Welcome to the Southern Music Research Center
The Southern Music Research Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to the documentation, preservation, and public presentation of the American South’s diverse music histories and ongoing forms of musical expression.
The real center of our Center is this website: a public archive of rare photos, rescued recordings, oral history interviews, and other materials. We encourage visitors to get to know our site by browsing our collections -- and to come back often, as we are actively acquiring and adding new material to the site.
You can support our mission and growth by making a financial contribution. To donate materials to the archive, please contact burgin@southernmusicresearch.org.
Featured Item
Clarence "Bluesman" Davis and SharBaby Newport, CD Release Party at Gip's, 6/3/2009 (Featuring Luther Cottingham and Birmingham George Conner)

CD release party for the 2009 album Just Jukin' by SharBaby Newport and Clarence "Bluesman" Davis. Live at Gip's Place, Bessemer, Alabama, June 3,…
Featured Collection
Alabama Punk Flyers

Flyers and other promotional materials from DIY / punk scenes, venues, and bands across Alabama, 1980s - present.
Note: This collection is steadily…
Featured Exhibit
Introducing the Southern Music Research Center

Founded in 2023, the Southern Music Research Center is a nonprofit enterprise devoted to the documentation and preservation of the...
Recently Added Items
Blues Divas & Kent Burnside at Gip's, 11/8/2008
Blues Divas & Kent Burnside at Gip's, 11/8/08.The night of November 8, 2008, Gip's Place featured a line-up of "Divas," including Elnora Spencer,…
John T. Whatley School Song

Lyrics and music for the official school song of John T. Whatley Elementary School, Birmingham, Alabama. Opened c. 1960, Whatley Elementary was named…
A Word From DuJour
A word from DuJour, creator of the CONVOS series. Birmingham, Alabama, May 2023.
Flyer: Monster God and Humanicide at the Tip Top Cafe, Huntsville

Flyer for Monster God and Humanicide at the Tip Top Cafe, Huntsville, Alabama.
Courtesy Frank Heath.
Flyer: Monotonashhfuck, Haste, Caption, Foundation, and Appalachian Spirit Revival at Ramp-n-Speed Skatepark, Trussville

Flyer for Monotonashhfuck, Haste, Caption, Foundation, and Appalachian Spirit Revival at Ramp-n-Speed Skatepark, Trussville, Alabama.
Courtesy…
Coosa River Singing

Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. On one side, the label reads: “Bro. Harp Leading Singing at Coosa River.” The reverse-side…
Gum Log Church Singing

Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. Written on the cassette case: "Gum Creek Church Singing." Likely recorded at Gum Creek…
December 1986 Christmas Church Singing

Cassette tape from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market. Label reads: "Dec. 86 Christmas Church Singers." Church and location are unidentified. Side A…
Meridian Flea Market Tapes

Unaccompanied gospel hymn singing captured on cassette tape in the 1980s and 1990s. The tapes were purchased from a Meridian, Mississippi, flea market…
Sara Carter Bayes Memorial Issue, Sunny Side Sentinel (1979)

This April 1979 memorial issue from The Sunny Side Sentinel, official publication of the Carter Family Fan Club, remembers Sara Carter Bayes…