Ed Ward Collection | Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog

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Collection Overview

Title: Ed Ward Collection

Predominant Dates:1937-1991

Primary Creator: Ward, Ed

Extent: 4.0 Boxes (General)

Subjects: Country music -- History., Folk music., Harlan County (Ky.).

Languages: English

Abstract

Ed Ward was a private record and tape collector, poet, prose writer, and community historian who lived at Bledsoe in Harlan County, Kentucky.

The digitized material in this collection includes recordings of interviews with Ed Ward, his reading from his writings such as Tall Tales of the Hills, musician interviews he recorded, and selected tape copies from Ward’s record collection of commercial recordings of Kentucky old time and early country music artists.

The collection’s interviews and music performances document such historically significant Kentucky old time musicians as Blind Dick Burnett, John V. Walker, Arthur Johnson, Ernest Martin, W.L. Gregory, the Jones Creek Quartet, and others including the widow of Blind James Howard whose ballads and fiddle tunes were recorded for the Library of Congress in 1937.

The substantial portion of the collection that is not yet digitized is comprised of taped copies of several dozen 78 rpm discs that document many lesser known traditional recording artists of the 1920s and 1930s representing areas beyond Kentucky. These recordings can be accessed in the Special Collections reading room.

Subject/Index Terms

Country music -- History.
Folk music.
Harlan County (Ky.).

Administrative Information

Repository: Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog

Access Restrictions: Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College. Some recordings are available online.

Use Restrictions: There are no restrictions on use of this material other than federal copyright regulations.

Acquisition Source: Ed Ward donated the collection to the Berea College Special Collections and Archives.

Preferred Citation: [Object identification], Ed Ward Collection, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Berea, KY.

Processing Information: The collection was arranged by Harry Rice, Sound Archivist. The finding aid was created in August 2015 by Collections Archivist, Lori Myers-Steele, and Harry Rice. Links to digital recordings added 2019.

Other Note: Collection Number: BCA 0137 SAA 137

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1-4: Recordings],
[Box 1: Digitized Collection Recordings],
[Box 2: Early Commercial Country Music Recording Copies],
[Box 3: Early Commercial Country Music Recording Copies],
[Box 4: Early Commercial Country Music Recording Copies],
[All]

Box 2: Early Commercial Country Music Recording Copies

Item 1: EW-CT-001-002: 78 rpm dubs (Red Fox Chasers, Cranford & Thompson, Everhart, Love, Hammond, Walker's Corbin Ramblers, etc.)
Item 2: EW-CT-001-004: 78 rpm dubs (Lulu Belle & Scotty, Karl & Harty, Goebel Reeves, Molly O'Day, etc.)
Item 3: EW-CT-001-005: 78 rpm dubs (O'Day, Doc & Chickie Williams, Carter Family, Lulu Belle & Scotty, etc.)
Item 4: EW-CT-001-007: 78 rpm dubs (Riley Puckett / Red Jones, Hugh Cross, Ted Hawkins)
Item 5: EW-CT-001-010: 78 rpm dubs (The Three Tobacco Tags)
Item 6: EW-CT-001-012: 78 rpm dubs (Red Fox Chasers, Crawford and Thompson, etc. / The Jones Sisters)
Item 7: EW-CT-001-015: 78 rpm dubs (Kentucky artists from the collections of John Cohen & D.K. Wilgus)
Item 8: EW-CT-001-018: 78 rpm dubs (Patterson, Dalhart, Grayson & Whitter, Reed, Blue Sky Boys, Rodgers, etc.)
Item 9: EW-CT-001-020: Unissued recordings of the Chuck Wagon Gang / 78 rpm dubs (various artists)
Item 10: EW-CT-001-021: 78 rpm dubs of The Carter Family
Item 11: EW-CT-001-022: 78 rpm dubs (Hutchens Brothers, Bailey Brothers / Mac O'Dell)
Item 12: EW-CT-001-023: 78 rpm dubs (Watson, Luther, Gosdin, Womack, Monroe, Macon, Davis, etc.)
Item 13: EW-CT-001-026: 78 rpm dubs by Frank Hutchison
Item 14: EW-CT-001-027: 78 rpm dubs by W.T. Narmour & S.W. Smith
Item 15: EW-CT-001-028: 78 rpm dubs (Karnes, Smith Brothers, Blue Sky Boys, Welling & McGhee, etc.)
Item 16: EW-CT-001-029: 78 rpm dubs (Miller, Hank Williams, Tubb, Rainey, Cousin Emma, Mac & Bob, etc.)
Item 17: EW-CT-001-031: 78 rpm dubs (Smith's Garage Fiddle Band; Hayes Shepherd; Roanoke Jugband; Bill Shepherd; Oran Campbell; Cannon's Jug Stampers, etc.)
Item 18: EW-CT-001-033: LP dubs (Jane Voss / Shelor Family; Kimble Family)
Item 19: EW-CT-001-034: 78 rpm dubs (Kentucky Ramblers, Hopkins, Stoneman, Martin & Roberts, Cox, etc.)
Item 20: EW-CT-001-035: 78 rpm dubs (Grant Brothers, North Carolina Ramblers, Green, Arthur, etc.)
Item 21: EW-CT-001-036: 78 rpm dubs of Fiddlin' John Carson
Item 22: EW-CT-001-037: 78 rpm dubs (Autry, Foley, Wells, Martin, etc.)
Item 23: EW-CT-001-038: LP dubs (Kimble Family; Byard Ray); 78 rpm dubs (Dalhart, McCoy, Collins)
Item 24: EW-CT-001-039: 78 rpm dubs (Fiddlin' John Carson, Shortbuckle Roark, Garley Foster, Sid Harkreader, Uncle Dave Macon, etc.)
Item 25: EW-CT-001-041: LP dubs (Leslie Keith, Bill Stevens, Les Powers)
Item 26: EW-CT-001-042: 78 rpm dubs of Gene Autry
Item 27: EW-CT-001-043: LP dubs (Wild Turkey String Band; Leslie Keith)
Item 28: EW-CT-001-044: LP dubs (Joe Edd King / Ed Haley)
Item 29: EW-CT-001-046: 78 rpm dubs (Martin & Roberts, Highlanders, Poole, Skillet Lickers, etc.)
Item 30: EW-CT-001-047: 78 rpm dubs (Earl Johnson, Ritter, McClintock, Greene, Prairie Ramblers, etc.)
Item 31: EW-CT-001-050: 78 rpm dubs (John Carson / Chitwood, Lone Star Fiddlers, etc.)
Item 32: EW-CT-001-051: LP dubs (Algie Surratt, Claude Holt, etc. / Norman Edmonds & Rufus Burnett)
Item 33: EW-CT-001-052: 78 rpm dubs: Seven Foot Dilly & His Dill Pickles / Elizabeth Cotten / others
Item 34: EW-CT-001-053: 78 rpm dubs: Mel and Stan / McMichen's Melody Men / Johnny and Jack / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / John & Frances Reedy / Roy Acuff / Reno & Smiley / etc.
Item 35: EW-CT-001-058: 78 rpm dubs (Logan County Trio / Clinch Valley Boys / Ernest Stoneman / Asa Martin / Wenatchee Mountaineers / etc.)
Item 36: EW-CT-001-059: 78 rpm dubs (Leake Co. Revelers, Foley, Carlisle, Barfield, Georgia Crackers, etc.)
Item 37: EW-CT-001-060: 78 rpm dubs (Carlisle, Reno & Smiley, Scottdale, etc.)