Skip to main content

Interview with Diana Bennett Jones, April 7, 2003

 File — Bag: \folklife\prj1014\, Folder: 004_jones-diana
Collection number: PRJ1014-004

Scope and Contents

Interview with Diana Bennett Jones, Randolph County, Georgia, April 7, 2003. Fieldworker: Kuanita E. Murphy. From the South Georgia Folklife Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.

Dates

  • April 7, 2003

Conditions Governing Access

Extent

3 Electronic Records (3 Electronic record(s) and derivatives. 439,846,920 bytes. 00:41:33. 2 PDF files (Tapelog, Artist Data Sheet). )

Language

From the Collection: English

Tape Log Notes

item_title: "Jones, Diane Bennett"

call_number: PRJ-1012

project_title: Student Project

equipment_used:

informant_name: "Jones, Diane bennett"

fieldworker: Kuanita E. Murphy

recording_engineer: Kuanita E. Murphy

date: 4/7/2003

recording_location: "Cuthbert, GA"

content_summary: Interview with Mrs. Diane b. Jones about the craft of Sacred harp singing

notes: interview conducted by Kuanita Murphy for an independent study for Laurie Sommers

index_of_contents: index exists in folder

consent_form: Yes

transcription: Yes

access_copy: No

technical_summary: "good, phone ringing, thunderstorm overhead"

genre: "religious music, singing, shape note music"

places: "Cuthbert, GA; Randolph county"

people: "Diana Bennett Jones,"

groups: Georgia/Alabama Singing Convention

keywords: "sacred harp, cotton field singing"

Processing Information

CAS1012.41, ADS-1012-04

Tape Index

006: Mrs. Diane Jones’ experience singing Shaped-note singing

020: Shape-note singing traditions: conventions, singings

031: Georgia/Alabama Singing Convention

036: “...Singing messages to the Lord...”

046: Cotton field singing

052: Why members dropped out of the convention; several choirs dropped out already

062: Her perspective on the African American church

069: Singing Schools

088: Location of the singing schools/costs

108: Mount Cilla A.M.E. Church in Carnegie (Randolph County), Georgia

118: Her family experience with singing and how she learned it

131: “I’ll Be A Friend To Jesus” sung by Mrs. Diana B. Jones

158: She sings with her father and sisters still today.

174: “...singing is a daily constitution for me...”

184: “Music was a spiritual constellation”

190: Old traditions with singing in African American culture

196: Her son started when he was three with his father.

207: Her daughter sings daily in the home as well

216: Cotton Field Songs

220: “I Wonder If The Day Will Ever Come When We’ll Be Free” sung by Mrs. Jones

246: Her knowledge of singing

254: “...a way of getting the message out that they couldn’t tell

the master...”

265: What is important to keep the tradition alive?

272: Her thoughts on what she thinks is important to keep tradition alive.

289: Contemporary gospel

300: Revitalizing an interest in Randolph County for the younger generation

316: Education of the Shape-note singing in the community

327: Recollections on singings events and traditions and attendance

382: Prayer meetings

400: Congregation size in African American churches

410: Churches in Carnegie (Randolph County), Georgia where she attended church: Mount Cilla A.M.E. (1st Sunday church), New Jerusalem (2nd Sunday), Saint Luke Missionary Baptist (3rd Sunday), and Sweet Beulah (4th Sunday)

429: What happened to these churches? Structures?

457: “.. .1 believe people would feel more fulfilled in their daily living if they would go back to some of the old time ways...”

462: Educating the youth to keep tradition going

489: “I have learned to let the Lord guide and lead me daily.

502: Her personal hopes for shape-note singing

511: Talks about writing her own music and experiences

595: END of Interview

Repository Details

Part of the Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Valdosta State University Archives, Odum Library
1500 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta GA 30601 United States
7063728116
229-259-5055 (Fax)