John W. Coltrane dues record
Item
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Title
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John W. Coltrane dues record
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Description
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A 2-page balance sheet of union dues from legendary jazz saxophonist, composer, and band leader John William Coltrane (1926-1967). The dues are for local chapters of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) of which John Coltrane was a member–Local 802 serving New York and Local 274 for Philadelphia.
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Before becoming one of most influential musicians of the 20th century, Coltrane worked as a “horn-for-hire, blowing the blues out front of small groups, backing various jazz and R&B singers, adding to the punch and blend of the sax section in a number of big bands” (Kahn 2009). This experience along with many others likely fuelled his concern with the plight of musicians “the conditions under which they had to work and the way their music was received” (Garland 1967, 74). His widow, composer, musician, and Hindu spiritual leader Alice Coltrane (née McLeod), described him as being "disturbed because the type of music he played was confined to night clubs” (Garland 1967, 74) when a concert hall, church, or meditation center would have been more appropriate. This limited access to performance venues is one of many examples of systemic barriers Black jazz musicians faced in a racist society.
In the case of Local 274, the dues sheet provides evidence of “Philadelphia’s Black working-class musicians, acting as organized workers, to form a union to service their needs" (Turner 1993, iv). Black working musicians founded Local 274 to service their needs, which were unmet by the segregated, white Local 77, which at the time, was hostile and hateful toward Black musicians and Black musical traditions (Hyde and Riley 2023).
More information is available in the annotation of the document.
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Rights
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This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only. For access to the original or a high resolution reproduction, and for permission to publish, please contact Temple University Libraries, the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).
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Language
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eng
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Contributor
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Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection
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Date Created
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c. 1966
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Subject
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African American musicians
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American Federation of Musicians
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American Federation of Musicians. Local 802
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Coltrane, John, 1926-1967
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Jazz musicians
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Labor unions
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Saxophonists
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Union dues
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transcription
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(Parts of the form for which no handwritten information was provided were omitted from the transcription. Decimals and numerals have been added where needed to provide clarity for debited and credited dollar amounts.)
NAME Coltrane, John W.
ADDRESS 1511 N. 33rd St. 21
St. 4-9927 (lined through)
po-3-9921
SHEET No. 4
AGE 9-23-26
INITIATED 11-6-44
1078 (inscribed within a box)
DECEASED
7/17/67 (encircled)
PROPOSED BY
Local 802
+ 274
Yeo & Lukens Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Form 43
S.S. 245-32-5071 Tenor
1962
BALANCE CR. 14.50
JAN. DR. 5.50
MAR. 31 CR. 22.75
DR. 5.50 CR. 37.25
BALANCE CR. 31.75
APR. DR. 5.50
DR. 5.50 CR. 31.75
BALANCE CR. 26.25
1962
BALANCE CR. 26.25
JULY DR. 5.50
DR. 5.50 CR. 26.25
BALANCE CR. 20.75
OCT. DR. 5.50 CR. 20.75
DR. 5.50 CR. 2.075
BALANCE CR. 15.25
1963
BALANCE CR. 15.25
JAN. DR. 5.50
DR. 5.50 CR. 15.25
BALANCE CR. 9.75
APR. DR. 5.50
JUNE 17 CR. 6.75
Out 6/20/63
DR. 5.50 CR. 16.50
BALANCE DR. CR. 11.00
1963
BALANCE CR. 11.00
JULY DR. 5.50
DR. 5.50 CR. 11.00
BALANCE 5.50
OCT. DR. 5.50
BALANCE DR. (blank) CR. (blank)
1964
BALANCE (blank)
JAN. DR. 7.50
JAN. DR. 2.50
FEB. CR. 2.50
MAR. CR. 5.50
DR. 8.25
BALANCE DR. 8.25
APR. 1 DR. 7.50
APR. 12 DR. 5.00
(Page 2)
NAME Coltrane, John W.
DECEASED 7/17/67 (encircled)
Yeo & Lukens Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Form 43
1965
BALANCE DR. 8.25
JAN. DR. 7.50
JAN. 7 DR. 1.00
FEB. 15 CR. 16.75
DR. 16.75 CR. 16.75
APR. 1 DR. 7.50
APR. DR. 0.25
MAY DR. 0.25
JUNE DR. 0.25
JUNE 9 CR. 8.25
DR. 8.25 CR. 8.25
1965
JULY 1 DR. 7.50
JULY DR. 0.25
AUG. DR 0.25
SEPT. DR. 0.25
DR. 8.25
BALANCE DR. 8.25
OCT. 1 DR. 7.50
OCT. 12 DR. 5.00
NOV. 5 CR. 20.75
DR. 20.75 CR. 20.75
1966
JAN. 1 DR. 7.50
JAN. DR. 0.25
FEB. DR. 0.25
MAR. DR. 0.25
MAR. 22 CR. 8.50
DR. 8.25 CR. 8.50
BALANCE CR. 0.25
APR. 1 DR. 7.50
APR. DR. 0.25
MAY DR. 0.25
JUNE DR. 0.25
DR. 8.25
DR. 0.25
BALANCE DR. 8.00
1966
BALANCE DR. 8.00
JULY 1 DR. 7.50
JULY 12 DR. 5.00
