Guide to the Mark Hummel Papers
Sean Heyliger
African American Museum & Library at Oakland
659 14th Street
Oakland, California 94612
Phone: (510) 637-0198
Fax: (510) 637-0204
Email: aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
URL: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland
© 2013
African American Museum & Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Mark Hummel Papers
Collection number: MS 223
African American Museum & Library at Oakland
Oakland, California
- Processed by:
- Sean Heyliger
- Date Completed:
- 2018-04-27
- Encoded by:
- Sean Heyliger
© 2013 African American Museum & Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Mark Hummel papers
Dates: 1978-2012
Collection number: MS 223
Creator:
Hummel, Mark
Collection Size:
.25 linear feet
(1 box)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Abstract: The Mark Hummel Papers consist of photographs, blues show flyers, blues music publications, audio recordings, and newspaper
clippings documenting the career of blues musician Mark Hummel and the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene in the 1970s-1990s.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.
Access Restrictions
Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.
Publication Rights
Permission to publish from the Mark Hummel Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Preferred Citation
Mark Hummel papers, MS 223, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
Acquisition Information
Donated by blues musician Mark Hummel to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland on March 30, 2018.
Processing Information
Processed by Sean Heyliger, April 27, 2018.
Biography / Administrative History
Blues musician and songwriter Mark Hummel (1955-) was born on December 15, 1955 in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Aliso
Village, a public housing project in East Los Angeles, California. At an early age, he was interested and listened to rhythm
& blues music on the radio and began playing the harmonica in bands in high school. He began performing as a professional
musician after moving to Berkeley, California in 1972, where he performed with Boogie Jake, Sonny Lane, Cool Sadler, and Mississippi
Johnny Waters. In 1977, Hummel formed The Blues Survivors with Mississippi Johnny Waters, a blues group that featured many
notable blues musicians including Jimmy Bott, June Core, Rusty Zinn, Ronnie James, Chris Masterson, Charles Wheal, Joel Foy,
and
King of the Hill creator Mike Judge. Over the years, Hummel has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe and recorded with a number of
notable musicians including Brownie McGhee, Lowell Fulson, Sue Foley, Charles Brown, and Bob Stroger and performed with The
Blues Survivors at the San Francisco Blues Festival, Sonora Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, and King Biscuit Blues
Festival. He gained notoriety for founding the Blues Harmonica Blowout in 1991 which features a veteran lineup of harmonica
players with The Blues Survivors. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 for his work performing and producing Blind Pig's
Remembering Little Walter and wrote his autobiography,
Big Road Blues: 12 Bars on I-80, documenting his long career on the road as a blues musician.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Mark Hummel Papers consist of photographs, blues show flyers, blues music publications, audio recordings, and newspaper
clippings documenting the career of blues musician Mark Hummel and the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene in the 1970s-1990s.
The papers are organized into four series: Series I. Photographs
Series II. Blues flyers, Series III. Newspaper clippings and publications, Series IV. audio recordings. The photographs and
blues flyers document the San Francisco blues community in the 1970s and 1980s and includes flyers for the San Francisco Blues
Festival and performances by John Lee Hooker, Brownie McGhee, Lowell Fulson and Mark Hummel.
Arrangement
Series I. Photographs
Series II. Blues flyers
Series III. Newspaper clippings and publications
Series IV. Audio recordings
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Hummel, Mark, 1956-
McGhee, Brownie
Blues Survivors (Musical group)
Blues musicians--California--Oakland
Blues (Music)--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Rhythm and blues music
Separated Material
One copy of Mark Hummel's book
Big Road Blues-12 Bars on I-80 (2012) was separated from the collection added to the AAMLO library collection.
Photographs
Physical Description: 11 photographs
Series Scope and Content Summary
Photographs taken by photographer Art Lebermann and Janet Hoezel of blues musicians performing.
Arrangement
Arranged by photograph identification number.
Box 1:1
Dottie Ivory performing on stage [001]
1983
Box 1:1
J.C. Burris (Sonny Terry's nephew) watching President Jimmy Carter on television in his living room [002]
circa 1970s
Box 1:1
Sonny Rhodes helping Big Mama Thornton walk on stage at the San Francisco Blues Festival [003]
1978
Box 1:1
Percy Mayfield (center) speaking with unidentified man backstage at the San Francisco Blues Festival [004]
1978
Box 1:1
Mississippi Johnny Waters playing guitar on stage [005]
circa 1980s
Box 1:1
Lowell Fulson publicity still [006]
undated
Box 1:1
Photo collage of Lowell Fulson at the Apollo [007]
1951
Box 1:1
Cool Papa performing at Larry Blake's [008]
1988-08-01
Box 1:1
Cool Papa publicity still [2 copies] [009]
undated
Box 1:1
Duke Jethro publicity still [010]
circa 1980s
Box 1:1
The Blues Survivors (left-right): Mississippi Johnny Waters, Mark Hummel, Gary Hine, Les Silva, and Sonny Lane [011]
1980
Blues flyers
Physical Description: 24 flyers
Series Scope and Content Summary
Twenty four flyers of assorted blues performances in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s-1990s.
