Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.

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Listen: The Blues Program

91 items found

Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Date
Description: Two black and white prints. 17 April 1978. See also S 1577, Box 6, folders 106, 58, 20.
Collection

Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Date: 1978-10
Description: One audio cassette. Music performance for the American Folklore Society annual meeting.
Collection

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Date: 1978-05-02
Description: One reel-to-reel recording. Mitchell, born in Greensboro, Alabama, first moved to Florida in 1949. Eventually, he was hired by Capells Shoe Store to shine (and later repair) shoes. Florida Folk Festival director Thelma Boltin discovered him in the early 1970s, and he performed at several festivals thereafter. He does not sing (he usually has a harmonica player accompany him) but rather creates a syncopated beat with his rag. In the interview, he discusses his early life, moving to Florida, working at the shoe store, performing his shoe shine rag, and gives examples of his skill.
Collection

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Date
Description: Five proof sheets with 178 black and white images. P78-286, 290 Blacksmith Thomas Rains in Monticello (36 images each) P78-287 Basket maker Lucreaty Clark in Lamont (34 images) P78-288, 289 Mt. Zion Holiness Church in White Springs (36 images each) c. 1978
Collection

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Date: 1977-01-28
Description: One audio cassette. Whyms played the saw with a butter knife, and Rahming was a conga drum player. Interviews on side 1, recorded music on side 2. Whyms describes how he learned how to play the saw from Blackshirt, an old man from Key West; when the band was formed; how Marion Stevens discovered the band in an alley in Key West; how he plays the fine tooth crosscut saw. Rahming describes how he played the "coon-hide" drum (which was heated by fire to tune) when he first learned to play the drums at age sixteen; how his father came to Key West for the sponging industry; when he came home at night; how the Nassau-like parades began in Key West; how he visited Nassau and bought Calypso records, influencing his style of Calypso music to reflect Cuban and Bahamian characteristics; how he learned the limbo from Bill Butler; how Calypso is usually only played by men.  On side 2 they play examples of Calypso recordings, not included here due to copyright restrictions.
Collection

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Date: 1980-03
Description: Four black and white prints. Moses Williams was originally from Mississippi. He moved to Florida in the 1950s. He played the diddly bow, a one-string homemade musical instrument, also called a "yakkedy board." Information on the instrument and on Moses Williams may be found in the folder. A recording of the performance can be found in S 1576, box 3, cassette C80-6.
Collection

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Date: 1978-10
Description: One audio cassette. A church service complete with prayer, choir singing, and short sermon for the American Folklore Society annual meeting.
Collection

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Date: 1975
Description: One audio cassette. Performance of calypso music.
Collection

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Date: 1978-04-16
Description: Two reel to reel recordings.
Collection

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City

Date: 1978-05-02
Description: One black and white print. Image taken by McCallum while working for the Southern Folklife Center, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Collection

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City

	Identifier	Title	Type	Subject
Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft	Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft	Still Image	African Americans Metal craft Blacksmithing Oral narratives Occupational groups Occupational folklore Material culture Blacksmiths	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_photo.jpg
a_s1576_03_c79-074	Compilation for the American Folklore Society	Sound	African Americans Music performance Gospel (Black) Blues (Music) Guitar music Singing Diddly bow Musicians Guitarist Blues singers	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_t78-315	Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project	Sound	African Americans Shoe shiners Interviews Field recordings Oral narratives Occupational folklore Shoes (footwear)	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
Images from the North Florida Folklife Project	Images from the North Florida Folklife Project	Still Image	African Americans Churches Church services Church membership Religious rites Christianity Basket making Baskets Woven goods Metal craft Material culture Blacksmithing Workplace Containers Domestic arts Basket maker Blacksmiths	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_photo.jpg
a_s1576_01_c77-020	Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band	Sound	African Americans Calypso music Interviews Musical instruments Life histories Oral histories Music performance Bands (Music) Musical groups Musicians	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
Moses Williams playing the diddley bow	Moses Williams playing the diddley bow	Still Image	African Americans Musical instruments Blues (Music) Music Diddly bow String instruments Material culture Musicians	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_photo.jpg
a_s1576_02_c79-075	Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society	Sound	African Americans Music performance Gospel (Black) Choir singing Choirs (music) Religious music Singing Prayers Sermons Religious songs Singers Preachers	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_01_c77-019	Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band	Sound	African Americans Calypso music Music performance Musical instruments Musicians Performing arts Bands (Music) Musical groups	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_t78-318	Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service	Sound	African Americans Choir singing Choirs (music) Church attendance Church services Churches Fieldwork Sermons Prayers Prayer Gospel (Black) Gospel music Gospel songs Performing arts Religious music Religious songs Religious rites Religion Protestants Christianity Singers Bands (Music) Preachers	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City	Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City	Still Image	African Americans Occupational groups Work Workplace Labor Shoe shiners	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_photo.jpg

Florida Memory is a digital outreach program providing free online access to select archival records from collections housed in the State Library and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory digitizes materials that illuminate the state's history and culture.

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Florida Memory is funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Florida's LSTA program is administered by the Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services.

For FY2022-23, the percentage of total costs for the Florida Memory program financed with federal money is 66%; the federal dollar amount to be spent on the program is $646,422. This program does not receive any non-governmental funding.

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Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City

State Archives of Florida

State Library of Florida

Related Sites

Reconstruction era voting records

Florida's first automobile registrations

Milestones in Florida's political framework

Letters, ephemera and other historical records

Documenting Florida's chief executive officers

Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Blacksmith Thomas Rains talking about his craft

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Compilation for the American Folklore Society

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Frank Mitchell interview for the North Florida Folklife Project

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Images from the North Florida Folklife Project

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Interview with Lee Whyms and Ken Rahming of the Key West Junkanoo Band

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Moses Williams playing the diddley bow

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Choir singing for the American Folklore Society

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Performance by the Key West Junkanoo Band

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Recording of Mt. Zion Holiness Temple Church service

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City

Shoe Shiner Frank Mitchell in Lake City