FREEMANKITCHENSCOLLECTION|NOMINATIONfortheNATIONALRECORDINGREGISTRY 1

TheFREEMANKITCHENSCOLLECTION

NOMINATIONfortheNATIONALRECORDINGREGISTRYLIBRARYofCONGRESS

2011To: Preparedby:NationalRecordingPreservationBoard JenniferJoyJamesonc/oMotionPicture,Broadcasting (760)805‐8002 &RecordedSoundDivision MissJameson@Gmail.comLibraryofCongress DepartmentofFolkStudies&101IndependenceAvenueSE AnthropologyWashingtonDC20540‐4698 237IvanWilsonFineArtsCenter WesternKentuckyUniversity 1906CollegeHeightsBlvd,61029 BowlingGreen,KY42101‐1029COLLECTIONINTRODUCTION TheFreemanKitchensCollectionisarecordedsoundcollectionoftheFolklifeArchivesattheKentuckyMuseum&LibraryatWesternKentuckyUniversityinBowlingGreen.TheCollectionincludes250,7­inchreel­to­reeltapeswithsourcematerialfromthepersonalcollectionofMr.FreemanKitchensofDrake,Kentucky–U.S.postmaster,notedrecordcollector,ownerofDrakeVintageMusic&Curios,andfoundingmemberandpresidentemeritusofthelong­runningCarterFamilyFanClub.TheCollectionconsistsofarangeoffirstandsecond­generationtapeswithrecordingsofradiotranscriptions,airchecksofradiobroadcastprogramsandperformances,fieldrecordingsoflivefestivalperformances,andcommercial78rpmrecordingsbroadlycategorizedascountrymusic,butfeaturingavarietyoffolk,blues,gospel,andcountry­westernacts.WKUfirstacquiredthesetapesinthemid1970s,asfolkloristsLynwoodMontell,BurtFeintuch,andPeggyBulger,directedandimplementedtheacquisitionofthesesoundrecordingsfromKitchens.1FreemanKitchenscontinuestooperatehisrecordshopinruralDrake.

1PEGGYBULGER,Dir.AmericanFolklifeCenter,LibraryofCongress:“WhenIwasastudentbackin1974,LynwoodMontellsuggestedthatIgotomeetwithFreemantoseeifhe'dbewillingtohaveacopyofhiscollectioncometotheWKUarchives...Iwoulddrivemyblackpick‐uptruckouttoDrakeeveryweekendandwewouldvisitanddiscusshisworkwiththeCartersandweassessedhiscollection.ItwasawonderfuldaywhenweworkedouttheagreementtohaveacopycometoWKU.Thatsetmeuptodo[my]thesisontheCarterFamily.”(E‐mailtoJ.JamesonfromPeggyBulgerdatedAug.16,2011)

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FREEMANKITCHENSandtheCarterFamilyFanClub

FreemanKitchens,bornSeptember18,1926inDrake,WarrenCounty,

Kentucky—asmallcommunityjustsouthofBowlingGreen,Ky.,andabout60miles

northofNashville,Tenn.—firstheardtheOriginalCarterFamilyasachild,listening

totheirTexas‐Mexicoborderbroadcastsontheradio.Kitchens’appreciationforthe

CarterFamily,andcountrymusicingeneral,grewfromthere,ashestarted

collectingandtradingrecordsasearlyasthe3rdand4thgrade.

In1946,attheageoftwenty,Kitchensstartedworkingforthelocalcountry

store,wheretheownerslethimsellhisever‐increasingcollectionofrecordingsin

thebackofthestore.In1951Kitchensboughttheproperty,openingFreeman

Kitchens’Grocerywherehesoldsandwiches,newspapers,othersundries—andof

course,hisrecords.PreviousownerCharlieDuncanalsopassedontoKitchensthe

dutyofDrakecommunitypostmaster.2Kitchensstillservesaspostmasterinhis

currentshop,DrakeVintageMusic&Curios,whichsitsadjacenttotheoriginalstore.

AftercorrespondingwithA.P.Carteraround1950,FreemanKitchensformed

acomprehensiveandofficialfanclubfortheCarterFamilyandtheirvariousacts

withassistancefromCarterSistersback‐upsingerFrancesLyell3ofOldHickory,

Tenn.ThenewlyestablishedCarterFamilyFanClubstartedwith25or30members.

Ina1974interviewconductedbyPeggyBulger,DirectoroftheAmericanFolklife

CenterattheLibraryofCongressandalumnaoftheWKUFolkStudiesM.A.

