Taylor, Leonard, June 5, 1989

The William Smyth audio collection, 1985-1994, contains ten oral histories, conducted by Bill Smyth as part of his research while a PhD candidate in American Studies at William and Mary, and eight music recordings.

Series I: Oral History Interviews, 1989-1992: contains ten oral history interviews conducted by Bill Smyth. Participants discuss life in the Charleston area during the 1950s with specific focus given to the Civil Rights Movement and segregation. Topics of discussion include teaching in segregated schools, segregation in churches, the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the sit-ins at Silver's and Kress's, a dinner party held at Judge Watie Warings house, Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Charleston, growing up in Charleston and James Island during the 1950s.

Many of these oral histories were cited in Smyth, William D. “Segregation in Charleston in the 1950s: A Decade of Transition.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine 92, no. 2 (1991): 99–123.

Series II: Music Recordings, 1985-1994: contains eight audiocassettes featuring spirituals and spoken storytelling by Gullah Geechee artists from the South Carolina Lowcountry. Included are The Brotherhood Gospel Singer's Reach Out, Ron and Natalie Diase's Feel Like Journey On, We'll Stand the Storm (and Other Spirituals), Kingdom, a 1986 Christmas musical at Community Bible Church, and a demo tape of "Sea Island Montage," two audiocassettes of unidentified "Sea Island Singers," and an audiocassette collection of recordings titled Been In The Storm So Long published by the Smithsonian featuring spirituals, folk tales, and children's games from Johns Island.