Restrictions to Access

Use of audio materials may required production of listening copies.

This collection contains additional materials that are not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact Research and Instructional Service staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options for consulting these materials.

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 Ken Griffis Collection #20386, Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Ken Griffis of Thornton, Colo., in November 2003 (Acc. 99663).

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.

Processed by: Carrie Stubblefield, May 2007

Encoded by: Carrie Stubblefield, May 2007

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.

• Beverly Hillbillies (Musical group)
• Country music.
• Country musicians.
• Griffis, Ken.
• Hamblen, Stuart, 1908-1989.
• Hansen, Aleth.
• James, Jesse, 1847-1882.
• KMPC (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
• Manners, Zeke, 1911-
• Oral history.
• Popular music--United States.
• Quirk, Charles.

• Sons of the Pioneers Transcription Discs Collection (#20400), Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ken Griffis is best known for his work on documenting the early country music group, the Sons of the Pioneers. His research, begun in the 1960s, culminated in the publication of a monograph on the group, Hear My Song: The Story of the Celebrated Sons of the Pioneers (John Edwards Memorial Foundation, 1974/revised 1977). As of 2003, Griffis resided in Thornton, Colo.

The Beverly Hillbillies began their career on radio KMPC Los Angeles in 1930. The group was the brainchild of Glen Rice, who concocted an elaborate myth about the origins of the group, advertising them as "authentic" hillbillies when, in fact, each of the group's members was already living and working in the Los Angeles area. In its most popular configuration, the group consisted of Jimmy Baker (Elton Britt), Marjorie Bauersfield (Mirandy), Harry Blaeholder (Hank Skillet), Ashley Dees (Jad Scroggins), Aleth Hansen (Lem Giles), Leo Mannes (Zeke Manners, Zeke Craddock), Cyprian Paulette (Ezra Longnecker), and Charles Quirk (Charlie Slater, Charlie Skillet). In later years, this roster was subject to change. In 1932, the group split temporarily, with some members remaining in Los Angeles and others relocating to San Francisco. During this period, three future members of the Sons of the Pioneers joined the group. The Beverly Hillbillies continued to enjoy success, both on the radio and in live concerts, until the late 1930s. In addition to recording and touring, the Beverly Hillbillies appeared in several feature films and made hundreds of music transcriptions, including several for Armed Forces radio. The group was revived in the 1940s and an attempt at revival was made as late as 1957, but the Beverly Hillbillies never regained the popularity of their earlier years.

The Ken Griffis Collection consists of music transcriptions, papers, photographs, and audiocassettes relating to Griffis's research documenting the Beverly Hillbillies, a Los Angeles-based musical group that starred in a radio program of the same name throughout the 1930s and early 1940s.

Music transcriptions, the bulk of which are handwritten and annotated, are of songs performed by the Beverly Hillbillies.

Papers include journal articles; newspaper clippings; posters and flyers; discographies; facsimiles of record albums; letters sent to the Beverly Hillbillies; transcripts of oral history interviews Griffis conducted with members of the group; correspondence between Griffis, the Beverly Hillbillies, and other researchers; and research notes.

Photographic materials are primarily promotional photographs of the Beverly Hillbillies with and without autograph signatures. Also included are photographs of related items and several photographic negatives. Also included is a photograph of a horse purported to have belonged to Jesse James.

Audiocassettes consist of noncommercial recordings of interviews Griffis conducted with members of the Beverly Hillbillies, including Aleth Hansen (Lem Giles), Stuart Hamblen, Leo Mannes (Zeke Manners), and Charlie Quirk (Charlie Slater, Charlie Skillet). These correspond to typescript versions that also included.

• Oversize papers (XOP-20386/1, OPF-20386/1).
• Audiocassettes (FS-8040-8049).
• Photo negatives (P-20386/4796-4817).
• A number of printed materials have been cataloged individually in the University's Online Public Access Catalog and can be found at this link.