Inventory of the Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated

Abstract

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.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator: Dahl, Linda, 1949-
Title: Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated
Language of Material: English
Extent: 0.6 Linear Feet, 375 Items
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Series Quick Links

Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated

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.

Administrative Information

Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »

Access Restrictions

Collection 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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Contents of the Collection

Browse List of Series

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Linda Dahl Collection on Mary Lou Williams, 1944-1993 and undated

Articles on African-American Music

Box 1

Biographical Information

Box 1

Concert Programs, 1944-1982

Box 1

Documentary Film Research Files

Box 1

Early Jazz Greats Information Cards

Box 1

Last Will and Testament

Box 1

Letters from Williams and associates to Joyce Breach, 1964-1981

Box 1

Magazine and Newspaper Clippings, 1957-1993

Box 1

Mary Lou Williams Foundation, Records and Correspondence

Box 1

Miscellaneous Correspondence from Williams, 1955-1969

Box 1

Miscellaneous Publications, 1959-1981 (2 folders)

Box 1

Photographs and Transparencies

Box 1

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.