Bix Box-SC resources re: Bix Beiderbecke

Collection

Identifier: 2007-04

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This artificial collection is a compilation of original items pertaining to Bix Beiderbecke, including photographs.

The 20 x 30" color print of the Bix Beiderbecke mural that was painted on the side of city parking ramp located at 2nd and Perry Streets in Davenport is part of this collection. The idea of the mural was suggested to Davenport City Council Committee of the Whole in June 1988 by local artists Mike Brannon and Loren Shaw. It was painted by Loren Shaw from July to December 1988 and took over 1000 hours. It was 360' long and 25' high and included an image of Bix Beiderbecke and the music to "Davenport Blues". Funding came from Rejuvenate Davenport ($5000), City of Davenport ($4000), and private donations ($6500).

The source of the photographic print is unknown. The parking ramp was destroyed in the fall of 1990.

Newspaper clippings: QCT 14 June 1988 "Davenport ramp may get Bix mural"

31 December 1988 "QC Artist adds finishing touches to Bix"

14 October 1990 p.17

Dates

Creation: 2007

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials are available for use in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center only.

Request permission before copying materials.

Personal digital cameras and scanners are allowed in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center on a case-by-case basis. The items that a researcher may want to scan or photograph must be examined and evaluated for physical condition, copyright issues, and donor restrictions by staff.

Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Biographical / Historical

In 1971 a band from New Jersey came to Davenport, Iowa to play music at Beiderbecke’s grave in Oakdale Cemetery as a tribute on the fortieth anniversary of Bix’s death. They renamed themselves the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band. A Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society formed in 1972 and began planning a music festival in Beiderbecke’s honor, which was first held in July 1972.

The Davenport Public Library created the “Beiderbecke Room” in early 1972. Library employees recall the room was on the south side of the main floor, where in 2007 a new handicap accessible unisex restroom was installed. Currently research has not located evidence of when the room was dismantled and items were relocated to Special Collections. Perhaps something is in the DPL archives.

With such an interest in Beiderbecke, the variety of materials donated to the SC Center eventually needed organization, and a Bix Box was developed. With so many folks handling the materials, it was determined copies of the items should be made and placed in a binder. The binder was cataloged so patrons, volunteers and staff could utilize it rather than risk the integrity of the original items.