Cary Baker Collection, 1970s-1990s
Cary Baker is a music publicist who spent 42 years in the industry working with American roots musicians. In 2006 he was named the Blues Publicist of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Awards. This collection contains photographs, press kits, and promotional materials pertaining to many blues artists, including Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, B. B. King, Taj Mahal, and Big Mama Thornton, among others.
Charles Brown Collection, 1987-1999
The Charles Brown Collection contains audio recordings of and by Charles Brown, a blues musician known for his smooth vocals and gentle piano. The recordings include interviews, performances, and rehearsals spanning from 1987-1999.
David B. Capps Collection, 1969-1996
The David B. Capps Collection is a collection of photographs taken by Capps at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Benefits for The Ark, and the Union Grove Fiddlers’ Convention. Many of these photos, which were taken between 1969 and 1996, depict iconic blues musicians. Especially noteworthy is Image Folder PF-20571/42, with pictures of Son House, Freddy McDowell, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf, to name a few.
Goldband Recording Corporation Collection, 1930-2000
This collection is home to publicity materials, audio recordings, sheet music, song lyrics, photographs, and video recordings related to the Goldband Recording Corporation of Lake Charles, La. Many blues musicians recorded at Goldband, and their materials are included in this collection.
Stefan Grossman Collection, 1967-2007
Stefan Grossman is a fingerpicking guitarist and a co-founder of Kicking Mule Records. His collection is home to video and audio recordings, many of which feature prominent blues artists, including, but not limited to, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Reverend Gary Davis, Son House, and Bukka White.
Peter Guralnick Collection, 1935-2021
Peter Guralnick is an author and documentarian, primarily focusing on music of the American south in the 1950s and 60s. This massive collection is home to drafts, production, promotion, and research materials, as well as audiovisual recordings created and compiled as part of his research.
McCabe’s Guitar Shop Collection, 1967-2013
McCabe’s Guitar Shop is a musical instrument store and venue in California, and this collection contains audio recordings of live performances hosted at the shop between 1967-2008. Performers include prominent blues musicians as well as those who influenced the genre, such as Elizabeth Cotten (FT-8), John Lee Hooker (FT-415), Odetta (FT-54), and Dave Van Ronk (FT-236).
Jas Obrecht Collection, 1970s-2016
Jas Obrecht, whose collection contains interviews with guitarists and other musicians, demo tapes and mixes, and miscellaneous manuscript materials, is a music writer and editor for Guitar Player. His interviews feature iconic blues artists, including Buddy Guy and Otis Rush (FS-59) and John Lee Hooker and B. B. King (FS-111).
Bob Riesman Collection, 1920-2011
Bob Riesman’s collection is perfect for anyone interested in Arkansasian bluesman Big Bill Broonzy, as the niche collection contains research files, interviews, live recordings, and printed materials related to the influential artist.
Rosebud Agency Records, circa 1962-2016
The Rosebud Agency was founded in 1976 by Mike Kappus, who represented musicians who he considered to be timeless American artists. Artists featured in the collection, which primarily contains contracts, promotional materials, and audio recordings, include B. B. King (FS-4) and Muddy Waters (VT-549).
Don Sturkey Photographic Materials, 1951-2007 (bulk 1951-1989)
The Don Sturkey Photographic Materials collection is an enormous collection of photographs taken between 1951-2007 by North Carolinian photographer Don Sturkey. Notably, within the collection are pictures of Vaudeville-era blueswoman Ethel Waters.
Dick Waterman Photograph Collection, 1960-2003
The Dick Waterman Collection is a vast collection of photographs, the subjects of which include countless blues and blues-related musicians, such as Eric Clapton, Albert King, Mississippi John Hurt, Etta James, Mavis Staples, and Sippie Wallace.
78 RPM Recordings
If you're interested in listening to archival physical materials, you can browse UNC's vast collection of 78 RPM recordings by searching here.
Collection materials may only be used in our secure reading room - a part of the North Carolina Collection does include circulating books that can leave the building. To access Wilson Special Collections Library’s collections, all researchers must register and create a research account.
To begin the registration process, please select an option below:
If you are not affiliated with either UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke University, be sure to write down your username and password, as this information will be required each time you make a request for special collections material.
The first time you visit Wilson Library after completing your online pre-registration and creating a Request System account, you will need to complete the registration process by showing a staff member a government issued photo ID containing (1) your name, (2) your date of birth, and (3) an expiration date, and having your picture taken with our digital camera for inclusion in our database.