Religious Music Collections

Arizona Dranes Papers feature image The collection consists primarily of contracts and correspondence between Arizona Dranes and the Consolidated Music Publishing House (owner of the Chicago OKeh Records franchise) from 1926-1929. Contracts for Nov. 15, 1926, include one song not commercially released (and possibly not recorded), "He's Got Better Things for You." Also included are articles about Dranes and this collection by the donor, Malcolm Shaw, and gospel historian Dr. Daniel E. Walker.
Blondell Hill Gospel Music Collection, 1916-1964, bulk 1940-1964 feature image This collection consists of gospel song books and sheet music, song texts, photographs, and other ephemeral material related to Blondell Hill's participation with choirs in Richmond, Indiana, Petoskey, Michigan, and Harbor Springs, Michigan.
Bobby Jones Collection feature image Personal memorabilia and awards documenting the career of gospel music legend Dr. Bobby Jones.
Charles Coleman Collection, 1929-1991 feature image This collection consists of printed and manuscript scores of music by Charles Coleman, including sacred and secular choral works, as well as ephemeral materials related to the composer.
Debbie May Collection feature image This collection consists of commercial gospel music videocassettes, commercial audio recordings, paper documents, schedules, promotional materials, photographs, and other ephemeral material related to Debbie May's career as a music producer.
Deborah Smith Pollard Collection feature image The Deborah Smith Pollard collection includes more than 200 gospel music magazines and other publications from the 1980s to 2000s. The collection also includes Pollard's gospel music television specials, over 50 interviews she conducted with gospel artists and industry figures, airchecks of Pollard's radio program "Strong Inspirations" and radio programs hosted by other announcers.
Edith Casteleyn Dutch Gospel Choirs Collection feature image Includes the personal papers of Edith Casteleyn, founder and director of Dutch community gospel choirs in the Netherlands, as well as scrapbooks, recordings, videos, clippings, programs, publicity materials, and photographs documenting the Soesterberg Gospel Choir, Friendship Gospel Choir, Life Line Gospel Choir, Alive! Gospel Choir, Rainbow Gospel Singers, and other choirs directed by Casteleyn.
Every Voice and Sing Collection feature image Every Voice and Sing: The Choral Music Legacy of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities is a 5-part series on Black choral music that explores the social/political context of the Civil War/Reconstruction era that brought about the formation of these Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their amazing Singing Groups. The project is collaborative production of EVT Educational Productions, Inc. and JAZZ88.3FM WBGO Radio of Newark, New Jersey. The series was broadcast by over 240 public radio stations.
Gayle Wald Collection of Rosetta Tharpe Materials feature image This collection includes clippings, sheet music, and one photograph related to gospel musician Rosetta Tharpe.
Gospel News Journal feature image The collection includes 11 issues of the periodical Gospel News Journal. The collection does not contain a complete run of the Journal, but includes issues from Volumes 2-5, dating from 1966-1968.
The collection consists of materials related to Smithsonian Institution programs, including the Duke Ellington Youth Project, in addition to gospel sheet music and related research materials from George's personal collection.
Music promoter Mark del Costello has assembled archival footage of black performers, as well as souvenir programs, posters, and photographs related to shows he has produced.
The collection includes Burnim's dissertation research on African American religious music conducted primarily in Indiana between 1976-1979 with an emphasis on gospel music performance and practice; and post-dissertation research on African and African American religious music conducted between 1980-1996 in the U.S., Cuba, Liberia, and Malawi. Also included is documentation of the 1984 Smithsonian American Folklife Festival and gospel sheet music. The collection was primarily recorded on analog audio formats and includes audiocassettes, open reel tapes, videocassettes, open reel video, slides, sheet music, song texts, and additional documentation.
Personal papers consisting of published and unpublished articles and liner notes by Nations, primarily on the topics of early rhythm and blues and gospel music. Also included are the audio files for nearly 500 gospel music CDs issued by Nations on his Pewburner Records label.
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. This collection consists of one series made up of recordings and transcripts of interviews that Marovich conducted with a variety of gospel music pioneers while writing A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music. The interviews discuss the musicians' lives and careers, as well as spirituality and the gospel genre as a whole.
Ronald C. Lewis Collection feature image The Ronald Lewis collection contains press releases, article clippings, concert flyers, posters, advertisements, sound recordings and video documenting Lewis' career as a musician, record label owner, and producer in Louisville, KY.
Teresa Hairston Collection feature image Collection includes magazines published by Teresa Hairston including Gospel Today, Gospel Industry Today and Score, as well as materials used in the production of the magazine including interviews (audio), publicity photographs, and press releases related to gospel artists, preachers, organizations, and the music industry. There is extensive documentation (images, videos) of the annual Gospel Heritage Festival, the Gospel Today television series, Gospel Heritage Praise & Worship Conference, and other events and productions managed by Hairston. Also included are over 5000 commercial sound recordings (CD, LP, audiocassette) and commercially produced videos and DVDs of gospel music and religious programs. The latter are being added to IUCAT and can be searched using the keywords "Teresa Hairston Collection" (follow this link to search results)
Vy Higginsen Collection, 1982-2012 feature image The collection consists primarily of materials related to the gospel musicals Mama, I Want to Sing ; Mama, I Want to Sing II; and Born to Sing! Mama 3. It includes scripts, programs, promotional materials, posters, photographs, videos, and sound recordings. Records of the Mama Foundation include programs, press clippings, publicity, and posters.
Wade in the Water Collection feature image A 26-part series on gospel music conceived and hosted by Bernice Johnson Reagon and produced by National Public Radio. The series is accompanied by a curriculum guide.
Collection documenting the AAAMC's 2011 conference Why We Sing: Indianapolis Gospel Music in Church, Community, and Industry. Participants include Al Hobbs, Leonard Scott, Sherri Garrison, Rodnie Bryant, Lamar Campbell, Thomas A. Hill, Liz Dixson, and Tracy Williamson. Conference documentation includes photographs and video files of the three panels, pre-conference interviews with panelists, and the closing concert. Also included are images and research files related to the accompanying exhibit, and audio and video files of post-conference interviews with Carla Poindexter, Kenneth Woods, Jr., and Rev. Melvin B. Girton about the history of gospel music in Indianapolis.