Marr Sound Archives

Marr Sound Archives
Interactive map of Marr Sound Archives
39°2′6.1″N 94°34′35.5″W / 39.035028°N 94.576528°W / 39.035028; -94.576528
Location800 E 51st Street, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Established1987
AffiliationMiller Nichols Library
Websitelibrary.umkc.edu/sca/marr/

The Marr Sound Archives is an audiovisual archive, affiliated with the University of Missouri-Kansas City.[1] The Marr Sound Archives is one of four departments comprising the Special Collections and Archives division[2] housed at the Miller Nichols Library.

The collection includes extensive holdings of jazz, blues, country and popular music; historic voices and authors reading their own works; vintage radio programs; classical and opera. The Marr Sound Archives holds a wide range of historic formats including LPs, 78s, 45s, cylinders, transcription discs, instantaneous-cut discs, compact cassette tapes, and open-reel audiotapes. The archives maintain audiovisual materials for a number of archival collections shared with LaBudde Special Collections [1][3] and The UMKC University Archives.[2]

The archives were created from a donation of 42,000 items by Olga and Gaylord Marr in 1987.[1] As of 2023, the archives hold over 400,000 recordings.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Komara, E.; Lee, P. (2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 605. ISBN 978-1-135-95831-2. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Becker, Becky Briggs. "Research Guides: UMKC University History: Home". libguides.library.umkc.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  3. ^ Sturman, J. (2019). The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. SAGE Publications. p. 4170. ISBN 978-1-5063-5337-1. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Marr Sound Archives". UMKC University Libraries. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

Trivia

  • The Marr Sound Archives was used as a filming location for the Hallmark movie A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.[1]
  • The Marr Sound Archives contributed original audio recordings of Charlie Parker to "Bird in Kansas City," from Verve Records.[2]

39°02′04″N 94°34′37″W / 39.034576°N 94.57688°W / 39.034576; -94.57688

  1. ^ "Happy Holidays from the UMKC Libraries". Library News. December 15, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ West, Kaitlin (November 5, 2024). "UMKC Marr Sound Archives Contribute to New Charlie Parker Album". UMKC Today. Retrieved March 15, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)