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Size | 4.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 115 items) |
Abstract | Ethnomusicologist Karen Helms Pressley was born in Union County, N.C. Classically trained in piano, organ, and voice, Pressley developed an interest in the preservation of old-time music and the oral tradition. The collection contains fieldwork relating primarily to the oral musical traditions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Union County, N.C., in south-central North Carolina. Outer Banks materials consist of recorded folk songs, stories, and interviews with residents, as well as interview transcripts, Pressley's essay on the oral traditions of the Outer Banks, and ballads and songs she collected. The Union County, N.C., materials consist of field recordings Pressley made documenting the oral musical traditions of Union County. Music includes church gospel, guitar blues, fiddle and banjo tunes, traditional ballad singing, and childrens' songs performed by Union County residents. Also included are other recordings made by Pressley, among them some with storyteller Bobby McMillon, recordings from western North Carolina and the Piedmont area, and recordings relating to music workshops and children's songs. |
Creator | Pressley, Karen Helms |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Folklife Collection |
Language | English. |
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Ethnomusicologist Karen Helms Pressley was born in Union County, N.C. Classically trained in piano, organ, and voice, Pressley later developed an interest in the preservation of old-time music and the oral tradition. Her maternal grandfather, David Price, was a well-known folk fiddler.
Pressley received a Bachelor of Music degree from Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., and in 1974 a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. Her Master's thesis, "The Role and Function of Oral Tradition of Ballad Form as Related to the Society and Culture of Ocracoke Island," was based on fieldwork she conducted on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the early 1970s. Grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, 1976-1978, and the National Endowment of the Arts, 1978-1979, enabled her to conduct fieldwork in her native Union County, N.C.
Back to TopThe Karen Helms Pressley Collection contains fieldwork relating primarily to the oral musical traditions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Union County, N.C.
Outer Banks materials consist of recorded songs, stories, and interviews with residents, as well as interview transcripts, Pressley's essay on the oral traditions of the Outer Banks, and ballads and songs she collected. Pressley's essay pays particular attention to women sources on the Outer Banks. Also included is correspondence about a lecture on coastal folk music she gave in 1978 for the Man and the Seacoast lecture series, and historical information she compiled about Ocracoke Island. Several of the recordings were released on a Folkways LP, Between the Sound and the Sea: Music of the North Carolina Outer Banks, in 1977.
The Union County, N.C., materials consist of field recordings Pressley made documenting the oral musical traditions of Union County, N.C., located in south-central North Carolina. Music includes church gospel, guitar blues, fiddle tunes and banjo tunes, traditional ballad singing, and children's songs performed by Union County residents ranging in age from 10 to 88. Pressley's recordings were released as two LPs on the Folkways label: Hand Me Down Music-Old Songs, Old Friends: Traditional Music of Union County, North Carolina, Volume 1 (1979) and Volume 2 (1980).
Also included are other recordings made by Pressley, some of which appeared on North Carolina Sampler: Anglo-American Vocal Music from North Carolina. Pressley worked closely with storyteller Bobby McMillon on the project, which included materials previously recorded for her Outer Banks fieldwork as well as recordings from western North Carolina and the Piedmont area. Other recordings include music workshops and children's songs.
Back to TopMaterials, 1939-1990 (bulk 1973-1976), related to Pressley's fieldwork documenting ballad traditions on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Pressley wrote her Masters thesis at East Carolina University, "The Role and Function of Oral Tradition of Ballad Form as related to the Society and Culture of Ocracoke Island," based on this work. Several of the recordings were released on a Folkways LP, Between the Sound and the Sea: Music of the North Carolina Outer Banks, in 1977.
Recordings include conversations about ballads and excerpts of songs. Pressley's original descriptions have been retained.
