Southwest Folklore Center cassette recordings collection

MS 615

Collection area: Arizona and Southwest

Collection dates: 1975-1995

About this collection

The collection consists chiefly of commercially produced cassette recordings of gospel music, country and western music, Native American music and cowboy songs. Performers include many Native American musicians from Arizona. Music performed by Native American musicians and published by Canyon Records of Phoenix, Arizona, comprises a large portion of the cassette recordings. The collection includes cassettes of music written and performed by Lalo Guerrero, Mexican American musician born in Tucson, Arizona.

The collection includes interviews with Arizona residents, folk artists and musicians, and recordings of performances at annual cowboy poetry gatherings.

This collection is part of the Southwest Folklore Center collection. The Southwest Folklore Center was founded in 1979 after the dissolution of the University of Arizona Folklore Committee and collected information about folk communities, arts, music, and other humanities-related materials. This collection was previously SWF 009. The materials were transferred to Special Collections in 2017.

Historical background

The Southwest Folklore Center was founded in 1979 upon the dissolution of the University of Arizona Folklore Committee. Since then it has served as an archive for folklore material. Its activities include actively researching and collecting information about Arizona's folk communities, generating outreach programs, and coordinating folk activities throughout the state.

Access this collection

Visit us in person to access materials from this collection. Our materials are one-of-a-kind and require special care, so they can’t be checked out or taken home.

How to cite

Learn how to cite and use materials from Special Collections in your research.