The Jack Rabin
Collection on
Tape Catalogue
Barry Kernfeld, 2005
Overview: The Jack Rabin Collection on Alabama Civil Rights and Southern Activists includes four audiocassettes, a box of 5-inch reel-to-reel tapes, and a box of 7-inch reel-to-reel tapes. Dealing with the audiocassettes was a straightforward matter: digital copies of interviews of John Beecher and Myles Horton derive directly from the original audiocassettes, through conventional means, without any need for complicated audio manipulation in transferring from one format to the other. But the process of copying and preserving the reel-to-reel tapes was in many instances exceedingly complex. Hence this tape catalogue, documenting these processes.
The tape catalogue of the Jack Rabin Collection serves two principal functions. It provides a detailed appendix to the collection’s general finding aid, by supplying a rigorous explanation of the exact relationship between the tapes and their digitized copies. The catalogue also serves as aid in coordinating the speeches and oral histories preserved on these tapes, with transcriptions of these speeches and oral histories (see elsewhere, “Tape Transcriptions”).
The tapes on the 7-inch reels in the Jack Rabin Collection are copies of many (but not all) of the tapes on the 5-inch reels. The sound quality of these copies is inferior to that of the 5-inch tapes. Consequently nothing has been done with the 7-inch reels. All of the final digital copies of reel-to-reel tapes have been generated from the 5-inch tapes.
Some of the 5-inch tapes are in stereo, with significant differences in quality between the left and right channels. The digital copies are of the best channel available.
A number of
the 5-inch tapes were originally made on a 2-track machine (i.e., the ¼-inch tape
divided into two 1/8-inch-wide channels, with one monophonic channel playing in
one direction and the second monophonic channel playing in the other direction).
The Special Collections division of the
In many instances there are both literal digital copies of the best channel available, and edited digital copies. The literal digital copies allow listeners to hear the sound of the original tapes, warts and all, without any editorial manipulation, in the event that researchers wish to assure themselves that editorial manipulation has not somehow harmed the original contents.
The edited digital copies have track markers,
to make it easier for a listener to reach a desired spot within a lengthy
program. More importantly, in some instances the edited digital copies hold an
improved quality of sound. For example, at the mass meeting in
Preservation
of the mass meeting held in
Those tapes that were originally recorded at 1 7/8 inches per second (hereafter abbreviated “i.p.s.”) also exist on compact disc in a third form, as digital “transfer” copies playing at twice their normal speed (because the slowest speed on the machines in Special Collections was 3 ¾ i.p.s.). These double-speed “chipmunk” recordings have been preserved as additional backup copies, and they could be rendered coherent via the methods described herein.
Finally, there was also one freakish recording, the second program on tape #10, which played at a completely non-standard speed. Details of its restoration appear below; see #1002.
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Key to program labels:
The first two digits identify arbitrary tape numbers assigned to the boxes of five-inch reels when the Jack Rabin Collection was initially inventoried. This sequence of tape numbers is incomplete in the present catalogue, and the numerical gaps obviously imply the existence of additional tapes. Readers should please note that these additional tapes are not in the Jack Rabin Collection. One tape was blank. Several tapes were so badly damaged as to be unplayable. And the contents of several tapes were irrelevant to the collection.
Following the tape number, an additional two digits, “01” or “02,” differentiate two distinct programs held on the same tape.
“140%” and “145%” indicate the relative speeds of the restoration of the eccentric second program on tape #10.
“A” indicates side 1 of a tape.
“B” indicates its reverse side.
“C” indicates restoration to the correct speed or the correct direction.
“E” indicates an edited version of a program.
“F” indicates a program that was unavoidably flipped over and played backwards.
“L” indicates the left channel only.
“R” indicates the right channel only.
“T” indicates a program copied at twice the intended speed.
Hence, for example:
#0601 = tape #6, program 1.
#1002 145% = tape #10, program 2, stretched to 145% of the standard reel-to-reel speed of 3 ¾ i.p.s. (i.e., playing at a non-standard speed, roughly 2 ½ i.p.s.)
#08RF = tape #8, the right channel, flipped over and playing backwards.
#18LR = tape #18, with separate programs running simultaneously on the left and right channels.
#18RAT = tape #18, the right channel, side A, copied at twice the intended speed.
#18RAC = tape #18, the right channel, side A, restored to the correct speed.
#18AE = tape #18, side A, the edited version.
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INVENTORY
The tape catalogue is divided into four sections: oral history of John Beecher; oral history of Myles Horton; civil rights speeches; oral histories of Clifford and Virginia Durr.
John Beecher
#01–02 Two audiocassettes: one labeled
“John Beecher cont., 11/16/74, Side 3” and “John Beecher cont, 11/16/74, Side
4,” and the other labeled “John
The
recording level is erratic—
Copies on compact disc
#01
0:00:00 –
0:31:09 Track marker 1. Side 3 of
the audiocassette. John Beecher discusses controversial New Deal homebuilding projects
involving Senator John Hollis Bankhead, II, including one at a former mining
site near
0:31:10 – 1:02:14 Track marker 2. Side 4 of the audiocassette.
