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Title: Lawrence Gushee Papers, 1794-2008

ID: 12/5/68

Creator: Lawrence Gushee (1931-2015)

Extent: 27.5 cubic feet

Arrangement: Organized in three series: Series 1: Medieval and Renaissance Music Research and Instruction (1855-2007), Series 2: American Popular Music Research and Instruction (1794-2007), and Series 3: Tangential Research Files and Personal Papers (1800-2007). Series 1 is organized in three subseries: Subseries 1: Research Files, Subseries 2: Instruction Files, and Subseries 3: Correspondence. Series 2 is organized in three subseries: Subseries 1: Research Files (1794-2007) arranged by primary topical subject area, Subseries 2: Instruction Files (1923-2001) arranged alphabetically by course title or subject and then chronologically thereunder, and Subseries 3: Correspondence (1973-2007) arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Series 3 is organized in three subseries: Subseries 1: Organological Research and Instruction Files, Subseries 2: Reference and Other Research Files, and Subseries 3: Professional Papers and Correspondence.

Date Acquired: 12/15/2014

Languages: English [eng], German [ger], French [fre], Italian [ita], Latin [lat], Russian [rus], Arabic [ara], Spanish;Castilian [spa], Swedish [swe], Greek,Ancient(to1453) [grc], Dutch;Flemish [dut], Hebrew [heb], Chinese [chi]

Consists of research and instructional files, and correspondence related to his scholarship in Medieval and Renaissance music, American popular music (primarily Jazz), as well as Gushee's ancillary scholarly interests which include organology and nineteenth-century French music. Materials also pertain to Gushee's involvement and service as a faculty member for the School of Music at the University of Illinois. Gushee's study of American popular music grew from his initial interest in Medieval and Renaissance trouveres and troubadours; and his research of early music included the genealogy of important musicians and the tracing of song origins. Such endeavors were highly influential upon his later work with American music. Gushee's research efforts are represented in genealogical records (census, marriage, death, and military service) of famous jazz musicians, including Jelly Roll Morton, maps, card catalog records, audiovisual materials, and print versions of Gushee's conference papers.

Lawrence "Larry" Arthur Gushee (1931-2015) was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania to Lawrence and Mary McEachern Gushee, and grew up in the areas of Boston and Philadelphia. After graduating from William Penn Charter School, Gushee earned a BA in the History of Music from Yale University, and then a Ph.D. in Musicology Studies from Yale in 1962. His teaching career includes posts at Yale (until 1967), University of Wisconsin-Madison (1967-1976), and finally University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1976-1997). Gushee was a classically-trained clarinetist as well as a musicologist, and later in his career he became involved in traditional jazz and ragtime performance. He later formed his own band, the New Golden Rule Orchestra. Gushee's study of American popular music had grown from his initial interest in Medieval and Renaissance trouveres and troubadours; his work in early music included the genealogy of important musicians and the tracing of song origins. Such endeavors were highly influential upon his work with American music. The bulk of his scholarly research focused on medieval music and early jazz, with particular expertise on Jelly Roll Morton and the Original Creole Band of New Orleans. From this expertise came the publication of his book Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band (2005). Additionally, Gushee's written work in these fields appears in American Record Guide and Jazz Review, and he has provided liner notes for Smithsonian reissues of King Oliver, Freddie Keppard, and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers Recordings. His most influential contribution as a scholar was the promotion of early jazz as a legitimate scholarly field.

Accruals: 30 cubic feet of materials were donated by Sarah LaBarre, daughter of Lawrence Gushee, on December 15, 2014. 0.1 cubic feet acquired from Rebecca Bryant on July 28, 2015.

Acquisition Source: Sarah LaBarre

Acquisition Method: Materials were donated by Sarah LaBarre.