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Collection Number: 20472

Collection Title: Bill Morrissey Papers, 1967-2011 (bulk 1980-2011)

This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

This collection has use 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.


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Size 6.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1500 items)
Abstract Bill Morrissey (1951-2011) was a folk singer, songwriter, performer, and author born in Hartford, Conn., and based in Massachusetts and New Hampshire throughout most of his career (circa 1980-2011). He recorded more than ten albums, including North (1986) and Standing Eight (1989), and was nominated for a Grammy Award for his album Songs of Mississippi John Hurt (1999). He also wrote poetry and fiction, including the novel Edson (1996). The collection consists of personal and professional papers and other materials relating to the music and writing career of Bill Morrissey. Materials include correspondence with family, his manager Ellen Karas, and musicians and friends David Massengill, Mike McCormick, Robert Olmstead, Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, and others; press kits and other promotional materials; drawings and paintings by Morrissey; concert flyers; set lists; reviews; contracts and financial records of touring expenses; drafts and published writings by Bill Morrissey and by others; and photographs of Morrissey and other musicians at concerts, festivals, recording studios, and other locations. Other formats in the collection include data compact dics with photographs of the 2004 Kerrville Folk Festival; floppy discs with writings by Morrissey and Peter Spencer; and audiocassettes and digital audiotapes with recordings by Morrissey. The collection also includes a guitar used by Morrissey in performances and recordings until the late 1980s.
Creator Morrissey, Bill.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
Use of audiotapes or videotapes may require production of listening or viewing copies. Unpublished sound recordings are closed to access pending approval from donor.
Restrictions to Use
Folders 25a and 44 are CLOSED until 2026.
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 Bill Morrissey Papers #20472, Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Ellen Karas and Peter Keane in March 2012 (Acc. 101571) and from Ellen Karas in January 2017 (Acc. 103018).
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.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Virginia Ferris, March 2013

Encoded by: Virginia Ferris, March 2013

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Bill Morrissey (1951-2011) was a folk singer, songwriter, performer, and author, born in Hartford, Conn., and based in Massachusetts and New Hampshire throughout most of his career. He recorded more than ten albums, including North (1986) and Standing Eight (1989), and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for Songs of Mississippi John Hurt (1999). From the late 1980s through 2011, Morrissey performed primarily in the New England region of the United States and in Canada. Morrissey also wrote poetry and fiction, including the novel Edson, published by Knopf in 1996. Bill Morrissey died 23 July 2011 while on tour.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection consists of personal and professional papers and other materials relating to the music and writing career of Bill Morrissey. Materials include correspondence with family, his manager Ellen Karas, and musicians and friends David Massengill, Mike McCormick, Robert Olmstead, Suzanne Vega, and others; press kits and other promotional materials; drawings and paintings by Morrissey; concert flyers; set lists; reviews; contracts and financial records of touring expenses; drafts and published writings by Bill Morrissey and by others; and photographs of Morrissey and other musicians at concerts, festivals, recording studios, and other locations. Other formats in the collection include data compact dics with photographs of the 2004 Kerrville Folk Festival; floppy discs with writings by Morrissey and Peter Spencer; and audiocassettes and digital audiotapes with recordings by Morrissey. The collection also includes a guitar used by Morrissey in performances and recordings until the late 1980s.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Papers and Related Materials, 1967-2011.

Approximately 1500 items.

Arrangement: Materials arrived at repository unsorted and were arranged into groupings during processing.

Papers relate to the music and writing career of Bill Morrissey. Materials date comprehensively from 1967-2011, with the bulk of materials relating to his career circa 1980-2011. Materials include correspondence, notes, clippings, promotional materials, photographs, visual art, ephemera, financial records, writing drafts, and published writings by Bill Morrissey and by others. Also included is a guitar used by Morrissey.

Folder 1-2

Folder 1

Folder 2

Art

Visual art created by Bill Morrissey. Includes pastel and pencil drawings and oil and watercolor paintings on canvas and in spiral bound sketchbooks.

Folder 3

Awards

Includes a plaque in Italian for "Only a Hobo Music Promotion" (1993); certificate nominating Songs of Mississippi John Hurt for Best Traditional Folk Album in the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards (1999); and a plaque from the Tower Records Cambridge Walk of Fame (July 1999).

Folder 4-8

Folder 4

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Clippings

Clippings of magazines, newspapers, and photocopied articles of general interest. Includes isolated articles relating to Bill Morrissey's work and to major events in politics and in Boston sports, circa 2002-2004.

Box 4

Concert and festival badges

Folder 9-10

Folder 9

Folder 10

Correspondence and related materials, 1967-1978.