#02
0:00:00 –
0:21:54 Track marker 1. Side 5 of
the audiocassette.
Myles Horton
#03–04 Two audiocassettes: one labeled
“Myles Horton, Early labor history, Highlander, A. Williams, 11/16/74, Side 1”
and “Myles Horton cont, 11/16/74, Side 2,” and the other labeled “Myles Horton,
11/16/74, Side 3.” The recording ends on side 3. The reverse side of the second
audiocassette is blank. The interviewers are unidentified. Jack Rabin recalled
conducting this interview at a conference in
Copies on compact disc
#03
0:00:00 –
0:31:26 Track marker 1. Side 1 of
the audiocassette. One of two unidentified interviewers – possibly Jack Rabin –
describes the aims of the Center for the Study of Civil Liberties and Civil
Rights, and Myles Horton makes recommendations for subjects and persons they
should pursue with regard to: (a) civil rights organizations of the 1950s and
1960s; and (b) the involvement of Horton and the Highlander Folk School in
attempting to integrate the labor movement in the 1930s, with Horton
recollecting individuals involved in this earlier endeavor. Horton then
discusses the emergence, goals, and philosophy of the
0:31:27 –
1:02:38 Track marker 2. Side 2 of
the audiocassette. Horton continues to describe the Highlander school, and he
explains the circumstances of Highlander archival materials going to the
Wisconsin State Historical Society. Horton recalls Senator James O. Eastland’s
un-American activities subcommittee hearing in
#04
0:00:00 – 0:25:07 Track marker 1. Side 3 of the audiocassette. Horton recalls Aubrey Williams. He makes further suggestions for civil rights contacts for Rabin. The interviewers discuss options for restrictions and access to this oral history. Horton states that if there is any commercial use, he wants the money to go to Highlander; otherwise, he wants the material to be used. Horton discusses songs popularized by the Highlander school, most notably “We Shall Overcome,” and the distribution of funds earned by that song. The interview ends with a discussion of the wording of formal agreements to accession and use these tapes. (The resulting contracts are lost.)
Civil Rights Speeches
#05 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of tape box “Reel 1A, Selma March, 1965” and on the back of tape box “Mass meeting in front of Alabama State Capitol after Selma March – 1965 (1 7/8, stereo)”.
Side A. The
right channel at the very beginning has an announcement: “This is a recording
of a speech by Martin Luther King at a mass meeting at the
Side B is blank.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copy:
#05LAT = tape #5, a double-speed CD transfer copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:00 – 0:30:35
Listenable copy:
#05LAC = tape #5, the left channel, side A.
0:00:13 – 0:00:25 unidentified voice—record level testing pattern
0:00:26 – 0:00:39 unidentified voice—“This is a recording of a speech by Martin Luther King at a mass meeting at the Beulah Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, early 1960s.”
0:00:40 – 0:05:22 Abernathy—“Can you hear me? I want to know . . .” securing approval of the petition, naming the members of the petition committee, and then introducing Jim [Hicks?].
0:05:23 – 0:07:29 Jim [Hicks?]—his speech.
0:07:30 – 0:08:24 Abernathy—introduces John Lewis.
0:08:25- 0:13:51 John Lewis—his speech.
0:13:52 – 0:14:20 Abernathy—introduces Whitney Young.
0:14:21 – 0:19:26 Whitney Young—his speech.
0:19:27 – 0:19:49 Abernathy—introduces Don Slayman.
0:19:50 – 0:23:19 Don Slayman—his speech.
0:23:20 – 0:27:49 Abernathy—announcements (“Please forgive me . . .”) and introduction of Rosa Parks.
0:27:50 – 0:30:05 Rosa Parks—her speechs.
0:30:06 – 0:35:03 Abernathy—acknowledges James Baldwin (“Someone has suggested . . .”) and introduces Martin Luther King.
0:35:04 – 1:01:10 Martin Luther King—his speech, to the bottom of page 6 of the website transcription (“How long will prejudice blind the visions of men?”) [the recording cuts off abruptly]
Final copy:
See below, tape #08.
#0601 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of tape box “Reel 1B, Selma March, 1965” and on the back of the tape box “Mass meeting in front of Alabama State Capitol after Selma March – 1965 (1 7/8, stereo) – continued / MIA mass meeting, First Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (MIA anniversary meeting, 8th anniversary meeting)”.
Side A. The right channel has a weak signal and a bad hum. The copy is of the left channel only.
Side B is blank.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copies:
#0601LAT = tape #06, program 1, a double-speed CD transfer copy of the left channel, side A.
0:30:44 – 0:38:58
Listenable copy:
0601LAC = tape #06, program 1, side A.
0:00:07 – 0:01:50 Martin Luther King—the last portion of his speech, from line 5 of page 7 of the website transcription (“. . . afternoon, however difficult the moment . . .”) to the end
0:01:51 – 0:04:55 Abernathy—(“Who is our leader? (Dr. King).”) He acknowledges Martin Luther King, Sr., and Mrs Juanita Abernathy, and introduces Hosea Williams.
