Archives West Finding Aid

Includes International Labor Film & Video Festival program

Tape transcripts

Tape transcripts

Tape transcripts, Tape highlights and notes

Includes transcript of hearing before the Committee of Un-American Activities

Includes letters with photograph information

Slide and letter with photograph information

Includes letter and receipt with photograph information

Narrators: Miriam Sharman and Mario Cassetta; sponsored by the Southern California Library of Social Studies and Research. Speakers: Norman Corwin, Betty Garrett. Hope Foy and William Marshall, singers, and others.

Tape 1/2: A West Seattle High School (Earl’s contemporaries) jazz band played the West Seattle High School Song, accompanied by Earl’s son, Perry with Joan Glasgow and the Jump band. Narrators during service: Earl’s son, Perry, and Eric Gordon

Tape 2/2: Tape 2 of this service (with some duplication from Tape 1

Tape 1/4: 4 tapes of celebration with Earl’s songs sung by various groups and Earl, with Pete Seeger in Seattle at Meany Hall; narrated by Eric Gordon

Tape 2/4: celebration for Earl at Meany Hall with an award From Mayor Norm Rice.

Tape 3/4: Fort Worden Labor Conference, same as Tape 17

Tape 4/4: Fort Worden Labor Conference, same as Tape 17

Includes Earl performing his own works

(Shown during taping) with his discussion of the contents of this file)

Tape 1/3: Three Tapes: Alan Lomax, first archivist for folk 1991? music at the Library of Congress: A discussion of ER’s methods of song and his ability to set text; Mr. Lomax refuses to discuss ER’s New Age interests, but reiterates fondness for Earl and his work; ends with ER singing and playing his own works.

Tape 2/3

Tape 3/3

Tape 1/2: Narrates Earl’s arrival in Santa Cruz and their 18 year relationship. Pictures of their house, but speaks of difficulties and Earl’s wreck less driving and his being killed in an auto accident in 1991.

Tape 2/2: related to the text of 15 and continues Miss Van S’s problems with ER’s relations with other women but also a discussion of his music, both romantic and movement.

Same as tapes no.’d 6,7: Begins at playfield with kite-flying. 2nd part of ER and John O’Connor’s labor workshop. A discussion of writing songs for communication and a discussion of how to write music with group singing to illustrate. Ends with an interview with John .

Same as tapes 8,9: John O’Connor introduces talk by a young woman from the Labor Heritage Foundation and Pacific NW Historical Assoc. on singing for labor groups (miners in this case) Earl at age 81 performs

Same as tape 10: Fragment of talks (The Labor Heritage Foundation). "How Earl Robinson throws a starfish into the ocean" The Speaker here is the Director of the UMW. After: ER singing "Casey Jones"

Tape 1/2: Channeling with William Raney(sp? who becomes "Dr. Peebles," a kind of spiritual guide for ER.

Tape 2/2

Malichi channeled by Dixie Lee, a performance on the Chuck Jones KING TV tape, unrelated to Jones’ work. Channeling takes place in private home.

Tape 1/5 Five tapes: (Much duplication) Posthumous 1991 performance by group with Leon Lishner as principal singer. Given at University Unitarian Church. Interviews with members of the audience after with comments on Earl’s music..

Tape 2/5

Tape 3/5

Tape 4/5

Tape 5/5: Combination of unknown interviewees after concert with a tape of Claire O’Sipa {sp?), a performer’s reminiscing about ER and the 1948 performance of Ballad for Americans with Paul Robeson.

ABC production of the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty With many celebrities including Presidents Reagan and Mitterand.Highlight of this tape is Frank Sinatra singing The House I Live I" to this Republican gathering.

With interview after singing ER songs, especially Joe Hill

MUSIC [by] EARL ROBINSON A Post-World War II movie starring Dana Andrews, Richard Conte Lloyd Bridges, and others. Music by Earl Robinson.

Production of her singing 4 Hugs a Day

Two hour tape of Earl’s discussion re his life: growing in Seattle, maturing attitudes toward the influence of Communism and labor on his life and music, "using music as a weapon", singing "5 day week, 6 hour day" He discusses having been investigated and gray-listed by the FBI, then losing work in Hollywood because of HUAC. He became interested in New Age activities when older, reflected in his music, (yoga, channeling, etc.). Eric Gordon narrates throughout, also Alan Lomax gives a Tribute to Earl’s western guilelessness and optimism An Apology for the life of Earl Robinson and Memorial tape with some of the University Unitarian Church service at end. A lengthy political and social discussion of his attraction to communism’s color-blindness, peace movement, and fight against fascism, probably the worker movement as well.

Much of which is used in the rough edit of the documentary described above. He talks about writing music (His need for lyrics before he can compose), the origin of "The Flying Squadron" both song and the peripatetic strikers group, and gives a history of the productions for Ballad for Americans.

Includes "6 Hr. day 200 UN", "HUAC Hearing on Communism in Hollywood".

Includes "Blood Donors" and "Black Soldiers".

Includes "Strike w/ Tanks", " FDR 4 Team", "FDR + Eleanor", "Paul Robinson…"

Includes "Everette strike", " Sign IWA-C10 on strike", "Poeskill", "Wallace Convention", "Boeing Plant 1940s".