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Guide to the John R. Dwork Tape Collection MS.345
MS.345  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Processing Information
  • Acquisition Information
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Biography
  • Preferred Citation
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Scope and Content

  • Title: John R. Dwork Tape Collection
    Identifier/Call Number: MS.345
    Contributing Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 20 boxes

    16.5 linear feet
    Date (bulk): Bulk, 1966-1995
    Date (inclusive): 1963-1999
    Location: Collection stored off-site at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access.
    Abstract: This collection of 692 cassette tapes was created by John R. Dwork, a well-known Deadhead author, editor, and publisher. The collection primarily documents the range of recordings available to Deadheads before the advent of digital media and the Internet. The comprehensiveness of the collection and the range of sources from which it is drawn document the effort required to amass such a collection as well as the highly coveted, distributed, and comprehensive nature of the band’s music corpus. Errors in attribution and metadata, and degradation in sound quality over successive generations, attest to the difficulties in compiling a thorough and accurate tape collection. The last two boxes of recordings are interviews conducted for publication in Dupree's Diamond News or for quotation in The Deadhead's Taping Compendium.
    creator: Dwork, John R.

    Processing Information

    The collection has been divided into two sections, performance recordings and interview recordings, and sorted by date.

    Acquisition Information

    The collection was donated by John R. Dwork in 2011.

    Conditions Governing Access

    The collection is open for research. Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact Special Collections and Archives in advance for information regarding access.

    Biography

    John R. Dwork graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, where he founded the Hampshire College Grateful Dead Historical Society, a tape-trading and Deadhead social club that sponsored a newsletter. He went on to work with Peter Martin on Terrapin Flyer, a Deadhead newsletter, which preceded his cofounding of Dupree's Diamond News, a major Deadhead fanzine. He coedited the three-volume The Deadhead's Taping Compendium (Holt/Owl, 1998-2000) and went on to cofound Peak Experience Ltd., a concert and event promotion company.

    Preferred Citation

    John R. Dwork Tape Collection, MS 345. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

    Conditions Governing Use

    Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights of the interviews are retained by the narrators or their heirs. All music by the Grateful Dead is controlled by the band or its designated licensee. For more information, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

    Scope and Content

    The 692 cassette tapes comprising this collection include performance recordings and interview recordings. Performance recordings are primarily of concerts by the Grateful Dead along with some studio sessions. Some early, pre-Dead performances are also present.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Grateful Dead (Musical group)