0:04:56 – 0:08:19 Hosea Williams—logistical announcements, and a plea for non-violence in dispersing
0:08:20 – 0:13:11 Abernathy—announcements (“Now, my friends, all persons who came . . .”) and introduction of Edmond Clark. Abernathy then leads the mass singing of We Shall Overcome.
0:13:12 –
0:13:29
0:13:30 – 0:15:17 Abernathy—leads mass singing of reprise of We Shall Overcome, and further announcements (“Let us go back home . . .”)
0:15:18 – 0:15:23 Recording operator—‘At 4:12 most of the crowd started leaving. It seems to be breaking up.’
0:15:24 – 0:15:36 Abernathy—announcements (“Instructions will be given to delegations . . .”)
0:15:37 – 0:16:05 [Diverse unidentified voices]
0:16:06 – 0:16:16 Abernathy—announcements (“The bus to the airport . . .”)
0:16:17 – 0:16:33 [Diverse unidentified voices]
Final copy:
See below, tape #08.
#0602. 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled on spine of tape box “Reel 1B, Selma March, 1965” and on back of tape box “Mass meeting in front of Alabama State Capitol after Selma March – 1965 (1 7/8, stereo) – continued / MIA mass meeting, First Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (MIA anniversary meeting, 8th anniversary meeting)”.
The second
program on side A holds a stereo recording of the opening service of the Montgomery
Improvement Association’s 8th anniversary meeting in the
The right channel has a weak signal and a loud low-pitched hum. The copy is of the left channel only.
Side B of this reel holds no signal other than the squeal and hum.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copy:
#0602LAT = tape #6, program 2, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:00 –
0:21:58
Listenable copy:
#0602LAC = tape #6, program 2, a literal copy of the left channel, side A. [recording notes: start recording 2 seconds in; track markers at 0:08:48; 20:54; 32:02; end at 43:53; channels at -4, master at 0]
0:00:03 – 0:43:53
Final copy:
#0602AE = tape #6, program 2, side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:08:48 Track marker 1. Solomon Seay, Sr., introduces Ralph Abernathy and leads group singing.
0:08:49 –
0:44:00 Track markers 2, 3 and 4.
Ralph Abernathy recounts his arrival in
#07 3 ¾ i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of the
tape box “B – 2 of 3, Selma March-State Capitol, 1965” and on the back of the tape
box “
The right channel has a continuous squeal. The copy is of the left channel only.
Copies on compact disc
Listenable copies:
#07LA = tape #7, the left channel, side A
0:00:07 – 0:06:59 Martin Luther King—his speech, “. . . battle is in our hands” [line 3 of p.6 of the website transcription] to the end.
0:07:00 – 0:07:12 Ralph Abernathy—“Who is our leader? (Dr. King). Who is our leader? (Dr. King). Who is our leader? (Dr. King). Who is our leader?” [tape quality deteriorates, and then the recording breaks off abruptly].
0:07:13 – 0:07:20 blank
0:07:21 – 0:09:05 Unidentified speaker, beginning in mid-sentence: “. . . again. All of us together make up this great nation . . .” to the end of his speech.
0:09:06 – 0:11:13 Abernathy—“We’re now friends with the leaders . . .” through to the introduction of T. Y. Rogers.
0:11:14 – 0:12:52 T. Y. Rogers—his speech.
0:12:53 – 0:13:45 Abernathy—introduces Fred Shuttlesworth.
0:13:46 – 0:20:54 Fred Shuttlesworth—his speech.
0:20:55 – 0:21:41 Abernathy—introduces James Bevel.
0:21:42 – 0:27:15 James Bevel—his speech.
0:27:16 – 0:28:04 Abernathy—introduces Ralph Bunche.
0:28:05 – 0:31:07 Ralph Bunche—his speech, from the beginning to “statements that have ever been made, but” [end of side A; recording breaks off abruptly].
#07LB = tape #7, the left channel, side B
0:31:12 – 0:37:47 Ralph Bunche—from mid-speech (“came here to identify, to identify with a just cause . . .”) to the end of his speech.
0:37:48 – 0:38:25 Abernathy—introduces Jim Forman.
0:38:26 – 0:40:12 Jim Forman—his speech.
0:40:13 – 0:40:40 Abernathy—introduces Amelia Boynton.
0:40:41 – 0:45:57 Amelia Boynton—reads a petition to George Wallace.
0:45:58 – 0:50:47 Abernathy—“Can you hear me? I want to know . . .” securing approval of the petition, naming the members of the petition committee, and then introducing Jim [Hicks?].
0:50:48 – 0:52:56 Jim [Hicks?]—his speech.
0:52:57 – 0:53:52 Abernathy—introduces John Lewis
0:53:53 – 0:59:26 John Lewis—his speech.
0:59:27 – 0:59:55 Abernathy—introduces Whitney Young.