Box 1:2
Blues Survivors & Dottie Ivory at Erie's Bar advertisement [song lyrics on back]
circa 1980s
Box 1:2
San Francisco Blues Festival program
1978-08-12
Box 1:2
San Francisco Blues Festival program
1980-09-13
Box 1:2
An afternoon of the blues, J.C. Burris, Mississippi Johnny Waters and the Blues Survivors, Bob Kelton, Omar Hakim Khayyam,
Sonny Rhodes, Oakland Museum
1979-11-11
Box 1:2
Folk Blues extravaganza Robert Lowery and Virgil Thrasher, Del Ray, Big Al Blake, Mark Hummel and Paris Slim [two copies]
1994
Box 1:2
Southern California Blues Society presents it's 4th anniversary celebration of the blues, Will Geer Theatricum
1986
Box 1:2
Best wishes note from Brownie McGhee
1984-11-18
Box 1:2
A benefit for Mississippi Johnny Waters and Sonny Lane, John Lee Hooker, Charles Musselwhite, and Brownie McGhee at the Omni
undated
Box 1:2
California Bay Area blues news by Maria Bainer
1987-07
Box 1:2
Blues activist Dane sings about freedom, Paredon Records
1979-09-26
Box 1:2
Standing at the crossroads Mississippi Johnny Waters
Box 1:2
ELi's Mile High Club
1984-03-10
Box 1:2
3rd Berkeley blues harmonica blowout Ashkenaz [two copies]
undated
Box 1:2
Blues the kids can use a benefit featuring Norton Buffalo, Nick Gravenites, Brenda Boykin, Cottonfield Blues Trio, Mark Hummel
and Paris Slim Ashkenaz [two copies]
undated
Box 1:2
4th Berkeley blues harmonica blowout Ashkenaz
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series Charlie Musselwhite and Omar Hakim Kayaam
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series J.C. Burris and Tom McFarland Blues Band
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series Ron Thompson Trio and Mississippi Johnny Waters and
the Blues Survivors
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series Mark Naftalin and Little Charlie & the Nite Cats
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series David Berger, Aaron Blumenfeld, and Tom Mazzolini
undated
Box 1:2
Blue Bear School of Music & Mark Hummel present Blues Workshop series Little Charlie & the Nite Cats and Mississippi Johnny
Waters & the Blues Survivors
undated
Box 1:2
San Francisco Neighborhood Art Program free blues concerts Queen Ida and her Zydeco Band, Tom McFarland Blues Band, Bob Lowery,
Johnny Waters Blues Band
undated
Box 1:2
Geno Skaggs benefit concert Old Waldorf
1978-10-10
Box 1:2
Larry Blake's Last call music calendar
1984-09
Box OM
La Città Restaurant & Bar proudly present Brownie McGhee with the sensational Dottie Ivory & The Blues Survivors [two copies]
undated
Newspaper clippings and publications
Physical Description: 1 folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Assorted blues related newspaper clippings and publications mostly documenting blues musician Mark Hummel's career during
the 1980s-1990s.
Box 1:3
Brownie McGhee legendary singer, guitarist, song writer, entertainer extraordinaire and philosopher of the blues, San Francisco
Examiner [three copies]
1983-09-12
Box 1:3
Bay Area Blues Letter vol. 2 no. 11 [Brownie McGhee]
1985-02
Box 1:3
Detroit women's voice vol. 2 no. 2
1983-05
Box 1:3
Assorted newspaper clippings
1979-2012
Audio recordings
Physical Description: 3 CDs
Series Scope and Content Summary
Three blues music CDs: Clarence "Guitar" Sims'
born to sing the blues,
San Francisco Bay's Best Blues (2002), and Johnny Dyer with Mark Hummel
Rolling Fork Revisted (2004).
Box 1:4
Clarence "Guitar" Sims'
born to sing the blues
undated
Box 1:4
San Francisco Bay's Best Blues
2002
Box 1:4
Johnny Dyer with Mark Hummel
Rolling Fork Revisted
2004
