Boots Randolph Collection
Scope and Contents
The Boots Randolph Collection consists primarily of scores and parts associated with the saxophonist Boots Randolph approximately from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. Present are handwritten and computer-notated manuscripts, various photocopies where original manuscripts are not present, and other published media received from the Boots Randolph Estate. Resources vary significantly in their completeness, and many works are only included in fragmentary form.
Dates
- Creation: approximately 1960s-2005
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use. This collection may be viewed in the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library at 2400 Blakemore Ave., Nashville, TN 37212.
Biographical / Historical
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph II was born in 1927 in Paducah, Kentucky, and raised in nearby Cadiz, Kentucky. He played the saxophone as a child, forming a group with his brother and four others in his high school years, and later played with the U.S. Army Band in 1945.
After touring for a number of years in the Midwest, he acquired a steady gig at a club in Decatur, Illinois, before being invited by Chet Atkins to come to Nashville, Tennessee, as a session musician. Initially signed by RCA, he backed numerous major artists over the next few decades, including Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley. In 1961, he transferred to Monument Records, where he saw his most success, recording with Roy Orbison, and re-recording "Yakety Sax," the tune for which he is most well-known.
After 1976, Randolph lessened his session work and opened a nightclub, Boots Randolph's, located in Nashville's Printer's Alley, where he would be based for the next 17 years. In 1995, he transferred again to a double-bill with trumpeter Danny Davis at the Stardust Theater across from the Opryland Hotel, continuing his run as a major tourist draw in the nightclub scene.
Randolph died in Nashville in 2007.
Full Extent
6.25 Linear Feet (8 boxes + 1 artifact)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The print portion of collection has been arranged into four series: 1) Scores, which are arranged alphabetically by title; 2) Parts, also arranged alphabetically by title, with especially fragmentary portions within shared folders; 3) Lead sheets/melody lines, retained in the original order as received; and 4) Realia, consisting of a single object.
Physical Location
Anne Potter Wilson Music Library Vault
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was acquired by the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library in October 2008 from Dee Randolph, Randolph's widow.
Appraisal
Published media have been integrated with the regular collection of the Wilson Music Library.
Geographic locations
United States--Tennessee--Nashville
Source
- Randolph, Boots (Associated name, Person)
Genre / Form
- Title
- Finding aid for the Boots Randolph Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jake Schaub
- Date
- 4 August 2026
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library Repository
2400 Blakemore Ave.
Nashville TN 37212
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.