dubs of Living Atlanta, a documentary radio series produced by WRFG.
Back to TopArrangement: Chronological.
Titles and descriptions compiled from the SFC database and field notes.
Field notes for these recordings reside in Folders 116, 118, 155, 568, 574 and 580 within the Southern Folklife Collection Field Notes Collection (#30025).
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1316 |
Country Boys featuring Donald Foster, J.W. Parson, Chris Spivey, and Howard Conder, Sanford, Lee County, N.C., 16 September 19801/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Tunes and songs played in early country and bluegrass style by a four man band for a small local dance or club in Sanford, N.C. The band consists of a fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass, with mostly solo and duet vocals |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1310 |
W. Earl Wicker accompanied by Bill Mansfield, Tramway, Lee County, N.C., 10 October 1980: tape 1 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old time fiddle tunes, waltzes, blues, ragtime, and commercial country pieces played by W. Earl Wicker, accompanied by Bill Mansfield on the banjo |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1311 |
W. Earl Wicker accompanied by Bill Mansfield, Tramway, Lee County, N.C., 10 October 1980: tape 2 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old time fiddle tunes, waltzes, blues, ragtime, and commercial country pieces played by W. Earl Wicker, accompanied by Bill Mansfield on the banjo |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1312 |
W. Earl Wicker accompanied by Bill Mansfield, Tramway, Lee County, N.C., 10 October 1980: tape 3 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old time fiddle tunes, waltzes, blues, ragtime, and commercial country pieces played by W. Earl Wicker, accompanied by Bill Mansfield on the banjo |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1007 |
C.L. Scott, fiddle tunes, 1 November 1980Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1313 |
Jim Harris, tunes and interview recorded at his home, New Bern, Craven County, N.C., 1981: tape 1 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old-time tunes and sacred songs played on the fiddle and sung by Jim Harris |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1314 |
Jim Harris, tunes and interview recorded at his home, New Bern, Craven County, N.C., 1981: tape 2 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old-time tunes and sacred songs played on the fiddle and sung by Jim Harris, accompanied by Bill Mansfield on the banjo |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1315 |
Jim Harris, tunes and interview recorded at his home, New Bern, Craven County, N.C., 1981: tape 3 of 31/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes old-time tunes and sacred songs played on the fiddle and sung by Jim Harris, accompanied by Bill Mansfield on the banjo |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1211 |
Swain family, interview and songs, Columbia, Tyrrell County, N.C., 21 March 1981: tape 1 of 2Audiocassette Includes interview with the Swain Family of Columbia, N.C. Various categories of folklore are discussed, including folk remedies, snake lore, ghost legends, and "tokens of death." The discussion is interspersed with renditions of traditional folk and religious songs sung by Mr. Swain and accompanied by Mr. Swain on guitar, Mrs. Swain on mandolin, and unidentified banjo and guitar players. Unidentified banjo player most likely Bill Mansfield. |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1212 |
Swain family, interview and songs, Columbia, Tyrrell County, N.C., 21 March 1981: tape 2 of 2Audiocassette Continued from FS-20062/1211 |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1213 |
Mr. O. Willard at home with Heber Coletrain, Williamston, Martin County, N.C., 21 March 1981: tape 1 of 2Audiocassette Field recording of O. Willard, a musician from Williamsport, N.C., consisting primarily of Willard's renditions of old=time tunes on fiddle. An unidentified banjo player accompanies Willard for many of the songs. Approximately half way through the session, Willard is joined by Heber Coletrain on guitar. The two harmonize on a series of traditional and popular country tunes. Unidentified banjo player evident on the first half of the recording is most likely Bill Mansfield. |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1214 |
Mr. O. Willard at home with Heber Coletrain, Williamston, Martin County, N.C., 21 March 1981: tape 2 of 2Audiocassette Continued from FS-20062/1213 |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/533 |
Annie and Jack Johnson, Louisville, K.Y., 14 May 1981Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1328 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 1 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes Big Boy Henry on guitar and vocals, Walter Henry on bass, and Ronnie Wallace on drums |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1329 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 2 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Interview with Big Boy Henry on the porch at his home in Beaufort, N.C. Henry discusses learning the blues and talks about sea shanties, signing, and functions. |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1330 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 3 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Interview on porch continued from FT-20062/132 |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1331 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 4 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Interview on porch continued from FT-20062/133 |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1332 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 5 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes music performed by Big Boy Henry |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1333 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 31 May 1982: tape 6 of 61/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel Includes music performed by Big Boy Henry |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1334 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 27 July 1982: tape 1 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1335 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 27 July 1982: tape 2 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1336 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 27 July 1982: tape 3 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1337 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 27 July 1982: tape 4 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1338 |
Big Boy Henry, interview and music recorded at his home, Beaufort, Carteret County, N.C., 27 July 1982: tape 5 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 5" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1389 |
Big Boy Henry, blues music recorded at WUNC Studio D, Chapel Hill, N.C., 17-18 August 1982: tape 1 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 7" reel Select songs accompanied by Billy Stevens on harmony |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1390 |
Big Boy Henry, blues music recorded at WUNC Studio D, Chapel Hill, N.C., 17-18 August 1982: tape 2 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 7" reel Select songs accompanied by Billy Stevens on harmony |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1391 |
Big Boy Henry, blues music recorded at WUNC Studio D, Chapel Hill, N.C., 17-18 August 1982: tape 3 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 7" reel Select songs accompanied by Wiley Clintan on bass |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1392 |
Big Boy Henry, blues music recorded at WUNC Studio D, Chapel Hill, N.C., 17-18 August 1982: tape 4 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 7" reel |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20062/1393 |
Big Boy Henry, blues music recorded at WUNC Studio D, Chapel Hill, N.C., 17-18 August 1982: tape 5 of 51/4" Open Reel Audio 7" reel Select songs accompanied by Wiley Clintan on bass |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/516 |
Big Boy Henry, date unknownAudiocassette |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20062/1005 |
Living Atlanta radio show dubs, date unknownAudiocassette Includes dubs of the Living Atlanta programs "Making a Living" and "Recording and Radio Careers" |