Edythe Fitzhugh papers
Collection
Identifier: L738
Scope and Contents
This collection includes documents, photographs, songbooks, sheet music, posters, artwork, and ephemera from Edythe Fitzhugh, former board secretary of the Jazz Action Coalition and supporter of the local jazz scene in Indianapolis, Indiana. The materials range from 1881 to 2017 and regard the personal papers, family photographs, Jazz Action Coalition documents, and other jazz-related memorabilia collected by Fitzhugh during her life.
Series 1 contains personal and family photographs; personal financial documents; letters, cards, and poetry; funeral programs; career documents; picture books illustrated by Michelle Wood; and various ephemera collected by Edythe Fitzhugh.
Series 2 contains board meeting minutes; organizational charts; financial correspondence and reports; event materials including those for Indy Jazz Fest, Black Expo, and Jazz on Film; materials on the hiring of a consultant; Indy Jazz Scene newsletters; and miscellaneous organization documents and ephemera.
Series 3 contains multi-page songbooks; sheet music; educational songbooks and instructional materials; and commercial single-song folios which are one- or two-page songbooks containing the lyrics and sheet music of popular songs costing several cents to a few dollars. The majority of the materials are in English. Seven folders contain materials in Spanish, mostly representing music from Cuba with bulk dates in the 1950s. One folder contains handwritten notes, lyrics, and sheet music in English.
Series 4 contains papers, photographs, a photo album, artwork, correspondence, and fliers of various jazz musicians and jazz-inspired artists. Jazz musicians and artists include Buddy Montgomery, James Moody, Max Hartstein, Oscar Peterson, and Roy Merriweather. This series contains one manuscript box of materials and one oversized box of artwork by Bam Miller.
Series 5 contains an eclectic collection of jazz brochures, programs, fliers, news clippings, newsletters, magazines, posters, a cassette tape, and related ephemera. One folder includes materials solely focused on Indiana-based jazz events and news clippings. This series also contains one oversized folder with jazz posters and a 2004 print of a photograph of Duke Ellington taken in 1969 by Jim Alexander.
Series 1 contains personal and family photographs; personal financial documents; letters, cards, and poetry; funeral programs; career documents; picture books illustrated by Michelle Wood; and various ephemera collected by Edythe Fitzhugh.
Series 2 contains board meeting minutes; organizational charts; financial correspondence and reports; event materials including those for Indy Jazz Fest, Black Expo, and Jazz on Film; materials on the hiring of a consultant; Indy Jazz Scene newsletters; and miscellaneous organization documents and ephemera.
Series 3 contains multi-page songbooks; sheet music; educational songbooks and instructional materials; and commercial single-song folios which are one- or two-page songbooks containing the lyrics and sheet music of popular songs costing several cents to a few dollars. The majority of the materials are in English. Seven folders contain materials in Spanish, mostly representing music from Cuba with bulk dates in the 1950s. One folder contains handwritten notes, lyrics, and sheet music in English.
Series 4 contains papers, photographs, a photo album, artwork, correspondence, and fliers of various jazz musicians and jazz-inspired artists. Jazz musicians and artists include Buddy Montgomery, James Moody, Max Hartstein, Oscar Peterson, and Roy Merriweather. This series contains one manuscript box of materials and one oversized box of artwork by Bam Miller.
Series 5 contains an eclectic collection of jazz brochures, programs, fliers, news clippings, newsletters, magazines, posters, a cassette tape, and related ephemera. One folder includes materials solely focused on Indiana-based jazz events and news clippings. This series also contains one oversized folder with jazz posters and a 2004 print of a photograph of Duke Ellington taken in 1969 by Jim Alexander.
Dates
- 1881-2017, undated
Language of Materials
Materials are predominately in English with seven folders of songbooks and sheet music in Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Edythe Fitzhugh was born on July 5, 1934, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended P.S. 87 and Crispus Attucks High School. Music was a big part of her family’s life with her mother regularly playing piano and singing in the choir at church. Edythe also grew up around the local jazz scene in Indianapolis. At the age of seven, she began learning piano; at age eight, she began violin instruction. Later, she would go on to learn viola and cello. She was the second violinist in her P.S. 87 school orchestra. For a short period of time, she attended Jordan Conservatory of Music and then transferred to McArthur Conservatory of Music.
For over thirty-five years, Edythe worked for the Indiana State Department of Education, focused on the Alternative Education Division. In the 1970s, she was the editor of Jazz Newsletter Indy Jazz Scene. The newsletter focused on announcing local jazz events, festivals, and venues; promoting and commemorating local musicians; and encouraging readers to visit local jazz establishments in the Indianapolis area. Later, she would spend four years at WIAN-FM handling the first Indy Jazz Calendar. From 1980 to 1982, she was co-owner of the Jazz Roost alongside Ralph and Carol Adams. Edythe was also a regular patron at local jazz clubs on Indiana Avenue. During the mid-1980s, she held the position of Secretary of the Board for the Jazz Action Coalition.
