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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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Collection Overview
| 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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Information For Users
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Processing Information
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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
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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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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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Papers and Related Materials, 1967-2011.
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 1Folder 2 |
ArtVisual art created by Bill Morrissey. Includes pastel and pencil drawings and oil and watercolor paintings on canvas and in spiral bound sketchbooks. |
| Folder 3 |
AwardsIncludes 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 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8 |
ClippingsClippings 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 9Folder 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 11Folder 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 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 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 18Folder 19Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 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 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 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 28Folder 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 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36 |
EdsonPartial 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 37Folder 38Folder 39Folder 40 |
Financial recordsChiefly 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 |
FlyersPrinted flyers promoting performances by Bill Morrissey. |
| Folder 42 |
Grammy program, 2001 |
| Folder 43 |
Music instruction charts |
| Folder 44 |
NotebooksCLOSED until 2026. Small bound notebooks containing sketches, song lyrics, and personal notes. |
| Folder 45 |
Notes and business cardsIncludes handwritten notes and business cards collected by Bill Morrissey. |
Folder 46-47
Folder 46Folder 47 |
Other papersIncludes 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 48Folder 49Folder 50 |
PeriodicalsIncludes 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 recordsBirth 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-20472/1PF-20472/2 |
PhotographsColor 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 kitsCollected biography, photographs, and promotional articles for press kits. |
| Folder 53 |
Printed materialsPhotocopied articles and reviews of Bill Morrissey's work. |
| Folder 54 |
Professional papersItems 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 materialsPostcards, bookmarks, and business cards with promotional information for various albums and for Bill Morrissey's novel Edson. |
Folder 56-57
Folder 56Folder 57 |
Sheet musicIncludes music by Simon and Garfunkel and other printed sheet music collected by Bill Morrissey. |
| Folder 58 |
Writings: Fiction draftsLoose handwritten and typed pages of unpublished fiction, including partial drafts of "Imaginary Runner." |
| Folder 59 |
Writings: Song lyrics and sheet musicIncludes page proofs of the liner notes for the album "Come Running," with handwritten edits. |
| Folder 60a |
Writings: Notes and set listsChiefly handwritten on napkins and scraps of paper. |
| Folder 60b |
Writings: Set list from guitarHandwritten set list previously taped to Bill Morrissey's guitar (Museum Item MU-20472/1). |
Folder 61-64
Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64 |
Writings by othersFiction, 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 guitarGuild 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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Series 2. Audio-Visual Materials, 1991-2005.
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.
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Items Separated