The Mike Seeger Collection contains audio and video recordings, photographs, and correspondence relating to the life and career of Charles Seeger. The audio recordings include Charles’ compositions and performances (FS-12806), personal interviews conducted by Mike from 1975 (FS-9649, FS-9650), and the musical gathering following his death in 1979 (FT-14509, FT-14510). The video recordings also include personal interviews with Charles (VT-367, VT-368, VT-369). The photographs depict family moments with Charles and the Seeger siblings as children and on stage together into their adulthood. The correspondence includes letters from Charles to Mike during the 1960s, information about the Charles Seeger biography, family matters about his estate, and his response to the David K. Dunaway essay.
The Mike Seeger Collection contains audio recordings and correspondence pertaining to the career of Ruth Crawford Seeger. The audio recordings include live performances, demos, and CDs of Ruth’s musical compositions (FT-15129, FS-14575, FS-14576). There is an audio recording of Ruth performing “Just Wondering,” which also captures a conversation between Ruth and folk singer Elizabeth Cotten (FT-15338). Along with scholarly research about Ruth and her work as a composer, the correspondence contains letters from people asking for permission to use Ruth’s compositions.
The Mike Seeger Collection contains audio and video recordings, photographs, correspondence, and publicity relating to the lives and careers of the Seeger siblings. There are materials from Charles III, John, Pete, Peggy, Barabara, and Penny. Most of the content focuses on Pete, Peggy, and Penny and their musical associations with Mike. The audio recordings include lives shows, practice tapes, workshops, and CDs of performances from the siblings by themselves (FT-14339, DAT-605), together (FS-12792, FT-14511, FT-14294, FT-14082, FT-14315 ), and with other artists (FT-3786, FS-12798). Video recordings include Pete’s Kennedy Center Honors, the siblings performing folk tunes with children, and the New Lost City Ramblers appearing on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest (VT-329). The photographs mainly depict Mike, Pete, and Peggy performing on stage as well as at family gatherings. The correspondence contains personal letters from all the siblings about daily life and research on the family’s history. There are also business letters among the siblings arranging joint performances and projects with each other. The publicity consists of promotional materials, such as press releases, fliers, prints, and newspaper clippings, related to Pete, Mike, Peggy, and Penny’s music careers.
The Mike Seeger Collection contains audio and video recordings, photographs, correspondence, and publicity pertaining to the personal life and music career of Alice Gerrard. The audio recordings include live shows, practice tapes, workshops, and CDs of Gerrard performing at music festivals, concerts, and home sessions. These recordings portray Gerrard playing with many artists and acts, such as Hazel Dickens (FT-12884), Mike Seeger (FT-14237), Tommy Jarrell (FT-14490), Elizabeth Cotten (FT-14477), and the Strange Creek Singers (FT-14249). There is a video recording of Hazel and Alice performing with Mike Seeger and Tracey Schwarz on Women Alive! in 1975 (VT-148). The photographs mainly depict Gerrard on stage or for promotional content and include images of her with Hazel Dickens, Mike Seeger, and the Strange Creek Singers. The contents of the correspondence surround the personal and business affairs of Gerrard: letters between her and Mike while he was on tour, managing her shows with Mike, communication with Dock Boggs, the establishment of the Old-Time Herald, transcriptions of an interview with Tommy Jarrell, and her divorce from Mike Seeger. The publicity consists of promotional materials, such as press releases, fliers, prints, and newspaper clippings, related to Gerrard’s career with Mike and the Strange Creek Singers.
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