Scrapbooks, circa 1900-1989

The Count Basie family papers and artifacts comprise the extant papers and personal belongings of the Basie family, including Catherine, Diane, and Count Basie. The collection contains personal papers, music, photographic prints and negatives, business records, artwork, and audio and moving image recordings, as well as artifacts. The majority of items in the collection are from the 20th century, particularly the time period between the mid-1950s to the early 1980s.

Most significantly, the collection documents the full extent of Count Basie’s career in jazz, ranging from his time in Kansas City to the end of his life. Materials dating from the earliest years of his career are primarily included in series 5, 6, and 8. Materials in series 1, 4, 7, and 9 better represent Count Basie’s life and career in the 1950s-1980s, especially the 1960s-1970s. Types of materials in these series include clippings about Count Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra, scrapbooks, photographic prints and negatives, audio and moving image recordings, ephemera and memorabilia, advertising materials, notated music, contracts and business records connected to the Count Basie Orchestra, a limited amount of professional and personal correspondence, publications about Count Basie, his draft autobiography, and the numerous awards, citations, and honorary degrees he received as well as proclamations made in his honor.

Catherine Basie’s life and accomplishments are also well-documented in the collection, including her work with various civic and charitable organizations, her background as a dancer and singer, her social network, and the centrality of family in her home life. Series 2 and 4 provide rich information about her involvement in charitable and civic organizations in the form of correspondence and attachments, reports, newsletters, ephemera, and related publications, as well as the many honors and awards she received for her service. Photographs in series 8 provide a visual record of many of the events and figures found in series 2 and 4, and clippings in series 6 give additional context. Catherine's experiences and life prior to her marriage are most evident in series 5, 6, and 8 through clippings, ephemera, photographic prints and negatives, and correspondence, while the receipts, invoices, account statements, and related materials in series 9 provide information about her management of the family’s home life and budget, especially in the 1970s-1980s.

Although documentation of Diane Basie’s life is less prevalent in the collection overall, ample evidence of her day-to-day experiences and relationships with family members is apparent, particularly in series 4.1, 5, 7.9, and especially series 8.

Series 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 provide the richest documentation of the Basies’ family life, including the time they spent together as a family for holidays and birthdays, the management of their household and finances, and their relationships with each other as well as with extended family, including Count and Catherine Basie’s parents and relatives. The family’s collective experience is apparent throughout the collection, but the home movies and photographs in particular provide an intimate look at life in the Basie household as well as a visual record of extended family members and their lives.

For additional and more specific information, please refer to series-level scope and content notes.