Music & Musical Instruments - Overview
The Museum's music collections contain more than 5,000 instruments of American and European heritage. These include a quartet of 18th-century Stradivari stringed instruments, Tito Puente's autographed timbales, and the Yellow Cloud guitar that belonged to Prince, to name only a few. Several of these rare instruments can be heard in performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Players and in other public programs. Music collections also include jukeboxes and synthesizers, square-dancing outfits and sheet music, archival materials, oral histories, and recordings of performances at the Museum. The vast Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated Sheet Music is a remarkable window into the American past in words, music, and visual imagery. The Duke Ellington and Ruth Ellington Boatwright collections contain handwritten music compositions, sound recordings, business records, and other materials documenting the career of this renowned musician.
"Music & Musical Instruments - Overview" showing 69 items.
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Roscoe Holcomb
- Description
- Roscoe Holcomb (1911-1981) embodied the "high, lonesome sound" of traditional Appalachian songs. A banjo player and singer, he spent most of his life in the small town of Daisy, Kentucky, working for a living with no aspirations to become a star. Smithsonian folklorist John Cohen recorded Holcomb at home in 1959. That recording led to performances at bluegrass festivals and an international tour with the Stanley Brothers.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.028
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.028
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Gatemouth Brown
- Description
- Talented on many instruments--guitar, fiddle, harmonica, drums--Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (1924-2005) was one of the most versatile musicians of his time. Defying easy categorization, Gatemouth said he just wanted to play American music "Texas-style."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1976
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.003
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.003
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Harmonica Frank Floyd
- Description
- Photographed backstage, "Harmonica" Frank Floyd (1908-1984) was an entertainer for the better part of the 20th century. After running away from home at age twelve, he began playing harmonica in carnivals and medicine shows. His repertoire included jokes, tricks, songs, and stories.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.006
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.006
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stonewall Jackson
- Description
- Named after his Civil War ancestor, Stonewall Jackson (b. 1932) began performing professionally in the 1950s. Thanks to tour with Ernest Tubb, Jackson had a string of hits from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.008
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.008
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Loretta Lynn
- Description
- Loretta Lynn is a classic country singer whose life--from her autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter--is a well-known story. She was one of the first stars to sing with a feminist point of view. Her songs, like "Don't Come Home a-Drinkin' (with Lovin' on Your Mind)" and "The Pill," broke new ground in country music. Lynn (b. 1935) and Conway Twitty were named Vocal Duo of the Year by the Country Music Association for years in a row in the early 1970s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1971
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.011
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.011
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner
- Description
- Dolly Parton joined Porter Wagoner and the Wagonmasters in 1967. She launched her solo career in 1974.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.018
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.018
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Porter Wagoner
- Description
- One of the most recognizable figures in country music, Porter Wagoner was known as the "Thin Man from West Plains, Missouri." He began recording music in 1954 after several years of singing on a local radio station. In 1961, Wagoner (b. 1927) began to host his own country music television show, which was syndicated for 21 years.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.022
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.022
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Doc Watson and Merle Watson
- Description
- Doc Watson (Arthel Lane Watson, b. 1923), blind since his early life, achieved national acclaim primarily as a result of his involvement in the folk song revival of the 1960s. Watson remained a powerful influence in many different forms of acoustic music, including blues, old time, country, and bluegrass. His, son Merle (1946-1985), frequently performed on guitar with him until his untimely death in a tractor accident.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1974
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.024
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.024
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Roy Acuff
- Description
- Often called the King of Country Music, Roy Acuff (1903-1992) had a career as a performer and as the first publisher of country sheet music. His first break came with his recording of "The Great Speckled Bird" in 1936. In 1937 Acuff became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry, and his relatonship with the Opry and its fans lasted for the rest of his life.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.041
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.041
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
DeFord Bailey
- Description
- Deford Bailey spent fifteen years as a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry (1926-1941). In that time he established himself as one of the show's most popular performers and an influential harmonica player. As a master of blues, jazz, and old-time country, Bailey was a vital link between older and more modern music styles. In 1974, he returned to the Opry stage as part of the "Old Timers' Reunion." He is most well-known for "Pan American Blues," a harmonica piece that sounds like a passing locomotive.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.043
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.043
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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