CW2001.1626: Lyric sheets: bound folder of song lyrics, 1970-72

Identification and Creation

Object Number

CW2001.1626

People

Christopher Wilmarth, American (Sonoma, CA 1943 - 1987 New York, NY)

Title

Lyric sheets: bound folder of song lyrics, 1970-72

Classification

Archival Material

Work Type

archival material

Date

1970-1972

Culture

American

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/96285

Physical Descriptions

Medium

10 typed pages and 17 loose handwritten sheets in brown bound folder

Dimensions

29.1 x 23.2 cm (11 7/16 x 9 1/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, The Christopher Wilmarth Archive, Gift of Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau

Copyright

© Estate of Christopher Wilmarth

Accession Year

2001

Object Number

CW2001.1626

Division

Modern and Contemporary Art

Contact

am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

1 brown bound folder labeled on cover in black ink: 5 SONGS / CHRIS JAMES / (WILMARTH). [According to an email from Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau, Wilmarth's original last name was James, before his mother remarried and he and his brother changed along with her to Wilmarth. "He didn't want his carrier in the art world connected with his musical work." However, he began focusing more and more on sculpture, less and less on music, and never used his original last name in the end.]The lyrics for the 5 songs are typewritten, each given a title page and a page of lyrics, making for 10 typwritten sheets bound in folder. Each title page also includes, in the lower left corner, the line: Copyright 1970 by Chris (Wilmarth) James. Songs as follows:

p. 1: Diner Life (with lyric added in black ink)
p. 3: She Don't Like My Rainbow (also reads, at top of lyric page: Words and Music by Chris (Wilmarth) James)
p. 5: Johnny High - Johnny Low (with corrections made in green felt-tip ink)
p. 7: American Grease (Ballad of a Grease Monkey)
p. 9: Fat Skirts

17 loose sheets of paper inserted in back of folder behind the 5 bound songs. All measure 27.8cm x 21.5cm. As follows:

1) unidentified sketch (for sculpture?) in graphite
2) lyrics for Who's Going to Love Me Now (as I Walk from You Today) in blue ball-point ink
3) lyrics for Soulface in graphite
4) lyrics for Blues (In Rocky Mountain Time) in blue ball-point ink
5) lyrics for Tell Me Where It Hurts, dated 1970, in blue ink
6) sheet of various notes, including a list of songs (Heart of Gold, These Six Strings, Out of Love Again (crossed out), City Lights in Country Eyes, Talkin' to the Trees, She Knows, Easier (crossed out), Hometown Boy, Spendin' Time (crossed out), Places to Lay, Tell Me Where It Hurts, Soulface, Blues (In Rocky Mountain Time)), in blue ink, blue ball-point, blue pencil, and graphite, using paper horizontally, vertically, and diagonally
7) recto and verso lyrics for Places to Lay in blue ink
8) lyrics for She Knows, dated July 1971, in blue ink
9) recto and verso lyrics for Heart of Gold in blue ink
10) recto and verso lyrics for Queen Anne Knows in graphite (written horizontally)
11) recto and verso lyrics for unidentified song in black marker
12) lyrics for The Three L's in black and blue ball-point
13) recto: carbon copy of lyrics (partial?) for California's Really Not to Blame dated and copyrighted 1972; verso: (partial?) lyrics for Tomorrow's in My Room, dated and copyrighted 1972, in blue ball-point
14) lyrics for Spendin' Time in blue ink with graphite correction
15) continuation (3rd page) of lyrics for Queen Anne Knows in graphite, written horizontally
16) blank page
17) recto and verso lyrics for Supermarket Widows in brown marker

Subjects and Contexts

• Wilmarth

Verification Level