Seeing the Trends: Data Visualization and Developing a Local Music Collection - PowerPoint Presentation

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Seeing the Trends: Data Visualization and Developing a Local Music Collection

Stephanie Lewin-Lane Coordinator of the Music LibraryMary Manning Curator for Performing and Visual Arts CollectionsDaniel Pshock UX & Web Content Strategy Coordinator Slide2

Outline

Significance of Houston MusicH-town Sound: The UH Local Music Collection OverviewData Collection & Artist Significance RankingData VisualizationObservations & Next StepsQ&ASlide3

Significance of Houston MusicSlide4

Early Twentieth-Century Houston and the Development of a Gulf Coast Sound

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Regional Recording Center

ACA Studio Master Book, UH Texas Music Collection, UH Digital Library[Image available: http://bit.ly/2lMorjl]Slide6

Duke and Peacock RecordsDon Robey and Evelyn Johnson

Robey was responsible for developing the careers of many rhythm and blues artists in the 1950s and 1960s, including Johnny AceJunior ParkerBobby BlandJohnny Otis

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Pappy Daily and Starday RecordsGeorge Jones (left) and Pappy Daily (right)

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Goldstar and SugarHill Records

Studio owner and producer Bill Quinn in front of his home and studio. A selection of the artists who have recorded there includes Lightning Hopkins George Jones Clifton Chenier13th Floor ElevatorsThe Sir Douglas Quintet

Freddy Fender

Harry

Choates

Willie Nelson

Destiny’s Child

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Houston BluesLightning Hopkins,

UH Texas Music CollectionOther noteworthy blues musicians strongly linked to Houston: Big Mama Thornton Clarence Gatemouth Brown Texas Johnny BrownAlbert Collins

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ZydecoOther select acts include:

The Zydeco DotsStep Rideau & the Zydeco OutlawsPaul Moreno & Zydeco Re-Evolution[Image available here:http://bit.ly/2m9779W ]Slide11

Jazz

Lionel Hampton and Arnett CobbAquarium, NYC, c. June 1946.Photographer: William P. Gottlieb, LOC Prints and Photographs Division Milton Larkin and many band members, including Eddie Vinson, Cedric Haywood, and Illinois Jacquet were also HoustoniansSlide12

Tejano

Lydia MendozaKnown as "la alondra de la frontera "or" the lark of the border" Slide13

Western Swing and Honky TonkTed

DaffanUH Texas Music CollectionCliff Bruner formed The Texas Wanderers Houston Honky Tonk greats include Mickey Gilley and Johnny Bush

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Image not available online]Slide14

Psychedelic RockLove Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine, 1967 Buffalo Bayou Partnership Collection

Houston psychedelic band Red Crayola (later Red Krayola) regularly performed there, along with Johnny WinterThirteenth Floor ElevatorsBubble Puppy

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American Blues, featuring Gibbons and future bandmates Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, also played at Love Street

ZZ Top’s first show there in 1969Moving Sidewalks(Billy Gibbons is second from left)UH Texas Music CollectionLove Street Performers

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Popular Folk and Singer SongwritersLeft to right: Townes Van Zandt, Mimi Lomax, Antoinette and Sam “

Lightnin’” HopkinsPhotographer: John Lomas IIITownes Van Zandt launched his musical career at the Jester Lounge in Houston, where he metLightnin’ Hopkins Guy Clark Jerry Jeff WalkerDoc Watson

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Punk EraPoster documents the legendary pairing of the local group the Mydolls and touring group The Cramps 

Other Houston punk bands included Really Red and Legionaire's [sic] DiseaseThrash/speed metal band DRI formed in Houston in 1982[Image available:

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ExperimentalCulturcide’s single “Santa Claus Was My Lover” backed with “Depressed Christmas”

Other Houston experimental groups include the Pain Teens JandekCharalambides[Image available:

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Hip Hop and the Screwed Up Click

DJ Screw Photographer: Ben Desoto, UH DJ Screw PapersHouston is the hip hop capital of TexasKnown for chopped and screwed rap musicDJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click Other significant acts include UGK and the

Geto

BoysSlide20

Contemporary ArtistsBeyonce and Destiny's Child

Recorded at SugarHill Studios Singer songwriters: Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl King, Robert Ellis, and Hayes Carl. Hip hop performers: Paul Wall, Bun B, and ChamillionaireSlide21

The Evolving Local Scene

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H-Town Sound: The UH Local Music Collection OverviewSlide23

Collection Scope

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H-Town Sound: The UH Libraries Local Music CollectionThe collection includes: 

A non-circulating copy housed in UH Special Collections  A circulating collection housed in the Music Library An interactive website with data visualizationsSlide25

Data Collection & Artist Significance RankingSlide26

Data CollectionConsiderable amount of data gathered and analyzed

Currently over 725 entries and growingGathered from resources on Houston musicSlide27

H-Town Sound: UH Local Music Collection Data

Performer and/or Group NameBirth/Death dates Born In (Location)Gender Race/Ethnicity Based in (location) Years active in Houston area Instrument(s)Genre and Sub-genre SignificanceAwards Related Archival CollectionSourcesPerformer Website URLSignificance rankingSlide28

Data Ranking

Performers/Acts ranked by significance in surveys sent to local historians and genre specialists600 entries sorted into major genresSmaller genres combinedSlide29

Ranking ResultsData converted to interactive visualization to allow for:

Prioritizing performers/groups Exploring relationships Determining if we own itemSlide30

Data VisualizationSlide31

Why a Visualization?

Motivated by sheer number of dataSupports growing research in Digital HumanitiesVery cool!Slide32

Visualization goalsAnalyze the scope of the collection being developedAid in contextualizing data about the collection

Experiment with multiple visualization techniques, assess pros/cons of eachSlide33

Tableau SoftwareTableau Public Free to useWorks with multiple types of data sources

Fully hosted & easy to sharepublic.tableau.comSlide34

Visualization processData clean up

Only included records of artists with genre, decade, gender, and rankingStandardize genres (e.g. Rap -> Hip Hop)Input data into Tableau softwareUsing Tableau, create tooltips and filters to allow data explorationSlide35

Tooltips

Artist name

Genre + sub-genre(s)

Decades active in Houston

Significance notes

UH holdings and archival collections

Associated acts Slide36

Visualizations (Bubble & Tree)Slide37

Observations & Next StepsSlide38

ObservationsVisualizations reflect only 167 of the total of 725 performer and band names we have captured

Data reflects an early stage of data collection and the resources we have used thus farData for bands not yet used in visualizationsSlide39

Next Steps

Continue research and complete missing dataBuild and promote collectionImprove discoverability of information on artists/actsDecide which information is most important to visualize Develop website Strengthen relationships with music historians and individuals with ties to the music industrySlide40

Questions?

Comments?Suggestions?Slide41

Contact InformationStephanie Lewin-Lane

Coordinator of the Music Librarysplewin@uh.eduMary ManningCurator of Performing and Visuals Arts Collections, Special Collectionsmmmanning@uh.eduDaniel PshockUser Experience & Web Content Strategy Coordinatordjpshock@uh.edu