0:59:56 – 1:01:36 Whitney Young—the beginning of his speech, through to “an absent Governor who has not the guts to be here and [?] his [?], I say” [end of reel; recording stops abruptly]
Final copy:
see below, tape #08.
#08 3 ¾ i.p.s. Originally recorded on a 2-track recorder, with separate programs on the left and right channels of side A. Labeled on spine of tape box “B – 3 of 3, Selma March-State Capitol, 1965” and on back of tape box “Selma March, Dexter Ave. (Part 4)”. The back of the tape box also has a list of speakers: Side 1: Whitney Young (cont’d.), Abernathy, Don Slayman (Dir. Civil Rights Div. AFL-CIO), Abernathy, Abernathy (cont’d), Juanita Abernathy, Hosea Williams, blank, Abernathy, ? ex. sec. of Am. Baptist Convention leading ‘We Shall Overcome,’ benediction.”
Side B is blank.
Copies on compact disc
1/4-track transfer copy:
#08RAF = tape #8, a transfer copy of the right channel, side A, playing backwards.
0:00:05 – 0:17:48
Listenable copies:
#08LA = tape #8, the left channel, side A [recording notes: ]
0:00:00 – 0:03:01 Whitney Young, beginning in mid-sentence—‘to be the victims of this self-defeating farce? . . .’ [to end of speech]
0:03:02 – 0:03:24 Abernathy—‘It is my pleasure now . . .’ [to end of introduction]
0:03:25 – 0:06:59 Don Slayman—[entire speech]
0:07:00 – 0:08:02 Abernathy—‘Please forgive me . . . [beginning of speech, through to] . . . the Reverend McLain [spelling?], the pastor [?] AME Zion Church of Montgomery [tape quality deteriorates and then this portion of the recording ends abruptly in mid-sentence.]
0:08:03 – 0:08:08 blank
0:08:09 – 0:10:24 Abernathy—[in mid-speech] ‘God bless you. There is one other person . . . [through to the introduction of Hosea Williams] . . . Let us listen.
0:10:25 – 0:11:14 Hosea Williams—[beginning of announcements] ‘My friends, we – because of the number of automobiles . . .’ [through to] ‘Those that came in on chartered buses’ [the recording breaks off abruptly]
0:11:15 – 0:11:20 blank
0:11:21 – 0:15:39 Abernathy—[in mid-sentence] ‘going to sing now, We Shall Overcome. . . . [through mass singing of We Shall Overcome]
0:15:40 –
0:15:58
0:15:59 – 0:16:13 Mass singing, led by Abernathy—‘Deep in my heart, I do believe. We shall overcome some day.’
0:16:14 – 0:17:43 Abernathy—‘Let us go back home and arrange a mass meeting when we will come – Dr. King and I will come and make a report to you, from the Governor. Arrange a mass meeting, and wait to hear from Governor Wallace. Let us leave singing, We Shall Overcome. We shall’ [Mass singing, fading into the distance and overlaid by crowd noises and voices from the rostrum]
#08RAC = tape #8, program 2, the right channel, side A. [recording notes: ]
0:00:02 – 0:00:09 Unidentified fragment, unidentified speaker—‘[applause]. I know [?].
0:00:10 – 0:06:26 from John Lewis, in mid-sentence, ‘. . . system. Deny the people,’ through Abernathy’s introduction of Whitney Young and the majority of Young’s speech.
0:06:27 – 0:06:31 blank.
0:06:32 – 0:08:46 Don Slayman, in mid-sentence—‘. . . citizen, the highest, most meaningful title . . .’ to the end of his speech
0:08:47 – 0:09:38 Abernathy, from the end of Slayman’s speech, though mid-sentence—‘I forgot three names that I should have read on the committee, and would you please’
0:09:39 – 0:09:50 blank
0:09:51 – 0:17:45 Abernathy, following King’s speech, beginning in mid-sentence—‘stand and wave at the group [applause] . . .’—and continuing to the beginning of the singing of We Shall Overcome.
Final copy:
The final edited copy is derived from the following portions of tapes 5 through 8:
#07LA 0:07:21 – 0:31:05 Unidentified speaker, through Ralph Bunche (“statements that have ever been made”).
#07LB 0:00:22 – 0:31:11 Ralph Bunche (“but any Negro”) through Whitney Young (“flag flying behind you”).
#08LA 0:00:18 – 0:07:53 Whitney Young (“for as sure as we have here courageous people”) through Ralph Abernathy (“add their names to the list”).
#05LA 0:24:11 – 0:58:32 Ralph Abernathy (“The Reverend McLain”) through Martin Luther King (“to return to normalcy [applause]”).
#07LA 0:02:07 – 0:06:58 Martin Luther King (“The only normalcy that we will settle for”) through the end of King’s speech, to Ralph Abernathy (“Who is our leader? (Dr. King)” [first time]).
#0601LAC 0:01:50 – 0:03:34 Ralph Abernathy (“Who is our leader?” (Dr. King)” [second time]) through (“can kiss me. God bless you”).
#08RAC 0:10:40 – 0:17:04 Abernathy (“Now my friends, I don’t”) through (“join our hands”).