Program,Kitchensindicatedamembershipofabout300to400.4

Throughthefanclubjournal,theSunnySideSentinel,Kitchensandotherfans

tradedcountrymusicnewsbits,reviews,photos,andstoriesaboutattendinglive

performancesbytheCartersandrelatedacts,artistdiscographies,andindexesof

personalrecordingcollections.Thejournalalsofacilitatedthetradingofvarious

home‐cutandcommercialrecordingsamongcollectorsandfans,allofwhichmake

2NamesanddatesinferredfromFreemanKitchensand: Alford,EddieMay.2007.TheHistoryoftheStoreatDrake.3FrancesLyleBlanchette’sstagenameisFrancesLyell.4Bulger,Peggy.1974.InterviewwithFreemanKitchens.FreemanKitchensCollection, FolklifeArchives,KentuckyMuseum&Library.

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upthecontentoftheFreemanKitchensCollectionatWKU.5Theborderless

communitiesbuiltbythecirculationoftheSentinelcreatedaninternational

exchangeofearly,grassrootsmusictradingandjournalism,asKitchensaccountsfor

fanclubmembersasfarasWesternEurope.FolkloristBarbaraTaylor,ina1977

articleoftheKentuckyFolkloreRecordarticulatedKitchensandhismembers’

importantroleinmusichistory:6

Commercialrecordingcompanieshavebeenextremelycautious concerningthere‐releaseofearlyrecordings.Around1950therewas nooriginalartistmaterialbeingreissuedbythesecompanies. FreemanbeganwritingtocompaniessuchasRCA,Decca,and ColumbiatoaskthemaboutreissuingsomeCartermaterial.Athis request,otherfanclubmembersdidthesame.AccordingtoFreeman, therecordingcompanieshesitatedatfirst.Theydidnotknowwhere oriftheycouldfindthemasterrecordsintheirfiles—butasmore peoplebeganwriting,they“found”theoldmastercopies.Itislargely duetoFreeman’spersistence,andinturnthepersistenceofCarter FamilyFanClubmembers,thatmuchoriginalartistmaterial,which otherwisewouldhavebeenlosthasbeenreissued. Overtheyears,scholarsinterestedincountrymusichistoryandculturehave

consultedFreemanKitchensandgatheredimportantdatafromhiscollectionof

recordings,andfromthepagesoftheSentinel.Anabbreviatedlistincludesfolklore

andfolksongscholarsArchieGreen,D.K.Wilgus,LynwoodMontell,PeggyBulger,

BurtFeintuch,andErikaBrady,aswellaswritersWilliamFaulknerandNolan

Porterfield.

Throughouthislife,Kitchenshasbeenactiveinthelargercommunityof

professionalandhobbyistrecordcollectors—includingJoeBussard,WilsonReeves,

LouCurtiss,ReubenPowell,TimSisco,andJohnEdwards,tonamejustafew—by

whichKitchenscametoacquiremuchofhispersonalcollection.Manyoftheseearly

recordings,dubbedfortheCollectiontransferbyeitherKitchenshimselforbythe

5KitchensalsobrieflyactedasaneditorofDiscCollector,theofficialpublicationoftheNationalHillbillyRecordCollector’sExchange: Green,Archie.1972.OnlyaMiner.UniversityofIllinoisPress.p.56.6Taylor,BarbaraA.1977.FreemanKitchensandtheFreemanKitchensCollection. KentuckyFolkloreRecord23(1):12‐13.

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WKUArchives,makeupthe250reel‐to‐reeltapesoftheFreemanKitchens

Collection.

Thiscollectionof20thcenturycountrymusicrecordingsstandsaloneinits

compelling,grassrootsprovenance,builtwiththecollaborativeeffortofKitchens,

thelocalcommunityofDrake,andtheregionalandinternationalconstituencyofthe

CarterFamilyFanClub.TheFreemanKitchensCollectionremainshistorically

significantinthatitisoneoftheonlycollectionsofitskindavailableforpublic

reference,whileanymirroredcopiesofthenon‐commercialmaterialarelargely

heldinprivatecollectionsnotavailableforresearchbystudentsorthecommunity.

