Archive of nearly 150 photographs of jazz, blues, and popular music performers, including 50 INSCRIBED photographs, as well as a handful of personal photographs, belonging to jazz drummer and bandleader "Monk" McFay, circa 1930s through 1950s [Jazz Archives] Nathaniel Jack (Nat) "Monk" McFay African American Interest,Archives,Jazz and Blues,Music,Photographs

Large personal archive of nearly 150 photographs of various jazz, blues, and popular music performers, nearly 50 of which are inscribed, as well as a handful of personal and family photographs, all belonging to jazz drummer and bandleader Nathaniel Jack (Nat) "Monk" McFay, with the majority of photographs dating from the 1930s to the 1950s, in jazz clubs in Texas, Oklahoma, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Hawaii. An impressive archive that is a literal survey of African-American jazz, blues, and popular music in the first half of the twentieth century, all associated with and many inscribed to a notably loved and respected musician and bandleader Included among the nearly 150 photographs in the archive are press photographs of African-American, jazz, blues, and popular music performers, including: Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong with Roy Eldridge and Art Tatum at Stuff's Back Stage Club, Warren Bracken, Buddy Banks, Earl Bostic, Kirtland (Kirk) Bradford, "Stuffy" Bryant, "Sister" Wynona Carr performing with McFay and Art Foxall, Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett, "Little" Harry Caesar, The Eddie Christian Band, Marie Dickerson Coker, Gene Coy, Tina Tixon, Dorothy Donegan, The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, Lorenzo Flennoy (aka Flournox), Troy Flloyd, Viviane Greene, George Jenkins, Betty Hall Jones, Luke Jones, Lorenzo "The Hat" Manley, Oscar McLollie, wrestler Jim "Black Panther" Mitchell, James Moody, Esvan Mosby, Gladys Palmer, Cleo Pierce, William "Frosty" Pyles, Nina Russell, Leslie Sheffield, Fred Skinner, Effie Smith, Fletcher Smith, C.B. Stroud, Rabon Tarrant, and Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker, among many others. As well as the aforementioned musicians and performers, the archive also includes various photographs of McFay performing and socializing with various musicians, bands and orchestras throughout his career. Also present are: a circa 1915 group schoolhouse photograph (presumably including McFay or family members), a 1931 photograph of the Salem Baptist Church congregation, a 1949 Certificate of Award to McFay from the Bay Area Negro Business Men, a "Clef Club" by-laws booklet dated 1957, and a 1986 pencil portrait of McFay (artist unknown). Nathaniel Jack (Nat) "Monk" McFay, born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1908, began his storied musical career in the early 1930s playing drums for Roderick Thomas' territory band, Red Williams, and Joe Brantley's Spotlight Entertainer Orchestra in Texas and Oklahoma before moving to Los Angeles in 1935. It was in Los Angeles that McFay joined Bernard Banks' ensembles, Bernard Banks and His 5 Clouds of Rhythm and the Bernard Banks Sextet, and with whom he made his first of many tours of Hawaii, playing the Casino Ballroom in Honolulu. In 1936 McFay lead his own band at the Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis, with which he toured Honolulu again in 1937. From 1938 to 1944 McFay played along side with, among many others, Leslie Sheffield, Henry Coker, and Harlan Leonard, before rejoining Buddy Banks again in 1945. It was in 1945 that McFay made his first recordings with the Buddy Banks Sextet, Marion "The Blues Woman" Abernathy, and Howard McGhee and His Combo (which included Charles Mingus). McFay's career continued through the 1950s and into the 1960s, playing in and leading various ensembles largely in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Photographs: 11 x 14 inches (1), 8 x 10 inches (97), 5 x 7 to 10 x 7 inches (20), 1.5 x 2 inches to 4 x 5 inches (31). Very Good to Very Good plus overall, many with creasing and chipping. Eight of the above photographs mounted onto cardboard as maintained by McFay. Other materials: Very Good plus overall.