Will McLean Florida Folk Music Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0401

Scope and Content

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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

McLean, Will, 1919-1990. (Person)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

For 70 years, Will McLean, "the man who loved Florida most" and a member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame (1996), roamed the Sunshine State, in search of stories and legends to share as poems and songs, as well as tall tales. He wrote his first song ("Away O’ee") when he was 6 years old and, by 1990, he had produced a catalogue of over 3,000 compositions. Although he performed at Carnegie Hall, his heart was always in Florida and he often declared that his music belonged only to his native state. His best known songs included "Hold Back the Waters" (a tale of the tragic no-name storm and Lake Okeechobee flood of 1928), "Florida Sand," "Osceola's Last Words" and "Seminole." Will McLean's legacy is celebrated with the annual Will McLean Music Festival and through the Will McLean Foundation.

Extent

15 Linear Feet (18 Boxes, 1 Guitar and case, and 2 Oversize Folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The private and professional life of Florida's "Black Hat Troubadour," Will McLean (aka the "Father of Florida Folk"), from his birth in Chipley, Florida in 1919 to his passing in 1990. The collection also represents the 20th Century Florida Folk scene populated with many of Will McLean's friends, colleagues and collaborators including Margaret Longhill ("The Matriarch of Florida Folk"), Gamble Rogers, Cousin Thelma Boltin, Dale Crider, Don Grooms, Donna Green-Townsend, Kate Bostrum, Red Henry, Jim Ballew, Murphy Henry, David Beede, Bobby Hicks, Paul Champion, Pete Seeger and many others.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building.

Acquisition Information

Donated by the Will McLean Foundation, represented by Donna Green-Townsend, in 2017.

Alternative Format Available

Digital reproductions of selected items in the Will McLean Florida Folk Music Collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.