Archive of photographs of country music acts, circa 1970s

N.p.: N.p., 1970. Archive of 288 vernacular color photographs of country music acts from the 1970s, housed in a contemporary photo album, with the subject of nearly every photograph identified by manuscript ink captions. Occasional additional notations give a date range between 1972-1980 for the photographs, with most being dated 1977-1979.

The photographs primarily consist of performers on stage, indicating the photographer was near the stage, with a strong sense of composition and timing. Photographs of performers casually posing for the camera indicate the photographer likely had backstage access for some of the performances.

(truncated) Based on additional information in some of the handwritten captions, the photographs were primarily taken at concerts or events in the Western New York region, - Chautauqua, Dunkirk, Little Valley, and Lakewood - all within an hour of each other, as well as the nearby Erie County (NY) Fair and Expo, and Pittsfield, PA. Other locations include the New York State Fair and Pittsburgh, PA.

Included are images of country music legends Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Hank Snow, June Carter Cash, The Carter Family, Minnie Pearl, Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, and Wanda Jackson. Also included are photographs of singers, who while lesser known today, were among the biggest stars of the era, including Bobby Goldsboro, Crystal Gayle, Donna Fargo, Freddy Fender, Jeannie C. Riley, Buddy Alan, Charlie Walker, Peggy Sue, Bill Anderson, Kenny Price, LeRoy Van Dyke, Lynn Anderson, Jay Lee Webb, Jean Shepard, and Kitty Wells. Finally, the album contains images of smaller, and possibly even regional acts, some of which appear unknown to us, presenting a broad survey of a transitional era in country music, as rock, soul, and pop began to fuse with the more traditional country sound that had begun declining in popularity toward the end of the previous decade.

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Photographs variously sized, primarily 3.5 x 5 inches, but up to 7.5 x 9.75 inches. Generally Near Fine.

Housed in an about Very Good generic photo album, with starting and loss to the spine, fraying, and rubbing. Several internal pages loose, or with dried glue, leading to occasional slipping of the photographs. (Inventory #: 146874)