The Gift of Song: Black Gospel Archive Celebrates Addition of Boyer Family Materials
The Black Gospel Archive (BGA) grew substantially on May 14 with the arrival of the first batch of materials from the James and Edna Boyer Family collection. Alan Boyer, the son of Famous Boyer Brothers front man James B. Boyer, delivered the materials, an impressive collection of 78s, 45s, LPs and CDs; future installments will include ephemera like photographs, cassette tapes and James Boyer’s personal papers.
The Famous Boyer Brothers – which also included James’ brother, Horace – were active in the 1950s and 1960s. In his later years, James was in conversation with Robert Darden, whose writing about the availability of Golden Age Black Gospel music recordings in the early 2000s became the catalyst for the creation of the BGA’s Black Gospel Music Preservation Program. In 2015, Boyer’s connection with Darden led to Boyer loaning the BGA a selection of records from his personal collection.
“My father had a longstanding relationship with Baylor and believed deeply in its mission,” said Alan Boyer. “It is our hope that researchers, students, musicians, educators, and communities of faith will find in these materials not only a historical record, but a living testament to what one man — and one family — believed was worth preserving. This music belongs to everyone."
According to an overview of the collection included with the donation, the collection documents underrepresented dimensions of gospel music history: the "chitterling circuit" touring economy of Black gospel performers in the Jim Crow South; the relationship between independent gospel labels and the major recording industry; the intersection of gospel music with higher education and Black church life in the Midwest; and the role of radio broadcasting in sustaining gospel culture in non-urban communities across the twentieth century.
Darryl Stuhr, director of the BGA, expressed his appreciation for the important addition to the archives.
"We are deeply grateful to Alan Boyer and the Boyer family for entrusting the Black Gospel Archive with James Boyer's remarkable collection,” Stuhr said. “These materials represent a resource of tremendous cultural and historical value, and we are honored to house and make them accessible. We share the family's belief that this music belongs to everyone, and we are committed to preserving and sharing this legacy for future generations."
A full inventory and finding aid for these materials will be made available as the collection is processed in the coming months. To see the current collection of digitized holdings of the BGA, visit the Royce-Darden Collection.
ABOUT THE BAYLOR LIBRARIES’ BLACK GOSPEL ARCHIVE
The Black Gospel Archive (BGA) encompasses the Baylor Libraries’ numerous programs, projects, archival collections, and resources that identify, collect, preserve, and make accessible Black sacred materials. The BGA was born from the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program, a nationally recognized effort that, since its founding in 2005, has preserved and made publicly available thousands of Black Gospel recordings. Learn more about the BGA and its programs on the Baylor Libraries’ website.