Reference Number
ARC-0155
Level of description
collection
Title
Rona Elliot Papers
Date
1963-2008, undated
Size
11.75 (Linear feet)
Scope and Contents
The Rona Elliot Papers span the years 1963 to 2008. The collection consists of three series. Series I: Artist Files contains mainly research material, clippings, and notes used by Elliot during her career as music correspondent on the Today Show. Artists represented in Series I include Joan Baez, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison; there is also a substantial amount of material on the Amnesty International "A Conspiracy of Hope" benefit concerts of 1986. The materials in this series offer only a sampling of the exhaustive list of artists interviewed by Elliot during her 10 years with the Today Show. Series II: Personal Files contains a folder of Elliot's personal papers and notes. Series III: Audiocassettes contains 436 audiocassettes primarily from NBC Radio Network's The Source as well as other radio shows featuring Elliot. The recordings include interviews (edited and unedited), daily shows, monthly shows, press conferences, and broadcast concerts. The collection provides insight into music journalism in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and highlights the career of a current board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Biography / Administrative History
Rona Elliot is a journalist, teacher, editor, former music correspondent on NBC's Today Show, and former Program Manager for NBC Radio Network's The Source. In the 1970s, she was involved in the rise of freeform and progressive rock formats on San Francisco's KSAN and KMPX radio stations. She has reported on major rock music events, including Woodstock, Live Aid, and Billy Joel in the U.S.S.R. Elliot became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Board of Trustees in 2010.
Notes
Acquisition Note: The Rona Elliot Papers were received by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Inc. as a gift from Elliot on August 25, 2011 and October 5, 2018.
Citation: [Identification of Item], Rona Elliot Papers, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Processing Information: Processed by Christine Borne, Project Archivist. Completed September 19, 2011. Revised by Lyndsey Godwin-Kresge, Audiovisual Archivist. Completed May 22, 2023. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual.
Access
Collection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Consult the Library and Archives in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.
Use
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.
Associated Persons
Associated Subjects