Incorrespondingwithmusicscholarsandrelevantarchivesandrepositories

inrecentmonths,ithasalsobecomeapparentthattherearesingularlyrareand

uniquerecordingsamongthenon‐commercialmaterialoftheFreemanKitchens

Collection.7

Kitchens’roleascommunitypostmaster,recordstoreowner,record

collector,andpresidentoftheCarterFamilyFanClubcollectivelycultivateda

7Researchintothissubjectison‐goingandrobust.ThefollowingindividualshaveofferedrelevantinputregardingtherarityofFKCrecordings:DR.NEILROSENBERG,MemorialUniversityofNewfoundland:“Therecordingsfromthepostwareraintothe1970scompriseevenlesswell‐chartedterritorythantheprewar78s[…]Theoldradioshows,ontheotherhand,maybequiterare.”(LettertoJ.JamesonfromNeilV.RosenbergdatedMay18,2011)ALANSTOKER,CuratorofRecordedSound,CountryMusicFoundation:“Mostofthecontentsof[aselectionofrecordingsfromtheWKUFolklifeArchivesincludingtheFreemanKitchensCollection]aresingularlyunique.Fieldrecordingsofmusicandlifeintheareamadebystudentsorothersanddonatedtothelibrary,areextremelyimportantandworthyofattentionandpreservation.”(Stoker,A.2002.)JOEBUSSARD,Collector:“Alotofgoodradioshows[…]showssomeI’msurearerare.”(LettertoJ.JamesonfromJoeBussarddatedOct.24,2011)LOUCURTISS,Collector,CuratoroftheSanDiegoFolkFestival:“TheWilmaLee&StoneyCooperbroadcast&TheMollyODay,LynnDavisbroadcastareonesIhaven'tseenbefore.”(E‐mailtoJ.JamesonfromLouCurtissdatedNov.2,2011)JEFFPLACE,RinzlerArchives,SmithsonianInstitution:“OnlypossiblecrossoverIseeis:BillMonroeontheGrandOldOpry,1946‐48.Ofcourse,somelookslikedubsof78s,wemayhavesomeofthose.”(E‐mailtoJ.JamesonfromJeffPlacedatedNovember7,2011)

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historicallyandculturallysignificantcommunityofmusicappreciators,whonot

onlyengagedwiththecommercialmusicindustry,andwiththeartistsdirectly,but

alsobuiltapioneeringfanculture.Asaresult,Kitchensandhisclubmembershave

publishedandcirculatedsomeoftheearliestformsofmusicjournalismand

grassrootsaudiodocumentationsurroundingbothnotableandlong‐forgotten

countryandfolkperformers.

Withanemphasisontheculturalandhistoricalsignificanceofitsnon‐

commercialmaterial,theFreemanKitchensCollectionservesasanexcellent

samplingreflectiveofthetypesofpopularcountrysoundrecordingstapedand

tradedamongfansandcollectorsofmid20th‐centuryUnitedStates,makingit

worthytobeplacedontheLibraryofCongress’NationalRecordingRegistry.

EXTENToftheFREEMANKITCHENSCOLLECTION

TheCollectioncurrentlyconsistsof2507‐inchreel‐to‐reeltapes,eachtape

boxwithoriginalplaylistnotes,eitherhandwrittenbyKitchensorcollectors,or

madeattimeofaccessioningintotheWKUFolklifeArchives.Thetapecontent

bouncesbackandforthbetweenlivefieldrecordingsofconcertsandfestivalssuch

as“Mainer’sMountaineers:LiveShowatShadeGap,PA.BluegrassFestival–

8/10/69”(T‐535‐K),airchecksorradiotranscriptionssuchas“WilmaLeeand

StoneyCooper,1950s,fromWheeling,WV,onWWVACBSRadioNetwork[…]”

(T‐953‐K)and,ofcourse,commercial78rpmrecordings.Thenon‐commercial

materialmakesupapproximately70tapes,withmultiplerecordingsoneachsideof

thetapes.

CONDITIONoftheFREEMANKITCHENSCOLLECTION

TheCollectionisinfinecondition,withnoapparentdeterioration,however,

asisthenatureofmagnetictapereels,thequalityinevitablyreducesovertime,

makingitimportanttodigitizetheCollectionassoonaspossible.TheWKUFolklife

Archivesveryrecentlypurchasedthenecessaryreel‐to‐digitaltransferequipment,

andI,JenniferJameson,thepreparerofthisdocument,amcurrentlyworkingon

securinggrantandprojectfundstodigitizethe250tapesinthenextyear,andwith

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thegreatamountofacademicandcommunitysupportfortheFreemanKitchens

Collection,procuringfundsfortheworktodigitizethetapeslookincredibly

promising.AsuccessfulnominationintotheNationalRecordingRegistrywould

buildonthismomentum,andencouragetheswiftdigitalpreservationofthe

completeFreemanKitchensCollection,leadingtoincreasedaccessibilitytothese

notablerecordingsforyearstocome.

WORKSCITEDStoker,Alan.2002.AssessmentandPreservationRecommendationsfor WesternKentuckyUniversity’sFolkloreandFolklifeArchives TapeCollection.