The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at 51Թ has launched the Philadelphia Black Music Archive.
Developed in partnership with 51Թ alum, musicologist and educator Frank Johnson, CLA ‘94, ’02, CPH ’12, SSW ’12, the archive features a collection of artifacts, documents, interviews, photographs, recordings and sheet music showcasing the cultural contributions of Philadelphia’s Black musicians.
Johnson is dedicated to documenting the significant contributions of African American performers in the music industry, particularly iconic artists from the 1950s to the 1970s.
During the launch event held June 3 at Sullivan Hall, he addressed the importance of compiling information to develop this archive, which will be available to scholars, researchers and the public.
“Once I started doing research on Black music, it became clear that this was a difficult thing to do because a lot of the information is piecemeal. It’s not centralized anywhere and a lot of it is floating around in folks’ heads,” Johnson explained.
“What happens is when people transition to join the ancestors, they take those memories with them, and they’re gone.”
Johnson said the archive will be the catalyst for ensuring that the careers and legacies of Philadelphia musicians are documented.
“We’re living in a time when there are forces that are seeking to remove African American history and documentation from the public record,” he stated. “The time to commemorate the legacy of Black Philly music is right now.”
Diane Turner, curator of the Blockson Collection, said the Black Music Archive is a good fit for the collection.
“We’re one of the nation’s premier collection’s that deals with African American history and culture and one of the oldest Black populations is here in Philadelphia,” she said.
Photography By: Joseph A. Labolito
Richard Watson leads a question-and-answer session with the Rev. Joseph Williams during the launch event.
Community members and Jubilee School students attended the launch event, which also served as an occasion to celebrate the Rev. Joseph Williams’ legacy. He is an original member of the gospel-singing quartet Sons of the Birds. Before being called into ministry, Williams recorded with the Dixie Hummingbirds on their last album.
Part of Williams’ collection will be included in the Philadelphia Black Music Archive. His other collections are housed in the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP); the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture; and the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee.
Williams’ legacy was highlighted during a question-and-answer session led by Richard Watson, the artist in residence and exhibits manager at the AAMP. During the wide-ranging conversation, Williams spoke about growing up in North Philadelphia and becoming a singer. He was inspired by the Dixie Hummingbirds at the age of 12 after seeing them perform for the first time.
“I said I wanted to be exactly like those guys,” he recalled. “They are sharp, and they could sing.”
Williams never dreamed that he would end up singing with the gospel group more than 50 years later.
“That just goes to show you, you never know what life has in store for you,” he said.