Edythe Fitzhugh died on November 5, 2018 and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana where her gravestone is marked with the epitaph “Mother of Jazz.”
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Findagrave.com. “Edythe Fitzhugh.” Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/194764046/edythe-fitzhugh.
Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. “Edythe Fitzhugh: Indy Jazz Scene Supporter & Promoter. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.indyjazzfoundation.org/inductee/edythe-fitzhugh.
Taborn, Karen. “Reaching out to the Broader Community.” Indiana Avenue and Beyond: A History and Heritage Reflecting a Community of Jazz in Indiana. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://jazzindianaavenue.wordpress.com/reaching-out-to-the-broader-community/.
For over thirty-five years, Edythe worked for the Indiana State Department of Education, focused on the Alternative Education Division. In the 1970s, she was the editor of Jazz Newsletter Indy Jazz Scene. The newsletter focused on announcing local jazz events, festivals, and venues; promoting and commemorating local musicians; and encouraging readers to visit local jazz establishments in the Indianapolis area. Later, she would spend four years at WIAN-FM handling the first Indy Jazz Calendar. From 1980 to 1982, she was co-owner of the Jazz Roost alongside Ralph and Carol Adams. Edythe was also a regular patron at local jazz clubs on Indiana Avenue. During the mid-1980s, she held the position of Secretary of the Board for the Jazz Action Coalition.
Edythe Fitzhugh died on November 5, 2018 and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana where her gravestone is marked with the epitaph “Mother of Jazz.”
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Findagrave.com. “Edythe Fitzhugh.” Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/194764046/edythe-fitzhugh.
Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. “Edythe Fitzhugh: Indy Jazz Scene Supporter & Promoter. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.indyjazzfoundation.org/inductee/edythe-fitzhugh.
Taborn, Karen. “Reaching out to the Broader Community.” Indiana Avenue and Beyond: A History and Heritage Reflecting a Community of Jazz in Indiana. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://jazzindianaavenue.wordpress.com/reaching-out-to-the-broader-community/.
Historical Note
The Jazz Action Coalition is a non-profit corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana and incorporated on January 4, 1982. It was founded by Larry Ridley, a bassist whose hometown was originally Indianapolis, but who had moved to Brooklyn later in life. His connection to New York City would allow the Jazz Action Coalition to connect local Indianapolis jazz musicians with big name artists. The organization presented lectures, clinics, concerts, workshops, and seminars on jazz, focusing on connecting all age groups to the art form. One of the Jazz Action Coalition’s main goals included acting as a networking organization for the coordination, education, and preservation of jazz. Community-focused, the Jazz Action Coalition worked to bring jazz events to the local Indianapolis area. The organization also focused on bringing jazz educators and clinicians to local schools. The Jazz Action Coalition also acted as a regional link between Indianapolis and the National Jazz Service Organization which supported those wanting to promote jazz as authentic American art form.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
"January 31, 1982 (Page 107 of 153).". 1982 Indianapolis Star (1923-), Jan 31. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/january-31-1982-page-107-153/docview/1893603003/se-2.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
"January 31, 1982 (Page 107 of 153).". 1982 Indianapolis Star (1923-), Jan 31. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/january-31-1982-page-107-153/docview/1893603003/se-2.
Extent
5 Cubic Feet (7 manuscript boxes, 1 custom box, 1 oversized folder)
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Personal materials, 1912-2017, undated Series 2: Jazz Action Coalition materials, 1950-2010, undated, bulk 1980-1990 Series 3: Songbooks, sheet music, and notes 1881-1969, 1973, undated Series 4: Jazz musicians and artists, 1950-2012, undated Series 5: Miscellaneous jazz materials, 1952-2007, undated
Series 1: Personal materials, 1912-2017, undated Series 2: Jazz Action Coalition materials, 1950-2010, undated, bulk 1980-1990 Series 3: Songbooks, sheet music, and notes 1881-1969, 1973, undated Series 4: Jazz musicians and artists, 1950-2012, undated Series 5: Miscellaneous jazz materials, 1952-2007, undated
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Emma J. Harris on 2021/02/11.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2025/04/30 by Shannon O'Donnell. EAD finding aid created 2025/04/30 by Shannon O'Donnell.
- Afro-cuban jazz
- African American -- Music
- African Americans -- Indiana -- Indianapolis
- Artists
- Artists -- Indiana
- Artists -- United States
- Audiocassettes
- Books
- Broadsides
- Correspondence
- Ephemera
- Financial statements
- Invoices
- Jazz
- Jazz -- Indiana
- Jazz -- Indianapolis
- Jazz -- United States
- Jazz Societies, etc
- Latin jazz
- Memorabilia
- Minutes (Records)
- Music
- Music -- Indiana
- Music Societies, etc
- Musicians
- Musicians -- Indiana
- Musicians -- Indiana -- 20th century
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Periodicals
- Photograph albums
- Photographs
- Posters
- Sheet music
- Songbooks
- Title
- Edythe Fitzhugh papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