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20324/6539 |
Excerpts of old songs by C. K. Tillett, Mrs. C. K. Tillett, and Dile Gallop, 1940-1941; Dick Tillett #20324, Subseries: "1.1. Cassettes." FS-20324/6539Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20324/6540 |
Mrs. C. K. Tillett, Dick Tillett, Martha Etheridge, 1951 #20324, Subseries: "1.1. Cassettes." FS-20324/6540Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20324/6541 |
Barco, N.C. #20324, Subseries: "1.1. Cassettes." FS-20324/6541Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20324/6542 |
Ocracoke, Conversations about ballads, including "Nellie Cropsey" #20324, Subseries: "1.1. Cassettes." FS-20324/6542Audiocassette |
SFC Audio Cassette FS-20324/6543 |
Vernon Gaskill and Dick Tillett, assisted by Seth Johnson #20324, Subseries: "1.1. Cassettes." FS-20324/6543Audiocassette |
Recordings include interviews, songs, and conversations about ballads, particularly the folk music of Ocracoke Island. Pressley's original descriptions have been retained.
Pressley's written fieldwork, including brief interview transcripts, an essay, "Oral Tradition on the N.C. Outer Banks," and collected ballads. Pressley pays particular attention to women ballad sources in the essay. The ballad collection consists of songs specific to the Outer Banks such as "Booze Yacht," "Tom Dan'ls," and "My Island Home," as well as versions of traditional ballads, including "Kitty Wells," "Barbara Allen," and "The Gypsy's Warning." Many ballads include source information.
Correspondence and schedule for the 1978 Man and the Seacoast lecture series, presented at the North Carolina Marine Resource Center. Pressley lectured on the folk music of the coast and the Outer Banks.
Folder 4 |
Man and the Seacoast lecture series #20324, Subseries: "1.3.2. Man and the Seacoast, 1978." Folder 4 |
Facts and historical information about Ocracoke Island compiled by Pressley, including a historical timeline and her assessment of past and present musical traditions.
Folder 5 |
Ocracoke Island history #20324, Subseries: "1.3.3. Ocracoke Island History." Folder 5 |
Arrangement: original order was maintained.
Pressley's field recordings from Union County, N.C. Pressley received Folk Art grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council to conduct research and fieldwork documenting the oral musical traditions of Union County, located in south-central North Carolina. Music includes church gospel, guitar blues, fiddle tunes and banjo tunes, traditional ballad singing, and childrens' songs performed by Union County residents ranging in age from 10 to 88. Pressley's recordings were released as two LPs on the Folkways label: Hand Me Down Music-Old Songs, Old Friends: Traditional Music of Union County, North Carolina, Volume 1 (1979) and Volume 2 (1980). Pressley's original descriptions have been retained.
Arrangement: original order was maintained.
Various recordings made by Pressley. Some appeared on Carolina Sampler: Anglo-American Vocal Music from North Carolina, released in 1992 by Global Village Music. Pressley worked with storyteller Bobby McMillon on the Carolina Sampler project, which included materials previously recorded for her Outer Banks fieldwork as well as recordings from western North Carolina and the Piedmont area.
Other recordings include music workshops and children's songs. Pressley's original descriptions have been retained.
8-Track Tape 8T-20324/40 |
Jeff Warner, Louis Killen, John Benson, Gerret Warner #20324, Subseries: "3.1. 8-Track Tape." 8T-20324/408-Track tape |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11263 |
Arthur Clark: guitar and voice #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112631/4" Open Reel Audio |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11264 |
Jean and Lee Schilling, Cosby, Tenn; RTI concert, 22 January 1975 #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112641/4" Open Reel Audio |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11265 |
Bobby McMillon, Nancy Jones #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112651/4" Open Reel Audio |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11266 |
Anson County Folk Music: Lonnie Goodwin, Lilesville, N.C. #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112661/4" Open Reel Audio |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11267 |
Wendy McDaniels, Mrs. Rendie Smith singing, introduction by Bobby McMillon #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112671/4" Open Reel Audio |
SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20324/11268 |
Unidentified sound recording #20324, Subseries: "3.3. Open Reel Tapes." FT-20324/112681/4" Open Reel Audio |
8-Track tape (8T-40)
Audiocassettes (FS-6539-6558)
Audiotapes (FT-11230-11273)
Additional field notes, including photocopies of original audio containers and scatttered tape logs, reside in Southern Folklife Field Notes (#30025)
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