Includes a letter from Bill Morrissey's brother Joseph ("Joe") Morrissey, asking Bill to illustrate posters for student government campaign at Providence College, and refers to Bill playing in the Jug-Band (3 March 1968). Also includes correspondence regarding Morrissey's music career in Lansdale, Pa. (1970-1972), Berkeley, Calif. (1974), and Durham, N.H., and Newmarket, N.H. (1975-1978).

Folder 11-12

Folder 11

Folder 12

Correspondence and related materials, 1980-1989.

Correspondence with friends and other musicians, including annual Christmas cards from Suzanne Vega. Professional correspondence reflects Bill Morrissey's increasing recording and performance activities. Includes contracts with recording studios and with various concerts and festival venues throughout New England and Canada.

Folder 13-17

Folder 13

Folder 14

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

Correspondence and related materials, 1990-1994.

Chiefly music business correspondence, including performance contracts and royalty statements from Rounder Records Group. Friends and frequent correspondents include Mondy Porter, Suzanne Vega, Robert Olmstead, and Mike McCormick. There are isolated letters from Bill Morrissey's mother, Marion Morrissey, in Lansdale, Pa.

Folder 18-23

Folder 18

Folder 19

Folder 20

Folder 21

Folder 22

Folder 23

Correspondence and related materials, 1995-1999.

Correspondence, 1996-1997, chiefly regarding Bill Morrissey's novel Edson, published by Knopf in 1996. Regular correspondents include Mike McCormick, Randa McNamara, Truman Ingalsbe, Suzanne Vega, and David Massengill. Also includes a fan letter from musician Dar Williams, in response to Morrissey's album Standing Eight (20 May 1997).

A postcard, 26 April 1995, was added to Folder 18 in January 2017 (Acc. 103018).

Folder 24-27

Folder 24

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Correspondence and related materials, 2000-2009.

Letters, 2000, are addressed to Bill Morrissey living in Tamworth, N.H.; after 2002, primarily printed email correspondence with manager Ellen Karas, in regard to Morrissey's travel and performance schedule. Other correspondents include Suzanne Vega, Annie Provenzano, various fans, and other musicians.

Folder 25a

Correspondence, 2003.

CLOSED until 2026.

Folder 28-29

Folder 28

Folder 29

Correspondence and related materials, undated.

General correspondence with friends and other musicians, relating to Bill Morrissey's music, performances, and writing; also included are sympathy cards following the death of Morrissey's father, and personal correspondence with his mother and with manager Ellen Karas.

Folder 30-36

Folder 30

Folder 31

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

Folder 36

Edson

Partial and complete drafts, with some handwritten edits, and page proofs. Also includes cover proofs of the French edition of the novel, enclosed with an antique circular in French entitled Les Hommes d'Aujourd'hui (Volume 7).

Folder 37-40

Folder 37

Folder 38

Folder 39

Folder 40

Financial records

Chiefly receipts, circa 1985, of expenses from touring. Bill Morrissey organized receipts by month in manila folders and listed expenses, frequently for hotels, food, and guitar strings; also included are household bills, many addressed to Lisa N. Morrissey.

Folder 41

Flyers

Printed flyers promoting performances by Bill Morrissey.

Folder 42

Grammy program, 2001

Folder 43

Music instruction charts

Folder 44

Notebooks

CLOSED until 2026.

Small bound notebooks containing sketches, song lyrics, and personal notes.

Folder 45

Notes and business cards

Includes handwritten notes and business cards collected by Bill Morrissey.

Folder 46-47

Folder 46

Folder 47

Other papers

Includes calendars, postcards, maps, travel guides, brochures, festival program, and an issue of the Tamworth Civic News (2007), presumably collected by or sent to Bill Morrissey.

Folder 48-50

Folder 48

Folder 49

Folder 50

Periodicals

Includes a 2010 issue of French music magazine Xroads that contains an interview with Bill Morrissey; also included are other music magazines and periodicals collected by Morrissey, relating to music, literature, hunting dogs, and boating.

Folder 51

Personal records

Birth certificate (1951); certificate of title for a vehicle registered in New Hampshire (2010); Federal Communications Commission Radio Operator Permit (1975); Massachusetts drivers license (expiring 1998); dispatcher card for the Fire Department of Newmarket, N.H., (1978-1979); public library cards for Berkeley, Calif., (1977) and Newmarket, N.H. (1978); and a plastic identification bracelet.

Image Folder PF-20472/1-2

PF-20472/1

PF-20472/2

Photographs

Color and black-and-white snapshots, informal portraits, negatives, contact sheets and printed digital photographs of Bill Morrissey, friends, and other musicians. Includes candid and posed images from concerts and festivals, recording studios, and other locations, as well as publicity photographs depicting Morrissey fishing and playing guitar.

