The UNT Willis Conover Archive is now online

Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Regular SWLing Post readers know that I’m a huge fan of the late Willis Conover. I just learned, via the Arts Journal blog, about an amazing collection of Conover audio archives that are now being shared online:

“The music program at the University of North Texas has graduated hundreds of jazz artists who went on to successful careers as professionals.[…]

Under Maristella Feustle of the university’s library, there is an archive devoted to the late Willis Conover of the Voice of America[…]. Conover’s VOA programs sent jazz around the world. For a quarter of a century he was one of the nation’s most valuable cultural diplomats. As of today, parts of the Conover archive are online and open to the public, thanks to a grant from the Grammy Foundation.[…]”

Click here to read the full Arts Journal article.

Many thanks, Maristella, for championing and finding funds for the Willis Conover archive!

Click here to browse the list of recordings and listen to the tapes via the UNT Digital Library.

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4 thoughts on “The UNT Willis Conover Archive is now online

  1. Pete

    Hi I live in the UK just North of London. Spent my whole teenage years 1954 on-wards trolling the short wave and guess what the most favourite radio was? The VoA Jazz Hour. This site is so good now in my late 70s and just revel in these recordings, very well done and thank you . Willis Conover will live for ever on this site.

    Reply
  2. ANDRE TESTA

    I DID MY STUDY IN THE LATE FIFTIES WITH THE HELP OF WILLIS CONOVER THE JAZZ HOUR ON THE BACKGROUND

    HOW CAN I GET ACCESS TO HIS ARCHIVES ?

    ANDRE TESTA , LOCATED IN BAARN THE NETHERLANDS

    Reply

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