Collection Guide
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Hairston (Jester) Collection
SPC.2015.004
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Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Jester Hairston Collection
Creator:
Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000
Creator:
Caldwell, Hansonia L. (Hansonia LaVerne), 1944-
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2015.004
Physical Description:
5 boxes
Physical Description:
2.69 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1917-2007
Abstract: Materials created and collected by and about Jester Hairston, and administrative materials related to Hairston's centennial
celebration. Materials include manuscripts, music and lyrics, articles, and administrative files.
Language of Material:
English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by members of the African Diaspora Sacred Music Archive.
Jester Hairston was an actor, composer, song writer, arranger, choral conductor, Goodwill Ambassador for the United States,
and an expert on Spirituals. He is best known as an actor for his roles in the television sitcom "Amen" and radio and television
version of "Amos n Andy." As a song writer he is best known for the song "Amen" which he wrote and recorded for the film "Lilies
of the Valley", but over his life he composed over 300 other Spirituals, and was the choral director for Hollywood's first
integrated choir.
He was born in Belews Creek, North Carolina, the grandson of a slave, and was raised in Pittsburgh. He enrolled in college
in 1920 at Massachusetts Agriculture to study Landscape Architecture, and though he did not finish a degree at that time,
he was later awarded a honorary Doctorate in 1972, and given the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Music
and Dance in 1992. After leaving Massachusetts he attended and graduated from Tufts University 1928, and studied music at
the Juliard School. In addition to his work with choirs and spirituals in the United States, he performed folk music and spirituals
all over the world in the 1960s as a Goodwill Ambassador. He died in Los Angeles at the age of 98 in the year 2000, is buried
in Inglewood, California, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
For information about citing archival material, please consult the appropriate style manual or see the Citations for Archival
Material guide: (https://libguides.csudh.edu/archives-citation)
This collection is part the Sacred Music Collection, also known as the Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of Sacred Music, and
is associated with the
African Diaspora of Sacred Music and Musicians (ADSMM) Program . The Sacred Music Collection is made up of smaller collections that contain various primary source materials, such as sheet
music, books, periodicals, photographs, audio visual materials, manuscripts, and more. ADSMM's mission is to facilitate research,
preserve, and make accessible collections documenting the lives of important figures within the sacred music community as
well as its influence primarily within the Los Angeles Black community.
Interested in accessing other Sacred Music collections? If you would like to view these materials in-person, please make an
appointment through the
Gerth Archives and Special Collections website . If you would like to view these materials online, please visit the the
Sacred Music Digital Collections Database website . Please keep in mind that some of the materials in our archival collections are still in the process of being digitized and
are therefore not yet available to the public.
The collection includes biographical materials on Hairston, music manuscripts written by him, music collected by him, programs
for choral events, and administrative materials concerning the planning and execution of the Jester Hairston Centennial Celebration.
Biographical materials include both unpublished book manuscripts and published works. Music includes arrangements written
in Hairston's own hand, and published materials he collected. Centennial Celebration administrative materials focus on the
planning committee, and a VHS of the program.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- California -- Los Angeles
African Americans -- Music
African American actors
African American choral conductors
African American musicians
Music by African American composers
Gospel Music
Sacred music
Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000