Oral Histories

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1. Interview of Gil Bernal

Topic:
Latina and Latino History
African American History
Music
Length:
4.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz tenor saxophone player, vocalist, and bandleader.

2. Interview of Cecil McNeely

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
1.75 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz saxophone player.

3. Interview of Alonzo Davis

Topic:
African American History
Art
Length:
11.25 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series African American Artists of Los Angeles document significant African American Artists and others in the Los Angeles metropolitan area who have worked to expand exhibition opportunities and public support for African American visual culture. The series was made possibl...
Biographical Note:
African American artist. Co-founder of the Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles.

4. Interview of Frank Whitley

Topic:
African American History
Community History
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series Allensworth Community feature recollections of the descendants of Allensworth (California) residents and founders. The town was established in 1908 by Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth (1842-1914), at that time the highest-ranking African American officer in histor...

5. Interview of Leroy McKey

Topic:
African American History
Community History
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series Allensworth Community feature recollections of the descendants of Allensworth (California) residents and founders. The town was established in 1908 by Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth (1842-1914), at that time the highest-ranking African American officer in histor...

6. Interview of Thomas Bradley (1984)

Topic:
Politics and Government
African American History
Length:
9.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993.

7. Interview of Ruth J. Temple

Topic:
African American History
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Physician and co-founder of the Temple Health Institute, a community-based health clinic.

8. Interview of Robert Singleton

Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
African American History
UCLA Research Centers and Programs
Length:
11 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series include individuals who were instrumental in creating and guiding the Center for African American Studies at UCLA to a position of widely recognized excellence among the nation's African American studies departments, centers, and institutes.
Biographical Note:
UCLA assistant professor of labor economics and founding director of the UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies. Later professor of economics at Loyola Marymount University.

9. Interview of Don Preston

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
6.15 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series extend the UCLA Oral History Program's "Central Avenue Sounds" series and preserve the spoken memories of musicians who were active in the jazz music scene in Los Angeles from the 1950s to the 1970s. This series includes a broad range of interviewees, some of whom are we...
Biographical Note:
Jazz keyboardist.

10. Interview of Pat Tobin

Topic:
African American History
Film and Television
Length:
10.75 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series African Americans in Entertainment and Media are designed to document African Americans in television, radio, theater and film and aims to better understand how they overcame bias and discrimination and were trailblazers who opened doors for other African Americans in...
Biographical Note:
Publicist and press officer. Founder and president of public relations firm, Tobin & Associates, Inc.

11. Interview of Gilbert Lindsay

Topic:
Politics and Government
African American History
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
9th district Los Angeles City Council member from 1962 to 1990.

12. Interview of Leo Branton

Topic:
African American History
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Lawyer and civil rights activist.

13. Interview of Frances Williams

Topic:
African American History
Theater
Length:
9.85 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Actor, producer, and activist. Co-founder of the Art Against Apartheid Movement, the Negro Arts Theatre, and the Los Angeles Paul Robeson Community Center.

14. Interview of Eugene Brooks

Topic:
African American History
Community History
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series Allensworth Community feature recollections of the descendants of Allensworth (California) residents and founders. The town was established in 1908 by Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth (1842-1914), at that time the highest-ranking African American officer in histor...

15. Interview of Stanley Levey

Topic:
African American History
Music
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series extend the UCLA Oral History Program's "Central Avenue Sounds" series and preserve the spoken memories of musicians who were active in the jazz music scene in Los Angeles from the 1950s to the 1970s. This series includes a broad range of interviewees, some of whom are we...
Biographical Note:
Jazz drummer.

16. Interview of Jackie (Kelson, John) Kelso

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
9.65 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz clarinet player.

17. Interview of Marshal Royal

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
6.1 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz saxophone and violin player.

18. Interview of Celes King III

Topic:
Business
African American History
Length:
20 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series were made possible by support from the UCLA Center for African American Studies, Institute of American Cultures. This is the first of several Oral History Program series focusing on social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of African American citizens in the Lo...
Biographical Note:
Owner-administrator of King Bail Bond Agency and administrator for the Pepperdine University School of Business and Management.

21. Interview of Claude H. Hudson

Topic:
African American History
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Civil rights activist and president of branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Louisiana and Los Angeles.

22. Interview of Mary Jane C. Hewitt

Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
African American History
UCLA Research Centers and Programs
Length:
7.4 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series include individuals who were instrumental in creating and guiding the Center for African American Studies at UCLA to a position of widely recognized excellence among the nation's African American studies departments, centers, and institutes.
Biographical Note:
UCLA director of minority recruitment. Involved in the founding of the UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies.