Folder 52

Press kits

Collected biography, photographs, and promotional articles for press kits.

Folder 53

Printed materials

Photocopied articles and reviews of Bill Morrissey's work.

Folder 54

Professional papers

Items primarily related to touring; includes a draft of an artist contract with Rounder Records with handwritten edits, blank rider forms, blank Rounder Records settlement sheet for CD sales, blank performance venue contracts from the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, and a blank application for the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance.

Folder 55

Promotional materials

Postcards, bookmarks, and business cards with promotional information for various albums and for Bill Morrissey's novel Edson.

Folder 56-57

Folder 56

Folder 57

Sheet music

Includes music by Simon and Garfunkel and other printed sheet music collected by Bill Morrissey.

Folder 58

Writings: Fiction drafts

Loose handwritten and typed pages of unpublished fiction, including partial drafts of "Imaginary Runner."

Folder 59

Writings: Song lyrics and sheet music

Includes page proofs of the liner notes for the album "Come Running," with handwritten edits.

Folder 60a

Writings: Notes and set lists

Chiefly handwritten on napkins and scraps of paper.

Folder 60b

Writings: Set list from guitar

Handwritten set list previously taped to Bill Morrissey's guitar (Museum Item MU-20472/1).

Folder 61-64

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

Folder 64

Writings by others

Fiction, poetry, song lyrics, sheet music, recipes, and other notes. Fiction drafts include works by Nalini Jones and Adam Desnoyers. Also included is a bound, unpublished collection of Bob Dylan lyrics and writings compiled by Ron Murz.

Museum Item MU-20472/1

Bill Morrissey guitar

Guild guitar used in performance and recordings primarily during the early part of Morrissey's career, through the late 1980s. The guitar, a leather strap, and related accessories are kept in original guitar case. A set list is taped to the side of the guitar. Manager Ellen Karas noted that the guitar was used most notably in recording the song "Long Gone." According to Peter Keane, a friend and the donor of the guitar, Morrissey acquired an Epiphone "Texan" guitar in the late 1980s which became his stage guitar, but he continued to use the Guild guitar for songwriting.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Audio-Visual Materials, 1991-2005.

24 items.

Includes digital audiotapes, videotape, floppy discs, audiocassettes, and digital photographs on data compact disc. Digital audiotapes include recordings by Bill Morrissey, circa 1991-1992 and 2005. Floppy discs contain writings by Morrissey, including letters, songs, poems, prose, drafts of Edson and of the unpublished novel "Imaginary Runner". There are also software and text files received from Peter Spencer in Rocky Hill, N.J. and possible recordings on discs labeled "Dub #1" and "Dub #2," and unidentified material on two unlabeled discs. Audiocassettes chiefly contain unidentified fragments of songs recorded by Morrissey, including one with Greg Brown ("Friend of Mine." Data compact discs were labeled "CD pics" in original enclosure, and include photographs taken by Brian Kanof at the Kerrville Folk Festival, 29 May 2004, and unidentified materials labeled "For Ellen."

All original titles have been retained.

Digital Audiotape DAT-563

"Brown and Morrissey, Friend of Mine, Philo PH1151, 12/18/1992, copy of CD Master"

Digital Audiotape DAT-564

"Bill Morrissey, Master 1, 8/20/1991"

Digital Audiotape DAT-565

"Bill Morrissey, Philo 1154, DAT 2"

Digital Audiotape DAT-566

"Bill Morrissey, 8/15, Master"

Digital Audiotape DAT-567

"Bill Morrissey, Philo, mixes, 09/29/00"

Digital Audiotape DAT-568

"Bill Morrisey, Demos, 7/2/05"

Videotape V8M-20472/182

Unlabeled 8MM videotape

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/1

"Dub #1"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/2

"Dub #2"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/3

"Edson"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/4

"Letters"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/5

"Songs"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/6

"Poems and prose poems"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/7

Unidentified

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/8

Unidentified

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/9

"Imaginary Runner 21 March '04"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/10

"Imaginary Runner 21 March '04"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/11

"Imaginary Runner 6/1/04"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/12

"Software - Property of Peter Spencer"

Floppy Disc FLD-20472/13

"Text - Property of Peter Spencer"

SFC Audio Cassette FS-20472/12747

"Bill Morrissey, song fragments"

SFC Audio Cassette FS-20472/12748

Unidentified (probably Bill Morrisey, song fragments)

Data Compact Disc DCD-20472/1

"Kerrville Folk Festival, 29 May 2004, Photos by Brian Kanof"

Data Compact Disc DCD-20472/2

"For Ellen"

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