#0601LAC 0:09:38 – 0:16:33 10-second pause and then Abernathy (‘the three other people”) through to the end of the recording.
#05/06/07/08E pt.1 = The amalgamated final edited copy of surviving portions of the March 25, 1965, mass meeting at the Montgomery State Capitol, disc 1 of 2.
0:00:00 – 0:13:37 Track marker 1. Unidentified speaker though to the end of Fred Shuttleworth’s speech.
1:13:38 – 0:30:04 Track marker 2. Ralph Abernathy’s introduction of James Bevel through to the end of Ralph Bunche’s speech.
0:30:05 – 0:46:11 Track marker 3. Ralph Abernathy’s introduction of Jim Forman through to Abernathy’s introduction John Lewis.
0:46:12 – 1:01:25 Track marker 4. John Lewis’s speech though to the end of Don Slayman’s speech.
#05/06/07/08E pt.2 = The amalgamated final edited copy of surviving portions of the March 25, 1965, mass meeting at the Montgomery State Capitol, disc 2 of 2.
0:00:00 – 0:11:46 Track marker 1. Ralph Abernathy’s announcement of three additional committee members through to his introduction of Martin Luther King’s speech.
0:11:46 – 0:40:31 Track marker 2. Martin Luther King’s speech.
0:40:32 – 0:55:27 Track marker 3. The conclusion of the event.
#09 1/4-track, 3 ¾ i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of the tape box “C – 1 of 3, MLK – Bessemer, Ala., 1968” and on the back of the tape box, in black ink, “I. MLK (Bessemer) 1968). a. Abernathy, b. H. Williams. Tape recorded on both sides. Recorded in stereo.”
The fidelity of both channels is poor. Both channels have distorted passages, but the left channel was recorded at a higher level than the right, and the distortion is worse. The digital copy is of the right channel only. In the preparation of a edited digital copy, the sound has been made slightly clearer and less boomy by means of an 18-decibel reduction in the bass range.
There are a number of momentary interruptions. Evidently the operator repeatedly turned the recording on and off, to capture the speakers while avoiding sustained passages of audience reactions and applause.
General contents: In Bessemer, Alabama, in 1968, Martin Luther King, Ralph Abernathy, and Hosea Williams discuss the Poor People’s Campaign in relation to African-American history and current events.
Copies on compact disc
Listenable copies:
#09RA = Tape #9, a literal copy of the right channel, side A. [recording notes: track markers at 10:12, 20:02; end at 30:53; channel at +3db, master at +3db throughout; low-gain -10db]
0:00:00 – 0:30:53
#09RB = Tape #9, a literal copy of the right channel, side B. [recording notes: track markers at 30:58, 40:16; 52:36; end at 1:02:02; channel at +3db, master at +3db throughout; low-gain -10db]
0:30:55 – 1:02:00
Final copies:
#09AE = Tape #9, side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 –
0:10:11 Track marker 1. Contents:
Martin Luther King discusses a tour of ten communities in
0:10:12 –
0:30:53 Track markers 2 and 3.
Contents: Ralph Abernathy humorously recollects a previous visit to
#09BE = Tape #9, side B, the edited copy.
0:30:58 –
0:52:36 Track markers 4 and 5.
Contents: Abernathy describes further plans for the upcoming march on
0:52:37 – 1:02:02 Track marker 6. Contents: Hosea
Williams gives a broad-ranging speech on the Poor People’s Campaign and
injustice in
#1001 1/4-track stereo, 3 ¾ i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of the tape box “C – 2 of 3, Bessemer, Ala., 1968” and on the back of the tape box, in black ink, “II. MLK (Bessemer) 1968. a. H. Williams” and in red ink “Speech by? (tape distorted) Jesse Jackson(?)”
Side A
holds a continuation of the
Side B is blank.
Copies on compact disc
Listenable copy:
#1001RA = Tape 10, program 1, a literal copy of the right channel, side A. [recording notes: track markers at 10:01; 21:35; channel at +3db, master at +3db throughout; low-gain -10db; high-gain -18db, F=4K and Q:20.]
0:00:00 – 0:23:46
Final copy:
#1001AE = Tape 10, program 1, Side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:21:35 Track markers 1 and 2. Contents: Hosea
Williams continues his broad-ranging speech on the Poor People’s Campaign and
injustice in
0:21:36 – 0:23:46 Track marker 3. Contents: An unidentified
speaker concludes the
#1002 The second program on tape 10, side A.
Reel-to reel tape speeds have duple relationships: 1 7/8 inches-per-second and 3 ¾ i.p.s. were commonly used for voice tapes and low fidelity music; 7 ½ i.p.s. was generally for high fidelity home recording; and 15 i.p.s. served for the highest quality studio recordings. These standard speeds might vary somewhat from machine to machine, owing to mechanical inconsistencies of manufacture, but it is extremely rare to encounter a tape that runs at a speed entirely unrelated one of the standard speeds. Nonetheless, the second program on tape #10 runs at approximately 2 ½ i.p.s. The cause of this eccentricity is unknown. To make a listenable version of this program, I used an infinitely variable digital “stretching” effect to sample the program at different speeds. In my opinion the speaker’s voice sounds most natural with the program stretched to 145% of its length when played at 3 ¾ i.p.s. I also preserved a copy on CD at 140% of its length when played at 3 ¾ i.p.s. (i.e., slightly faster and slightly higher pitched). These judgements were based on sense, not science.