23. Interview of Joseph Bihari

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
6.7 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Music producer. Co-founder and co-owner of Modern Music and Independent Record Distributers.

24. Interview of Maulana Karenga

Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
African American History
UCLA Research Centers and Programs
Length:
8 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series include individuals who were instrumental in creating and guiding the Center for African American Studies at UCLA to a position of widely recognized excellence among the nation's African American studies departments, centers, and institutes.
Biographical Note:
California State University, Long Beach, professor of Africana studies. Co-founder of the US Organization. Involved in the founding of the UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies.

25. Interview of William Douglass

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
5.85 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz drummer.

26. Interview of Clora Bryant

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
6 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz trumpet player.

27. Interview of Jean Kidwell Pestana

Topic:
African American History
Social Movements
Civil Rights Movement
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Civil rights activist and attorney. Participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides.

28. Interview of Rene Bloch

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3.75 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz saxophone player.

29. Interview of Gerald Wiggins

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz bass and piano player.

30. Interview of Ernie Andrews

Topic:
African American History
Music
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz, blues, and pop singer.

31. Interview of John Ewing

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz trombone player.

32. Interview of Leroy Hurte

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
4.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz conductor, producer, and vocalist.

33. Interview of John Lamar Hill II

Topic:
African American History
Business
Length:
7 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series were made possible by support from the UCLA Center for African American Studies, Institute of American Cultures. This is the first of several Oral History Program series focusing on social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of African American citizens in the Lo...
Biographical Note:
President of Angelus Funeral Home, a long-term black-owned business in Los Angeles founded in 1925. Founder and president of radio station KJLH.

34. Interview of Reuben Cannon

Topic:
African American History
Film and Television
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series African Americans in Entertainment and Media are designed to document African Americans in television, radio, theater and film and aims to better understand how they overcame bias and discrimination and were trailblazers who opened doors for other African Americans in...

35. Interview of Curtis Tann

Topic:
African American History
Art
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series African American Artists of Los Angeles document significant African American Artists and others in the Los Angeles metropolitan area who have worked to expand exhibition opportunities and public support for African American visual culture. The series was made possibl...

36. Interview of A. V. Blodgett

Topic:
African American History
Community History
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
The interviews in the series Allensworth Community feature recollections of the descendants of Allensworth (California) residents and founders. The town was established in 1908 by Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth (1842-1914), at that time the highest-ranking African American officer in histor...

37. Interview of Sherman Savage

Topic:
African American History
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
California State College, Los Angeles professor of history. The first black graduate of the University of Oregon and the first black individual to receive a doctorate from Ohio State University.

38. Interview of William Woodman

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
2.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player.

39. Interview of Lee Young

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
4 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz drummer. Advocated for the amalgamation of the black musicians' union Local 767 and white musicians' union Local 47.

40. Interview of Gerald S. Wilson

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3.75 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz bandleader, composer, arranger, and trumpet player.

41. Interview of Marl Young

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz piano player. Advocate for the amalgamation of the black musicians' union Local 767 and white musicians' union Local 47.

42. Interview of David Bryant

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
4 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz bass player.

43. Interview of Fletcher Smith

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
2.45 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz piano player.

44. Interview of Britt Woodman

Topic:
African American History
Music
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz trombonist player. Member of the Woodman brothers, player with Charles Mingus, and member of Duke Ellington's band.

45. Interview of Steven E. McNichols (1964)

Topic:
Social Movements
African American History
Civil Rights Movement
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Participant in the Freedom Rides sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to desegregate southern transportation facilities.

46. Interview of Vi Redd

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
6.4 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz bandleader, vocalist, and saxophone player.

47. Interview of Minor Robinson

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
3.8 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz drummer.

48. Interview of Henry Franklin

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
4.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series extend the UCLA Oral History Program's "Central Avenue Sounds" series and preserve the spoken memories of musicians who were active in the jazz music scene in Los Angeles from the 1950s to the 1970s. This series includes a broad range of interviewees, some of whom are we...
Biographical Note:
Jazz double bass player.

49. Interview of Hadda Brooks

Topic:
African American History
Music
Length:
5.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series preserve the spoken memories of individuals, mainly musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s.
Biographical Note:
Jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer.

50. Interview of Alfred Ligon

Topic:
African American History
Books and Fine Printing
Length:
3.25 hrs.
Language:
English
Audio:
Biographical Note:
Co-founder and owner of the Aquarian Spiritual Center and the Aquarian Bookshop, a black-owned bookstore specializing in materials relevant to African American politics and life.