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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 Philip F. Gura Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 200 items) |
| Abstract | The Philip F. Gura Collection consists of audio recordings, pictures, and printed materials compiled by white musician and cultural historian, Philip F. Gura. The audio recordings, 1975-2005, consist primarily of live recordings of old-time music festivals and conventions in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. Other recordings include live recordings of workshops, dubbed field recordings, private releases, and interviews conducted by Philip F. Gura, including interviews with members of the New Lost City Ramblers and an interview with musician and folklorist, Alan Jabbour. The collection also includes facsimiles of pictures and illustrations used by Philip F. Gura for his publications on musical instruments, as well as printed materials compiled by Gura, including songbooks, music catalogues, and music instruction and study books related to old-time, sacred music, jazz, and classical music. |
| Creator | Gura, Philip F., 1950- |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
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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Biographical Information
Philip F. Gura (born June 14, 1950) is an intellectual and cultural historian. He currently serves as William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he holds appointments in the Departments of English and Comparative Literature, Religious Studies, and American Studies. His interests range widely from the colonial era through the Civil war, in American literature and American Studies. He has written on a wide range of topics, including the history of American music, American literature, and American religion. His publications related to music and musical instruments include C.F. Martin and His Guitars, 1796-1873 (University of North Carolina Press, 2003) and America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century (University of North Carolina Press, 1999), which he cowrote with James F. Bollman.
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Scope and Content
The Philip F. Gura Collection consists of audio recordings, pictures, and printed materials compiled by white musician and cultural historian, Philip F. Gura.
The audio recordings, 1975-2005, consist primarily of live recordings of old-time music festivals and conventions, including the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop. W.Va.; Fries Fiddler's Convention in Fries, Va.; Galax Fiddler's Convention in Galax, Va.; Grayson County Fiddler's Convention in Grayson County, Va.; and the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in Mt. Airy, N.C., among others. Notable white musicians featured on the live recordings include Andy Cahan, Alice Gerrard, Tommy Jarrell, Mike Seeger, as well as Philip F. Gura and his son, David Gura. Other recordings include live recordings of workshops, dubbed field recordings, private releases, and interviews conducted by Philip F. Gura. Interviewees featured on the recordings include members of the New Lost City Ramblers, as well as musician and folklorist, Alan Jabbour. Audio recordings are on audiocassette, MiniDisc, and Compact Disc.
The collection also includes facsimiles of pictures and illustrations used by Philip F. Gura for his publications on banjos and guitar makers, as well as printed materials compiled by Gura. The pictures appear to be sourced from various printed materials and consist primarily of illustrations of instruments, musicians, music stores, and instrument manufacturers. Gura used the pictures in his publications, America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century (University of North Carolina Press, 1999) and C.F. Martin and His Guitars, 1796-1873, (University of North Carolina Press, 2003). Printed materials consist of songbooks, music catalogues, and music instruction and study books related to old-time, sacred music, jazz, and classical music.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Audio Recordings, 1975-2005 and undated.
Arrangement: By format.
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Subseries 1.1 Audiocassettes, 1975-1999 and undated.
Arrangement: Chronological.
Acquisitions Information: FS-20064/2199 acquisitions information unknown. FS-20064/5090-5095 received as Addition of June 2000 (Acc. 098668); FS-20064/16619-16689 received as Addition of October 2015 (Acc. 102338); FS-20064/16790-16791 received as Addition of July 2017 (Acc. 103105).
Processing information: Titles compiled from original containers. Item descriptions may also include legible artist names that were listed on original containers.
Audiocassettes consist primarily of live recordings of old-time music festivals and conventions, including the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop. W.Va.; Fries Fiddler's Convention in Fries, Va.; Galax Fiddler's Convention in Galax, Va.; Grayson County Fiddler's Convention in Grayson County, Va.; and the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in Mt. Airy, N.C. Other recordings include live recordings of workshops, dubbed field recordings, and private releases, as well as interviews conducted by Philip F. Gura. Interviewees featured on the recordings include members of the New Lost City Ramblers (FS-20064/5090-5095), as well as musician and folklorist, Alan Jabbour (FS-20064/2199, FS-20064/16636).
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Subseries 1.2 MiniDiscs, 2000-2005.
Arrangement: Chronological.
Acquisitions Information: MD-20064/1-13 received as Addition of October 2015 (Acc. 102338); MD-20064/14-27 received as Addition of July 2017 (Acc. 103105).
Processing information: Titles compiled from original containers. Item descriptions also include notes on original containers.
Live recordings of old-time music festivals and conventions, including the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, W.Va. and the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in Mt. Airy, N.C.
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Subseries 1.3 Compact Discs, 2000-2003.
Arrangement: Chronological.
Acquisitions Information: Compact discs (DF-20064/1-17) received as Addition of January 2016 (Acc. 102504).
Processing information: Titles compiled from original containers. The digital files were extracted from compact disc in November 2018.
Live recordings of old-time music festivals and conventions, including the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, W.Va. and the Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in Mt. Airy, N.C. The series also includes an episode of WUNC radio program, The State of Things from 16 July 2003.
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Series 2. Pictures, date unknown.
Acquisitions Information: Received as Addition of November 2016 (Acc. 102966).
Facsimiles of pictures and illustrations used by Philip F. Gura for his publications America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century (University of North Carolina Press, 1999) and C.F. Martin and His Guitars, 1796-1873 (University of North Carolina Press, 2003). The pictures appear to be sourced from various printed materials and consist primarily of illustrations of instruments, musicians, music stores, and instrument manufacturers. Also included are select advertisements for instrument manufactures and other music related businesses.
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Series 3. Printed Materials, 1905-1990.
Acquisitions information: Folders 3-17 received as Addition of December 2016 (Acc. 102985). Folders 18-19 received as Addition of January 2016 (Acc. 102504).
Other acquisition information noted at folder level.
Songbooks, music catalogues, and music instruction and study books related to old-time, sacred music, jazz, and classical music.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Anne Wells, December 2016
Encoded by: Anne Wells, December 2016
Updated by: Laura Hart, January 2017; Anne Wells, February 2018, November 2018
Updated in June 2020 to remove racist slurs.
Archival processing of the Philip F. Gura Collection was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine ethnic identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual’s preference for ethnicity to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@email.unc.edu.
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