Contents:
In
Copies on compact disc.
Transfer copy:
#1002RAT = tape #10, a 3 ¾ inches-per-second transfer copy of the right channel, side A.
0:00:00 – 0:08:30
Final copies:
#1002AE 140% = tape #10, program 2, side A, stretched to 140% of the length of the recording as played at 3 ¾ i.p.s.
0:00:00 – 0:11:46 Track marker 4.
#1002AE 145% = tape #10, program 2, side A, stretched to 145% of the length of the recording as played at 3 ¾ i.p.s.
0:00:00 – 0:12:12 Track marker 5.
11R 3 ¾
i.p.s. Labeled on the spine of the tape box “C – 3 of 3, Bessemer, Ala., 1968”
and on the back of the tape box, in black ink, “III. MLK (Bessemer) 1968.
Williams cont. (?).
Although some segments of the recording on side A are scarcely audible, much of it can be discerned through careful listening. This recording was evidently taped over an incompletely erased previous recording. The unidentified, inaudible, and unsalvageable earlier material intrudes on portions of both channels.
The digital copy is of the right channel only, because the left channel is considerably distorted. Also, on the final copy a 10-decibel reduction has been made in the bass range to clarify the voice by reducing boominess and a low-pitched electronic hum.
Side B is blank.
Copies on compact disc
Listenable copy:
#11RA = Tape #11, the right channel, side A [recording notes: track marker at 15:08; end at 31:31; channel at +3db, master at +3db throughout to the last minute, then +7 and +7; low-gain -10db]
0:00:00 – 0:31:31
Final copy:
#11AE = Tape #11, Side A, the edited copy
0:00:00 – 0:31:31 Track markers 1 and 2. Contents: An
unidentified African-American man presents a broad survey of issues pertaining
to black power, global African identity, and black unity. Internal references
situate the speaker in
Clifford and Virginia Durr
Among the following recordings of the Durrs, five short programs are preserved as 8 tracks on one CD. The key to this CD is as follows.
#12LE track marker 1.
#17A track markers 2 and 3.
#17B track marker 4.
#18AE pt.1 track markers 5 and 6.
#19E track markers 7 and 8.
#12 3 ¾ i.p.s. Unlabeled. The majority of the recording consists of a high fidelity, 7 ½ i.p.s., stereo, half-track, 5-minute news broadcast by Alexander Kendrick on the situation immediately following the conclusion of the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, but a small portion of the left channel has been taped over at 3 ¾ i.p.s. This portion holds a fragment of a unidentified and undated Clifford Durr interview. Portions of this fragment are barely audible.
Copy on compact disc
Final copy:
[recording notes: channel at +7db, master at 0db; raise master to +7db at 00:43; master back to 0db at 01:32]
#12LE = Tape #12, left channel, the edited copy
. 0:00:00 – 0:02:15 Track marker 1. Contents: Clifford Durr reads from [?].
#17 3 ¾ i.p.s. The spine on the box, the back
of the box, and the reel itself are each labeled “
General contents: undated interview of Virginia Durr. The voice of the interviewer sounds like Imhoff (?); compare below, tape #20.
Copies on compact disc
Final copies:
[recording notes: track marker at 11:04; channels at +3db, master at +3db throughout]
#17A = Tape #17, side A.
0:00:05 – 0:21:24 Track markers 2 and 3. Side A: Virginia Durr comments on her teenage years and young adulthood, particularly with regard to Southern eccentrics, the role of women in the South, and class and racial divisions. The tape runs out abruptly in the midst of a description of her father’s financial disasters.
#17B = Tape #17, side B.
0:00:00 – 0:05:10 Track marker 4. Side B: Virginia Durr and her unidentified interviewer [“John” (Imhoff?)] discuss contemporary economic and political power. She describes her view that Southern society is insane, and Clifford Durr’s reaction to that idea.
#18 1 7/8 i.p.s. Unlabeled. Originally recorded as two ½-track monophonic channels.
General description: Undated interview of Clifford Durr, who discusses diverse papers in his possession. From a comparison between topics covered here and sources cited in John Salmond’s biography of Durr, it appears likely that Durr’s comments could be coordinated with specific documents residing in the Clifford J. Durr Papers at the Alabama Department of History and Archives.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copies:
#18LAT = tape #18, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:00 – 0:32:37
#18RATF = tape #18, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side A, playing backwards.
0:00:00 – 0:38:42
#18LBT = tape #18, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side B.
0:38:50 – 1:17:27
#18RBTF = tape #18, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side B, playing backwards.
