Audiovisual Materials, 1940-1990

Series VII contains audiovisual materials that depict Emma Kelly performing, being interviewed and accepting awards. The different formats available in this series include photographs, photocopies, videocassettes, audiocassettes, albums, phonodiscs and compact discs.

Items in this series are organized into three sub-series based on format. The sub-series are A. Photographs and Photocopies, B. Videocassette Recordings, and C. Sound Recordings. Sub-series A contains over 500 images, sub-series B has eight (8) videocassette recordings, and sub-series C includes one (1) LP phonodisc, three (3) 78 shellac phonodiscs, five (5) audiocassette tapes and three (3) compact discs.

Sub-series A contains more than 500 images and is arranged according to subject matter. The series is further divided into two groups based on whether the items are photographs or photocopies of photographs. The subjects of the images are loosely grouped into the following categories: Family and General; Performing; Clubs and Venues; Johnny Mercer; Celebrities and Politicians; and related Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil photographs.

The photographs of Emma range from her young adulthood to her later years as a famous performer. Many of the images are of her children, her friends, her fellow musicians, her piano bar, and the various honors and award ceremonies she attended. Johnny Mercer appears in five of the photographs, and there are many pictures of Emma with various unidentified men (politicians?).One oversized, and undated, photograph from the JVC Jazz Festival is housed in the artifacts box A8.

Other Mercer family photos include Walter Mercer, Nick Mamalakis, his wife Anna, Mandy Mercer as a baby and Louise Mercer (a niece of Johnny). The majority of these photographs are of Johnny Mercer's half-brother, Walter. Musicians and entertainment-related individuals include Ben Tucker and Lewis Grizzard. The later photographs document the production of the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and include John Berendt, Lady Chablis, Clint Eastwood, Jim Williams and Joe Odom, among others.

The remaining images include photocopies of some of the previous photographs as well as many photocopies of pictures that are neither in this collection, nor any other Mercer collection. These photocopies are reproductions of various Kelly family photos and Mercer family pictures. At the very end of this sub-series are six (6) postcards that look like photographs. Five of these are unaddressed, blank postcards depicting characters from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The last postcard is addressed to Johnny Mercer's brother, Walter, from Nick Mamalakis. In addition, digital images of Kelly family photographs exist that are not held in Special Collections. See archivist for further information.

While the photographs are arranged according to subject, the numbering of the photos within each section is not consecutive. For example, the first 15 numbered photographs (1-15) are from the Clubs and Venues sub-series. The remaining five photographs in this sub-series are numbered 310-314.

The video cassette recording sub-series includes eight video cassettes that feature Emma Kelly performing, being interviewed and being honored. The majority of the videos are from the mid 1980's. Two of the recordings from the 1990's include a 1994 Good Morning, America show and the 1998 Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards. Two of the videos are undated.

Sub-series C. The sound recording sub-series is composed of three (3) 78 shellac phonodiscs, one (1) LP phonodisc, five (5) audio cassettes, and three (3) compact discs. The 78s are Johnny Mercer recordings that Emma owned, the LP is Emma's first recording entitled Emma and two of the cassette tapes were professionally recorded while three of the cassette tapes are non-commercial productions.