- unitid
-
{"value"=>"20061", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"JPB 86-3", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b11561549", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1897-1981", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1897/1981"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"John Allison collection"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"26 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"6.46 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"132 audio recordings", "unit"=>"audio recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Music Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"John Blauvelt Allison was a folklorist and musician devoted to North American folk music. His collection contains song lyrics and lead sheets written in his hand, as well as scripts, scrapbooks, and background material related to his folk music research."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Allison, John, 1893-", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Born on January 13, 1892, in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, John Blauvelt Allison was a folklorist and musician devoted to North American folk music. He began collecting and researching early North American folk songs in 1920, learning songs from his father, William Outis Allison, who was also a devotee of folk songs. In 1925, Allison married Lucy Newton Dodsworth and began teaching her folk songs from his collection. They started out by singing this material privately; soon they started to play music for the neighbors and were invited to perform at dinner parties. Lucy also brought folk material to a local nursery school and taught songs to large groups of young children.</p> <p>In 1926, after a successful radio audition, John Allison began producing radio shows featuring folk songs performed by a trio consisting of himself, his wife, and Ted Dibble. Dibble was a Jew's harpist, guitarist, baritone singer and a longtime friend who had influenced Allison's interest in early folk music. This group was originally listed as \"The Jubileers\" and later \"The American Folk Singers.\" Their programs were featured on New York City-based radio stations such as WRNY and WOR, as well as local New Jersey stations. In the early 1930s, John and Lucy formed a duo, discontinuing the trio. From 1938 to 1945, their daughter would often join John and Lucy in a group billed as \"The Allisons.\"</p> <p>In 1940, Allison released his first album, <span class=\"title\">Ballads of the American Revolution and War of 1812</span>, on RCA Victor. This album marked the beginning of Allison's notable work focusing on original adaptations of historical material.</p> <p>Many press write-ups on this and other releases focused on Allison's promotion of North American folklore and how he helped to challenge the widespread notion that the United States had no folk music of its own. Notable supporters of Allison included poet Carl Sandburg, actor Burgess Meredith, and author John Steinbeck; Steinbeck invited John and Lucy Allison to perform in the Fight for Freedom Committee's \"Fun to Be Free\" pageant in Washington D.C. in 1941. Also in 1941, the Allisons were featured in \"A Cavalcade of American Song,\" a Town Hall concert in New York City that included other musicians such as Burl Ives, W.C. Handy, Leadbelly, and Pete Seeger.</p> <p>The Allisons also contributed greatly to the war effort by having their recordings broadcast on local radio to promote war bond sales. They also appeared in the Office of War Information series entitled \"Uncle Sam Speaks.\" In 1943, the Allison duo performed a 15-minute program broadcast to American soldiers around the world. During World War II, Allison also released two additional albums: <span class=\"title\">Songs of the Zoo</span> (1941) and <span class=\"title\">Early American Ballads</span> (1943). He also recorded two albums with the Conneticut Folk Singers: <span class=\"title\">Heroes, Heroines and Mishaps</span> (1957) and <span class=\"title\">Spaceway Ballads: Folksongs of the Rocketmen Circa 2075 AD</span> (1960). Many of the songs included were based on family traditions, while some songs were reconstructed based on versions heard by Allison's musical collaborators. Allison also worked on a number of projects that were never released. In his later years, Allison focused more on his visual artwork.</p> <p>John Allison remarried Eleanor Wilcox in 1954. He died on October 19, 1981, at the age of 88 in Pound Ridge, New York.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The John Allison collection contains song lyrics and lead sheets written in Allison's hand, as well as scripts, scrapbooks, and background material related to his folk music research. The first three series consist primarily of background research material and lyrics related to the repertoire from album releases. The final four series consist of materials arranged by format, including correspondence, press materials, books, and audio recordings.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The John Allison collection is arranged in seven series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1832577'>Series I: Major Works</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2.21 linear feet (9 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains materials related to John Allison's major works as a musical artist and arranger for recorded albums of his own arrangements and historical reconstructions of folk material. The material is ordered chronologically, beginning with his 1930s radio work with the Jubileers and the American Folk Singers.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1832734'>Series II: Arrangements of Folk Songs</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3.25 linear feet (13 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains Allison's own arrangements of folk songs, with mounted studio scores as the primary format. All of the sheet music is written in Allison's hand. Allison's original arrangement was maintained.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1833112'>Series III: Projected Works</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3.21 linear feet (13 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains materials related to projects that were not commercially released.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1833332'>Series IV: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>0.25 linear feet (1 box)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains Allison's correspondence with fans, family, educational institutions, and radio stations.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1833335'>Series V: Publicity Material and Essays</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>0.75 linear feet (3 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains a variety of publicity materials, promotional writing, essays, articles, and lists of songs. Of particular note are the many essays by Allison that express his views on the history of American folk music, its cultural significance, and its revival. Additionally, this series contains a document with a comprehensive list of songs spanning Allison's entire career with detailed credit information.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1833339'>Series VI: Books</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>0.96 linear feet (4 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains all the books within the collection, ranging from research material to personal scrapbooks. Some books are full of poetry or song texts with many handwritten annotations. Also included are Allison's personal notebooks and newspaper clippings. Box 4 contains Allison's personal scrapbook which contains programs, articles, and reviews throughout his career with explanatory annotations.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20061#c1833349'>Series VII: Audio Recordings</a></div>\n<div class='series-extent'>132 audio recordings</div>\n</li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection was donated by Joan Allison in 1984.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Music Division staff, <span class=\"name\">Ethan DiPietro</span>, and <span class=\"name\">Jessica Wood</span> between <span class=\"date\">1985</span> and <span class=\"date\">2026</span>. Original arrangement and folder titles were retained.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1897
- keydate
-
1897
- date_end
-
1981
- date_inclusive_start
-
1897
- date_inclusive_end
-
1981
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"John Allison collection, JPB 86-3. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}