Details
- Reference NumberARC-0822
- Level of descriptioncollection
- TitleHill and Range Songs, Inc. Records
- Date1924-2011, undated
- Size58 (Linear feet)
- Scope and ContentsHill and Range Songs, Inc. Records contain the business records of Hill and Range Songs, Inc., a music publishing company founded in 1945 by Jean and Julian Aberbach. The materials date from 1924 through 2011, with the bulk of the files covering the period between 1945-1974. The collection contains business correspondence, copies of litigation (e.g., notices of copyright infringement, affidavits), and contracts. Type of contracts found in the collection include: Copyright License Agreements, General Agreements, Standard Songwriters Contracts, Standard Uniform Popular Songwriters Contracts, Term Writers Agreements, Subpublishing Agreements, Amendments, and Mechanical License Agreements. Of note are the materials related to Doc Pomus, which include files for 50 individual songs. Other songwriters featured with a significant amount of documentation include Bennie Benjamin, Roy C. Bennett, Otis Blackwell, Mack David, Thomas Dorsey, Florence Kaye, Jerry Leiber, Al Lewis, Kal Mann, Sol Marcus, Bob Merrill, Steve Nelson, Aaron Schroeder, Mort Shuman, Mike Stoller, Sid Tepper, Kay Twomey, Cindy Walker, Fats Waller, Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, and Fred Wise. Many of these individuals wrote songs for Elvis Presley, whose work was published by Hill and Range, and the collection likely contains a file for anyone who wrote a song recorded by Presley. The open portion of the collection is arranged alphabetically by songwriter.
- Biography / Administrative HistoryWhen Austrian immigrant brothers Jean and Julian Aberbach formed their Hill and Range publishing company in 1945, the name they chose made it clear which songwriters they were after: the country-and-western writers who had been long overlooked by the established publishers affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). Offering a 75-25 percent split to writers instead of the customary 50-50, Hill and Range published several leading country singers, including Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe, and Hank Snow. In 1955 Snow's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, took on a new protégé, Elvis Presley, and orchestrated a buyout of his contract with the Memphis-based label Sun Records by securing substantial payments not only from Presley's new label, RCA Victor, but also from Hill and Range. Although he was not a songwriter, Presley was guaranteed half the publishers' share of income from any Hill and Range song he recorded, plus one-third of the songwriting share. With this arrangement with Presley in place, Hill and Range was for several years able to take its pick from songs written by some of the best writers of the era, including Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and Otis Blackwell.
- NotesProcessing Information: Processed by Jennie Thomas, Director of Archives; Dianna Ford, Audiovisual Archivist; Anastasia Karel, Archivist and Assistant Curator; William Jackson, Archives Assistant; Peter Linberger, Library Assistant; Gretchen Unico, Intern; Dan Filipkowski, Volunteer. Completed November 8, 2018. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual.
Citation: [Identification of Item], Hill and Range Songs, Inc. Records, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Acquisition Note: The Hill and Range Songs, Inc. Records were received by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., as a gift from The Belinda Aberbach Stevenson Agar Revocable Trust and The Susan Aberbach Revocable Trust on August 8, 2016.
Separated Materials: Some items are on exhibit. These items are noted at the file level. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit for additional information. - AccessThis collection is currently in process. The songwriter files are open for research, and additional portions of the collection will be opened as they become available. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Some of the materials in the collection are confidential and are, therefore, RESTRICTED. Access copies of these materials will have to be created prior to use. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.
- UseThe 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.
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