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Encoded by Amarantha Dyuaaxchs, August 2006 ; Revised by Nora Yeh
Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af006008
Latest revision: August 2009
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog.
There are fifteen letters written by Ken Lindsay, seven written by Woody Guthrie, two written by Marjorie Guthrie (Guthrie’s second wife), and two written by Anneke Van Kirk (Guthrie’s third wife). In addition to the letters, there are four pages of song lyrics written by Woody Guthrie that he sent to Ken Lindsay with his letters. Some of the letters and song lyrics are embellished with drawings. The letters written by Ken Lindsay are carbon copies that Lindsay kept of his original letters.
The letters are arranged in chronological order to represent the development of communication between Ken Lindsay and Woody Guthrie. Sarah Bradley Leighton processed the collection in June 2005. Each letter was assigned a unique manuscript (MS) number and the recto and verso of the letter’s leaves were assigned decimal derivations of that unique manuscript number. For example, in the number "MS01.02," "MS01" represents the first item of correspondence in the collection and ".02" signifies the verso of the first leaf of the item. Decimal derivations were not assigned if the side of an item is blank.
This collection is available for research in the Folklife Reading Room. Duplication of the collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.
The Archive of Folk Culture acquired the collection on June 7, 2005, from Wendy Lindsay, daughter of Ken Lindsay, and her siblings.
Ken Lindsay Collection of Woody Guthrie Correspondence (AFC 2005/006), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The correspondence between Ken Lindsay and Woody Guthrie began in 1952, while Lindsay was responsible for the mail order record department at the International Bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London, England. Lindsay first wrote to Guthrie encouraging him to write and record material for the European market. Although the recording projects and the European tours discussed in their letters never materialized, this correspondence (1952-1953) captures the development of a special relationship between two men who never met, but shared a passion for music. The correspondence also provides a glimpse at the creative flair and the personal challenges that shaped this period of Guthrie’s life.
In his letters to Lindsay, Guthrie discusses music, politics, and family relationships and reveals his struggle with alcoholism and the disease that claimed his life, Huntington’s chorea. The letters also document Guthrie’s whereabouts during these years as he writes from Brooklyn, New York; Jacksonville, Florida; and Topanga, California. Additionally, there is correspondence from Guthrie’s second and third wives, Marjorie Mazia Guthrie and Anneke Van Kirk, who communicate details about Guthrie’s personal health and professional endeavors to Lindsay. Letters MS01, MS03, MS04, and MS24 are even embellished with sketches made by Guthrie and Anneke Van Kirk.
Interestingly, Guthrie concluded many of his letters with the number “30.” This symbol is often found at the closing of a press release and is believed to have descended from the practice of typing “XXX” at the conclusion of telegraph transmissions during the Civil War.
Ken Lindsay (1923-2001) was a founding partner in the Challenge Jazz Club, the first sizable jazz club in London after World War II. As a jazz and folk enthusiast, Lindsay was connected with the jazz revival and folk movement of the 1950s in the United Kingdom, and made a career of promoting such musicians and organizing performances. Lindsay also worked for the International Bookshop where he oversaw the department that would import records from America and Europe and sell them by mail. This was the period during which he established a correspondence relationship with Woody Guthrie. Lindsay went on to work for other record shops and continued to manage bands, lecture on music at universities, and write articles for such music publications as Melody Maker and Music Mirror.
Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie (1912-1967) was a singer, songwriter, and social activist who influenced twentieth-century American music and culture. Having lived through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl Migration, World War II, and the political upheavals that resulted in the labor union movement, Guthrie called upon these experiences as he expressed the plight of common people through his songs, prose, and poetry. He was a seminal figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s, and his songs and philosophy had a profound impact on society and on contemporary musicians such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
| Quantity | Physical Extent (original) | Location | Item Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuscript Materials | |||
| 29 items | 34 leaves of paper | Boxes 1-2 | MS01-MS29 |
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