Rex Stewart Letters Collection
Scope and Contents
Rex Stewart Letter Collection consists of 46 letters (0.21 linear feet), postcards, and photographs (1954-1968), documenting the relationship between Rex Stewart and his Munich friend, journalist and photographer Hans Henning Hartmann. A significant portion of the correspondence discusses Rex Stewart's potential European concert tour. The collection also includes correspondence with potential concert managers. Additionally, there are posthumous letters from Stewart's wife, Claire Gordon, addressed to Hartmann.
Dates
- Creation: 1954 - 1967
Conditions Governing Access
The physical materials from this collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives. Materials should be requested two to three days in advance to facilitate easier access. Contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu to schedule an appointment.
Biographical / Historical
Rex Stewart (Rex William Stewart, Jr., 1907 – 1967), was an American jazz musician. Stewart grew up in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. His musical career began in 1921 when he started playing with various groups in New York City. His early collaborations included work with Elmer Snowden, Fletcher Henderson band, McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, and Luis Russell. His most significant association was with the Duke Ellington band, where he played for 11 years, from 1934 to 1945. Stewart is featured in such recordings as “Across the Track Blues” and “Boy Meets Horn.” After leaving the Duke Ellington orchestra, Steward toured Europe and Australia. He then settled in New Jersey, working in local radio and television. In the 1960s, he moved to California, where he worked as a disc jockey and contributed jazz reviews to such publications as Down Beat and Playboy magazines.
Full Extent
.21 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Rex Stewart Letter Collection consists of correspondence between Rex Stewart and his friend, Munich journalist and photographer Hans Henning Hartmann, written between 1954 and 1968. The collection also includes letters from other individuals, including potential concert managers, and posthumous letters from Stewart's wife, Claire Gordon, addressed to Hartmann.
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Rex Stewart Letters Collection
- Status
- Unprocessed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.