[78-L] the Lost Recordings of...

[warren moorman]

Rodger, I presume you've considered an appeal to the COC churches themselves, perhaps asking for a brief item in their bulletins. While you understandably wish to make a fun comparison with unfound commercial recordings, don't sell them short on their own merits; in the period of those radio reels (1952+), and even earlier, there are more notable amateur/collegiate recordings than some people think. Inaccurate presumptions about them have created a bias favoring commercial recordings, but true sound archivists (as opposed to collectors of only commercially released discs) know better. Such non-commercial captured sound may contain documentation of later notable figures, they may represent early recordings jobs by professional recordists (e.g. Sam Phillips), or be significant for any of a number of reasons. Examples in my own collection include a collegiate recording of well known comedy writer Jay Tarses, a very scarce lp with serious cover art by future
 "Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau, and an early 78 transcription from Dallas' WFAA of a school Christmas choir. You might also check with the LOC to see which of their radio airchecks and other items might have FHU relevance.

W    

--- On Mon, 3/2/09, Rodger Holtin <rjh334578 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Rodger Holtin <rjh334578 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [78-L] the Lost Recordings of...
> To: "78-List" <78-l at 78online.com>
> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 12:21 PM
> 
> This question is prompted by a CD that I'm working on
> for the university I work for.  For over 45 years, (1953+)
> the college chorus sent out reels or cassettes of a weekly
> 15-minute program.  At the peak they were sent to some 200
> radio stations, primarily in the South, but scattered all
> over incluyding Canada.  Forty-five years times 52 weeks is
> way over 2,000 programs. There is not a single copy of any
> of the masters - or any of the programs  - anywhere on
> campus.  
> 
> Last month one of the old chorus members from the class of
> 1960 sent me a couple reels that he's kept as souvenirs
> of happy college days.  There's going to be a story in
> the alumni magazine about this, and the idea is to have
> other folks look in their closets for this stuff and send it
> in - kind of a localized take on the NPR series of the early
> 1990's called Lost and Found Sound, which many of you
> will remember.  
> 
> Anyway, and finally, here's the question, I want to
> draw a comparison to the lost college recordings and those
> of - you tell me - Edison?  Glenn Miller Army band? 
> Elvis?  etc etc
> 
> Rodger