Hogan Archive acquires Austin M. Sonnier Jr. papers
The Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz, a unit of Tulane University Special Collections (TUSC), has recently acquired the Austin M. Sonnier Jr. papers (HJA-100). The archival collection contains materials created or collected by Austin Matthew Sonnier Jr. (1939-2019), the Lafayette, Louisiana-based author, ethnomusicologist, musician, and playwright whose works include the books Second Linin': Jazzmen of Southwest Louisiana, 1900-1950; The Role of the Violin in New Orleans Music from 1890-1940; and Willie Geary "Bunk" Johnson: The New Iberia Years; and the play The End of a Perfect Death, which premiered at the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans in 1989.
Sonnier’s work linked Southwestern Louisiana and New Orleans music traditions while featuring ragtime, jazz, and Creole music and musicians. He often visited New Orleans to write, research, and play music, and collaborated with musicians such as James Andrews, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, and several other jazz, blues, and zydeco musicians throughout New Orleans and Southwest Louisiana.
Among the items in the collection, which is approximately 16 linear feet, are original works including book manuscripts and music compositions, play scripts, research notes, cabaret show papers for Storyville Productions, Inc., audio and video recordings, sheet music of African American work songs, photographs, correspondence, and ephemera.
The collection will be open for research after all materials have been processed. For more information, contact Hogan Archive curator Melissa A. Weber at mweber3@tulane.edu or 504-247-1807. To learn more about Tulane University Special Collections, visit the TUSC website at library.tulane.edu/tusc, email specialcollections@tulane.edu, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Published: May 29, 2024
Photo caption: From the Austin M. Sonnier Jr. papers: A photograph of Sonnier, his handwritten draft of the theatre production, 'The End of a Perfect Death,' and Sonnier’s business card; HJA-100, Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz, Tulane University Special Collections.
