Barney Kessel began playing guitar when he was 12 years old in his hometown of Muskogee, Oklahoma. By 1937, at the age of 14, he was playing professionally. Kessel built a legendary jazz career and an impressive collection of music and manuscripts. Continue reading “Jazz Great’s Legacy Enriches University Collections”
Tag: Marr Sound Archives
DJ’s Extensive Collection Enhances Marr Sound Archives
by Patricia O’Dell
The late Gordon Spencer was a disc jockey and enthusiastic collector who interviewed jazz greats and other musicians and composers
Gordon Spencer interviewed many of the remarkable jazz artists of the 20th century including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. He began his career in radio in 1951 at WSRN, the student radio station at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania when he was a junior. His widow, Hannelore Rogers, has donated his extensive collection of albums, CDs and his reel-to-reel interview tapes to the Marr Sound Archives so enthusiasts and scholars can benefit from his remarkable career. Continue reading “DJ’s Extensive Collection Enhances Marr Sound Archives”