0:45:00 – 1:17:22
Listenable copies:
#18RAC pt.1 = tape #18, the right channel, side A, part 1. [recording notes: start 5 seconds in for edited copy; track marker at 11:58; channels at 0db, master at -5db throughout]
0:00:08 – 0:19:31
#18RAC pt.2 = tape #18, the right channel, the remainder of side A. [recording notes: track markers at 10:06, 18:50, 23:34, 35:04, 47:54]
0:00:00 – 0:57:37
#18RBC = tape #18, the right channel, side B. [recording notes: start 10 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 18:23, 35:17, and 49:19]
0:00:14 – 1:04:55
Final copies:
#18AE pt.1 = tape #18, side A, part 1, the edited copy.
0:00:00 –
0:11:52 Track marker 5. Contents:
Clifford Durr describes documents in discussion with an unidentified woman
interviewer who is helping him to organize his papers in preparation for
delivery to an unidentified archives. He begins with autobiographical
reminiscences of his years in
0:11:53 – 0:19:26 Track marker 6. Contents: Durr’s descriptions of “odds and ends” are brief and generally lack substance in the absence of the actual documents to which he refers.
#18AE pt.2 = tape #18, side A, part 2, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:10:06 Track marker 1. Contents: Clifford Durr gives further brief descriptions of diverse documents.
0:10:07 – 0:18:50 Track marker 2. Contents: Durr discusses his work together with Ed Brecher in the 1940s with regard to the Federal Communications Commission and the setting aside of frequencies for educational broadcasting within the then-new FM radio spectrum.
0:18:51 – 0:23:34 Track marker 3. Contents: Durr tells a homespun story of one aspect of his longstanding battle with the J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and Senator Homer Capehart, involving a banjo-playing radio-station owner whom Durr befriended.
0:23:35 – 0:47:54 Track markers 4 and 5. Contents: Durr
discusses President Truman and the emergence of Cold War foreign policy,
particularly with regard to Durr’s visit to
0:47:56 – 0:57:37 Track marker 6. Contents: Durr refers
to a folder of unpublished articles that he had written in route to
#18BE = tape #18, side B, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:35:07 Track markers 1 and 2. Contents: Clifford
Durr continues his autobiographical comments on his own letters written from
0:35:08 – 1:04:45 Track markers 3 and 4. Contents: Durr discusses his twentieth-century adaptation of Biblical stories in relation to civil liberties and Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9835, the Loyalty Program. Durr then reads one of these stories.
#19 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled “Chapter 1” on both the spine of the tape box and the reel itself.
The back of
the tape box reads “Side 1. Continuation of McMurray [sic: MacMurray] case beginning with circuit court trial. Side 2.
Continuation of McMurray. Beginning of Zellner. 1 7/8.” The latter part of tape
#22 (see below) holds the opening portion of Clifford Durr’s discussion of the
The majority of the tape is blank. A monophonic ½-track recording spans the opening portion of the reel. The present 1/4-track copy captures that program on the left channel.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copy:
#19LT = tape #19, a double-speed copy of the left channel.
Listenable copy:
#19LC = tape #19, the left channel. [recording notes: start 5 seconds in for edited copy; track marker at 06:46; channels at 0db, master at -5db, but master at 0db at 06:46, then back to -5db at 08:30]
0:00:05 – 0:19:55
Final copy:
#19E = tape #19, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:06:41 Track marker 7. Contents: Clifford Durr reads from an autobiographical manuscript.
0:06:44 – 0:19:50 Track marker 8. Durr reads notes for an upcoming local debate: “Resolved: that the continuation of manned space flights is in the national interest.”
#20 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled “1 7/8” on the back of the tape box, which is otherwise unlabeled, but the reel itself has an identifying label: “Defense Plant Corporation. Alum Project (Imhoff).” Originally recorded as two ½-track monophonic channels.
On tape #18AE,
part 1 (detailed above), beginning at approximately the 16:45 mark, Clifford
Durr says: “While we were mentioning the Defense Plant, I found on my recorder
a tape which I had made with this fellow Imhoff over at [? (name inaudible)]
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copies:
#20LAT = tape #20, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:07 – 0:32:46
#20RATF = tape #20, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side A, playing backwards.
0:00:05 – 0:32:46
#20LBT = tape #20, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side B.
0:32:50 – 1:05:27
#20RBTF = tape #20, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side B, playing backwards.
0:32:50 – 1:05:27
Listenable copies:
#20RAC = tape #20, the right channel, side A. [recording notes: start 5 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 12:09, 27:04, 34:51, 50:02; brief blank 56:27-56:34, then resumes; channels at 0db, master at -5db throughout]
0:00:05 – 1:05:16
#20RBC = tape #20, the right channel, side B. [recording notes: start 5 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 12:24, 22:41, 36:15, 50:44]
0:00:05 – 1:05:14
Final copies:
#20AE = tape #20, side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 1:05:11 Track markers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Contents: Durr and Imhoff discuss the Defense Plant Corporation.
