Inventory of the Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated
[top]Descriptive Summary
Repository
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Creator
Dahl, Linda, 1949-
Title
Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated
Language of Material
Material in English
Extent
0.6 Linear Feet
375 Items
Abstract
375 Items
Author Linda Dahl wrote the first full-length biography of jazz pianist, arranger, composer, and educator Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981), titled Morning Glory: A Biography of Mary Lou Williams (1999).
The Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams contains materials compiled by Dahl in researching the Williams biography, including newspaper and magazine clippings, correspondence, photographs and transparency strips, concert programs, and a variety of financial and foundation records.
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Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Copyright Notice
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams was received by the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as a gift in 2002.
Processing Information
Processed by Jeremy Smith, December 2008
Encoded by Jeremy Smith, December 2008
Accession 2002-0223 is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical and Historical Note
Author Linda Dahl wrote the first full-length biography of jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator Mary Lou Williams, titled Morning Glory: A Biography of Mary Lou Williams (New York: Pantheon Books, 1999). By the 1930s, Williams (born Atlanta, 8 May 1910; died Durham, N.C., 28 May 1981) had begun working as a pianist and/or arranger for bandleaders including Andy Kirk, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie. Williams gained additional acclaim as a leader of her own bands as well as a composer of such works as Zodiac Suite (1946) and Music for Peace (1971), also known as Mary Lou's Mass. She was an artist in residence in Duke University's Department of Music from 1977-1981.
[top]Collection Overview
The Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams contains materials compiled by Dahl in researching her 1999 biography of Williams. The collection features newspaper and magazine clippings on Williams; letters from Williams to her friend Joyce Breach regarding Williams's concert tours and other travels, Roman Catholicism, the business of jazz, and Williams's medical ailments; as well as letters to Breach from other of Williams's associates. One folder of miscellaneous correspondence by Williams primarily relates to the planning of jazz concerts and to Williams's work with the Bel Canto Foundation and the Charlie Parker Memorial Fund. The collection also contains a selection of records related to the Mary Lou Williams Foundation; thirteen photographs and four transparency strips of Williams; a folder of concert programs featuring Williams or her compositions; and six miscellaneous publications, primarily on music, from throughout Williams's lifetime.
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- African American Catholics.
- African American musicians--Correspondence.
- Bel Canto Foundation.
- Breach, Joyce.
- Catholic Church--United States.
- Clippings.
- Concert tours.
- Dahl, Linda, 1949-
- Dahl, Linda, 1949-. Morning glory.
- Duke University. Dept. of Music. Faculty.
- Jazz.
- Jazz--1931-1940.
- Jazz--1941-1950.
- Jazz--1951-1960.
- Jazz--1961-1970.
- Jazz--1971-1980.
- Jazz musicians.
- Jazz musicians--Health and hygiene.
- Mary Lou Williams Foundation.
- Photographs.
- Pianists--United States.
- Programs.
- Transparencies.
- Williams, Mary Lou--1910-1981.
- Women jazz musicians--United States.
Related Material
Mary Lou Williams Collection
Institute of Jazz Studies, John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers University
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated
Articles on African-American Music
Biographical Information
Concert Programs, 1944-1982
Documentary Film Research Files
Early Jazz Greats Information Cards
Last Will and Testament
Letters from Williams and associates to Joyce Breach, 1964-1981
Magazine and Newspaper Clippings, 1957-1993
Mary Lou Williams Foundation, Records and Correspondence
Miscellaneous Correspondence from Williams, 1955-1969
Miscellaneous Publications, 1959-1981 (2 folders)
Photographs and Transparencies
