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Fred Waring, “the man who taught America how to sing,” was born in Tyrone, Pennsylvania in 1900, and was a Distinguished Alumnus and Trustee of Penn State University. Along with his group, the Pennsylvanians, he toured the United States and the world for almost seven decades, building an impressive list of accomplishments in stage, radio, motion pictures, television and music education.
Fred Waring’s America is a unique archive that serves as a rich source of primary source material on 20th century American popular culture for researchers from Penn State and around the world, including musicians and music educators, orchestra and choral conductors, documentary filmmakers, golden-age radio enthusiasts and media and cultural historians.
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Collection Overview
The entire music library used by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians (1917-1984). 6500 titles, including scores and instrumental/choral parts. There is also a large collection of published sheet music.
10,000+ recordings on disc, wire, tape, kinescopes, and videotape, covering every radio and TV program (1933-1960), commercial recordings (1923-1979), recordings of the Fred Waring Music Workshop, and more. Program listings, production notes, and scripts are available for most broadcasts.
Sixty-six books with 7600 pages of clippings (1922-1984) encompassing the entire career of Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians.
Over 30,000 photographs and slides (1919-1984) consisting of posed and candid pictures of Fred Waring, his family, members of the Pennsylvanians, celebrities, and other associates at various special events and activities.
Over 650 pieces of original art by leading cartoonists from the 1940s-1980s, including Rube Goldberg, Milton Caniff, Mort Walker, Chester Gould, Walt Kelly, Hal Foster, Bil Keane, and Chic Young.
Business records and correspondence of the organization, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians (1922-1984), as well as personal correspondence between Fred Waring and family, friends, and celebrities.
Awards, musical instruments, costumes, stage props, Waring blendors, golf paraphernalia, and personal items.
