Formats - Sound
The Center for American History's sound collections contain more than 50,000 recordings of music and the spoken word in a variety of sound formats ranging from early cylinder recordings to the modern CD. Although the majority of these recordings are of music, the Center also has significant holdings of oral history and other recordings of the spoken word.
The Center's extensive collections of spoken-word recordings include both oral history and less formal reminiscences, speeches, and public events. Of the Center's 7,200 tape and cassette recordings, more than half represent formal oral histories, ranging from single interviews to major series of several hundred tapes. The major series include oral histories of Caldwell County, bluesman Mance Lipscomb, the Texas Oil Industry, the milestone Pennzoil-Texaco court case, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalties Organization (TIPRO), Texas businesses, Texas and American folklore, and the University of Texas. Significant individual series include oilman J. R. Parten, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, and football coach Darrell Royal. Many smaller oral history collections document the lives and activities of pioneer descendants, musicians, artists, writers, homemakers, political and business leaders, military veterans, educators, and other people from many walks of life.
The Center's other recordings of the spoken word include public events; radio broadcasts, interviews, and speeches; historical recreations; literature and lore; and conference proceedings. Significant public events include Gov. W. Lee O'Daniel's inauguration in 1939, various UT building dedications, and the Presidio, Texas, Tricentennial celebrations in 1983. Radio broadcasts include Texas Centennial broadcasts of 1936, border radio air checks from the 1940s, a Miriam A. Ferguson campaign speech in 1940, and a 1985 interview with country music veteran Cliff Bruner.
Historical recreations include classic addresses by UT professor W. J. Battle and Eugene C. Barker. Recorded lore includes Alabama-Coushatta stories and songs, Texas prison lore, and livestock auctions. Recorded conference proceedings include the Texas Literary Tradition (1983), the Texas Women's Literary Tradition (1984), the biennial John Henry Faulk Conference on the First Amendment, and the conference on the José Enrique de la Peña Narrative of the Texas Revolution (2000).
All Center sound resources are available in the Research and Collections Division, which is located in Sid Richardson Hall Unit 2 on the University's main campus in Austin. Inventories and guides exist to many of the discrete sound collections. Some sound collections are stored off-site and require at least three working days' notice for retrieval for use at the Center. Materials are neither retrieved nor received on Saturdays. Patrons are advised to telephone ahead to check on availability.