Crider, Dale - A handwritten letter (on Dale Crider-photo stationery) sent to Margaret Longhill (Longtime companion to Will McLean and President of the Will McLean Foundation) requesting to sing at a Will McLean "birthday celebration…of new life in the wind and everything that the 'Will Wind' touches..." According to the FLORIDA MEMORY website: "Folks learn to appreciate Florida’s mosquitos, swamps and waterways through song with Gainesville’s environmental troubadour Dale Crider. Dale has been a presence at the Florida Folk Festival for over 40 years, beginning with his performances of traditional bluegrass numbers in the 1960s with the Florida Wildlife Boys. By the 1970s he was performing original songs both solo and accompanied by various musicians, including then-wife Linda Bittner. With 30 years of experience as a biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Crider has an in-depth understanding of Florida’ s ecosystems. This has enabled him to write songs with both a convincing message of environmental conservation and an equally strong audience appeal."
Scope and Content
Spanning a period beginning with his genealogical roots in the late 19th Century and detailing the private and public life of "Florida's premier folklorist" from his birth until his passing in 1990, THE WILL McLEAN FLORIDA FOLK MUSIC COLLECTION consists of family history and photographs, handwritten song lyrics and poetry, promotional posters, handbills, brochures and programs, recordings (various formats), artifacts (his iconic black wool hat, harmonicas, a guitar, etc.) as well as correspondence between McLean and his family, musical collaborators and colleagues and his longtime companion and champion Margaret Mary Longhill. This fascinating research collection reveals a complicated, creative and eccentric activist who lived to sing the praises of his home and to bring attention to the history of Florida and the environmental damage that threatened the ecology of this beautiful and fragile landscape. The researcher will find a vast archive of primary source ephemera that chronicles the 20th Century Florida folk music world and the talented musical pioneers who paved the way for future artists who now entertain and inform at the many folk festivals across the state.
Dates
- Creation: 1885 - 2000
Creator
- From the Collection: McLean, Will, 1919-1990. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 15 Linear Feet (18 Boxes, 1 Guitar and case, and 2 Oversize Folders)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu