Oklahoma Musicians

History with room for the human story.

Read across the collection through the experiences, institutions, and occasions documented in its sources.

Nancy Smith, Bertha Gascar and Sherry Chambers with guitars at the Guthrie center, 1968.
New instruments, new possibilitiesNancy Smith, Bertha Gascar and Sherry Chambers with guitars at the Guthrie center, 1968.Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History · Original source

Different lives. Shared musical history.

Explore the photographs →

Photographs preserve names, places and moments. Follow each image into its source account and the wider musical history.

Nancy Smith, Bertha Gascar and Sherry Chambers with guitars at the Guthrie center, 1968.
New instruments, new possibilitiesNancy Smith, Bertha Gascar and Sherry Chambers with guitars at the Guthrie center, 1968.Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History · Original source
A Chilocco Indian School band musician with his euphonium, June 13, 1905.
Moses Iron MoccasinA Chilocco Indian School band musician with his euphonium, June 13, 1905.Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History · Original source
A Salute to Black American Jazz at the state capitol, 1981.
Jimmie NelsonA Salute to Black American Jazz at the state capitol, 1981.Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History · Original source
Exchange Avenue Baptist Church youth choir prepares for a tour, 1969.606 related records

Community music

Rehearsals, civic bands, and the work of making music together.

A Salute to Black American Jazz at the state capitol, 1981.1,020 related records

Jazz, dance & territory bands

Musicians and ensembles connected through performance, travel, and shared work.

Gene Thrailkill and Bert Gillespie prepare percussion equipment, 1977.2,637 related records

Learning & teaching music

Schools, teachers, band directors, and the people who pass music on.

The Oklahoma Journal photograph captioned “Mr. Guitar,” 1969.985 related records

Roots & musical traditions

Fiddling, folk, country, Red Dirt, and other traditions represented in the sources.

Photographs document the chamber band in 1916 and 1917; the later item names George D. Barnard as director.245 related records

Music, work & service

Military, workplace, fraternal, and institutional ensembles.

Photographs document the chamber band in 1916 and 1917; the later item names George D. Barnard as director.2,396 related records

Orchestras & chamber music

Ensembles, conductors, instruments, and concert life.

Eisenhower Junior High Band in the 1970 State Fair opening parade.1,910 related records

Concerts, parades & occasions

Music encountered in civic life and public performance.

A Chilocco Indian School band musician with his euphonium, June 13, 1905.94 related records

Native communities & institutions

Source-specific accounts of musicians, groups, and institutional settings.

Nancy Smith, Bertha Gascar and Sherry Chambers with guitars at the Guthrie center, 1968.395 related records

Women in musical life

Named musicians, women’s ensembles, and their documented work.

Explore the collection through time.

Each bar counts ensemble and newspaper records with a first dated reference in that decade. It describes the collection’s dated evidence, rather than the number of active ensembles.

Select a decade to browse its dated records.