#20BE = tape #20, side B, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 1:05:09 Track markers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Contents: Durr and Imhoff discuss the Defense Plant Corporation. The tape runs out abruptly in mid-sentence.
#21 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled “1 7/8. poor condition.” Otherwise unidentified. Originally recorded as two ½-track monophonic channels.
The entirety of tape #21 and the last 8 minutes of side A of tape #22 have a substantial hiss and a pervasive loud hum. I have reduced the signal strength by 10 decibels in both the high and low ends of the spectrum, and increased the signal strength by 6 decibels in the middle, in a effort to bring out Clifford Durr’s voice.
General contents: In an undated interview, Clifford Durr discusses two civil liberties cases: Karl Heiser’s conviction by the Loyalty Board, and Durr’s own appearance before the Subcommittee on Internal Security.
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copies:
#21LAT = tape #21, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:00 – 0:32:08
#21RATF = tape #21, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side A, playing backwards.
0:00:00 – 0:32:08
#21LBT = tape #21, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side B.
0:32:13 – 1:04:22
#21RBTF = tape #21, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side B, playing backwards.
0:32:10 – 1:04:22
Listenable copies:
#21RAC = tape #21, the right channel, side A, with the hum and hiss uncorrected. [recording notes: start 4 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 14:27, 27:11, 39:54, 52:24; channels at 0db, master at -3db, low-gain -10db, mid-gain +6db from 400 to 4,000 hertz, high-gain -10db]
0:00:04 – 1:04:15
#21RBC = tape #21, the right channel, side B, with the hum and hiss uncorrected. [recording notes: start 11 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 10:44, 20:37, 39:18, 50:41; settings as previous, but master at -2db]
0:00:11 – 1:04:21
Final copies:
#21AE = tape #21, side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:27:07 Track markers 1 and 2. Contents: Clifford Durr discusses civil liberties with regard to a series of appeals following the conviction of the psychologist Karl F. Heiser for disloyalty. A brief discussion of the case appears in Sarah Hart Brown, Standing Against Dragons: Three Southern Lawyers in an Era of Fear (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University, 1998), pp.80-81.
0:27:08 – 1:04:11 Track markers 3, 4, and 5. Contents: Autobiographical commentary on Durr’s return from Denver to Montgomery in 1951 leads into a detailed discussion of hearings before the Subcommittee on Internal Security, headed by Senator James O. Eastland, in New Orleans in 1954, and involving Aubrey Williams, president of the Southern Conference Education Fund, and Paul Crouch, an FBI informer. (Brown, chapter 5; Salmond, chapter 9; Virginia Durr, Outside the Magic Circle, chapter 18)
#21BE = tape #21, side B, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 1:04:10 Track markers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Contents: Concluding the story of the New Orleans hearing. (Compare to quotes in Magic Circle; a similar but not identical telling of portions of this same story is in Durr’s contributions to the Columbia Oral History Collection.) The tape runs out abruptly as Durr is recalling the fate of Paul Crouch.
#22 1 7/8 i.p.s. Labeled “1 7/8.
General
contents: In an undated interview, Clifford Durr discusses his civil liberties
and civil rights work in
Copies on compact disc
Double-speed 1/4-track transfer copies:
#22LAT = tape #22, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side A.
0:00:00 – 0:32:00
#22RATF = tape #22, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side A, playing backwards.
0:00:00 – 0:32:00
#22LBT = tape #22, a double-speed copy of the left channel, side B.
0:32:10 – 1:04:10
#22RBTF = tape #22, a double-speed copy of the right channel, side B, playing backwards.
0:32:10 – 1:04:10
Listenable copies:
#22RAC = tape #22, the right channel, side A, but with a pervasive hum during the last 8 minutes. [recording notes: start 5 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 04:25, 15:03, 27:10, 40:11, 46:37, 56:03; channels at 0db, master at -5db, high-gain -10db; adjust as per tape #21 from 56:03 onwards]
0:00:06 – 1:03:52
#22RBC = tape #22, the right channel, side B. [recording notes: start 11 seconds in for edited copy; track markers at 10:21; 28:25, 39:47/55, 49:50; channels at 0db, master at -7db, high-gain -10db]
0:00:11 – 1:04:05
Final copies:
#22AE = tape #22, side A, the edited copy.
0:00:00 –
0:04:20 Track marker 1. Contents:
Clifford Durr discusses civil rights issues, beginning at his return to
0:04:21 –
0:14:58 Track marker 2. Contents:
Defending
0:14:59 –
0:46:32 Track markers 3, 4, and 5.
Contents: Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, and the
0:46:33 – 0:56:02 Track marker 6. Contents: Police beatings deriving from the bus boycott and other events.
0:56:03 – 1:03:47 Track marker 7. Contents: The knifing of Henry Jackson by a police officer.
#22BE = tape #22, side B, the edited copy.
0:00:00 – 0:10:10 Track marker 1. Contents: The
machinations by which
0:10:11 – 0:28:13 Track marker 2. Contents: The theoretical
financial costs, were
0:28:14 – 1:03:46 Track markers 3, 4, and 5. Contents:
The