Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1572

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

2.6 linear feet (one legal size document box and two 20 x 24 flat boxes. several poster size prints in a flat file drawer.)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Johan Kugelberg collection of Sun Ra material, 1957-2021, Ms. Coll. 1572, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

Date:

1957-2021 (inclusive) and 1960-1990 (bulk)

Creator:

Kugelberg, Johann, 1965 -

Form:

Photographs, Fliers (printed matter), Printed ephemera, Poetry, Prints, and Musicians, Black

Abstract:

Le Sony'r Ra (1914-1993), known as Sun Ra, was a jazz musician and composer, band leader, and poet known for his avant-garde approach to music, association with Afrofuturism, esoteric beliefs, and the theatrical performances with his band, The Arkestra. This collection contains examples of artwork used for about two dozen of his albums, a series of photographs that offer a good representation of different periods of his life and work, and a set of promotional fliers, poetry, philosophical writings, and ephemera.

Johan Kugelberg is a Swedish-born music historian and collector of punk, hip hop, and counter-culture artifacts.

Le Sony'r Ra (1914-1993), known as Sun Ra, was a jazz musician and composer, band leader, and poet known for his avant-garde approach to music, association with Afrofuturism, esoteric beliefs, and the theatrical performances with his band, The Arkestra. In 1983, Sun Ra was the recipient of the Jazz Masters Fellowship from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In their biography of Sun Ra, the NEH notes that he was, "An outsider who linked the African-American experience with ancient Egyptian mythology and outer space, Sun Ra was years ahead of all other avant-garde musicians in his experimentation with sound and instruments, a pioneer in group improvisations and the use of electric instruments in jazz." (1)

Sun Ra was born Herman Poole Blount in Birmingham, Alabama on May 22, 1914 to Ida and Cary Blount. By the time he was a teenager, he "showed a prodigious talent for piano playing and music composition" (2) and played with various local bands. At some point between adolescence and adulthood, Herman Blount began going by the name Sonny Blount, and by the late 1930s he had formed his own band, The Sonny Blount Orchestra. He dropped out of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he had been a Music Education major, after only one year because of an out of body experience "in which spacemen had taken him to Saturn and instructed him in how to live." (3)

In 1945 or 1946, Sonny Blount moved to Chicago, joining millions of other Black Americans who migrated to northern cities in the years following the Second World War. In Chicago, he began working extensively as a musician in the vibrant musical environment of that city, which also gave him exposure to a diverse range of African American political, cultural, and religious discourse. In 1952, Sonny Blount legally changed his name to Le Sony'r Ra, although he was popularly known as Sun Ra, a name that he embraced.

It was in Chicago that Sun Ra met Alton Abraham and the two became close friends, with Abraham becoming his lifelong business manager. The pair started a reading and discussion group with other intellectually curious individuals from Chicago's South Side called, "Thmei Research." In 1957, the pair founded their own independent record label, El Saturn Records, under which Sun Ra's future music was produced. During this same period, Sun Ra could be seen walking in Chicago wearing long robes and a variety of headwear, often with an Egyptian or futuristic theme. Sun Ra's band, The Arkestra, also began performing in similar attire.

In 1961, Sun Ra and The Arkestra moved to New York City, where they lived communally to keep their expenses low. In 1968, after experiencing mixed success in New York City, the group moved to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The size of the Arkestra varied over time, but in the 1970s it had grown to between 20 and 30 members. The band's membership also changed from year to year, as did its exact name. Credited as "Sun Ra and His Arkestra" on some albums and performances, the name expanded at times to include such renderings as "Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra," "Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra," and "Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra," among other variations. This lineup included musicians, but also dancers, singers, fire-eaters, contortionists, and others.

One description of a performance from the 1970s states that "The pyrotechnics and musicianship were stunning. The band played basic blues. It played traditional big-band pieces impeccably, note for note -- but three times as fast as the original score. It improvised wildly. The saxophone section rose and moonwalked backward to center stage. There the players fell on their backs and played while writhing, St. Vitus style. Lights flashed; a midget dancer vaulted across the stage. When I thought I'd seen it all, a fire-breather appeared, spewing a vast column of flame."

Philadelphia remained the home of Sun Ra and the Arkestra for over thirty years. During this period, Sun Ra was just as likely to perform in a local Germantown park for free, as he was to read his poetry live on Philadelphia's WXPN radio station, or take his band on international tours. Sun Ra also wrote poetry that explored many of the same themes that he expressed in his music. This poetry was frequently published in booklets that were always titled, "The Immeasurable Equation," but each edition contained new work.

Sun Ra suffered a stroke in 1990 but continued to write and perform until 1992, when declining health led him to move back to Birmingham, Alabama to live with his sister. Sun Ra died on May 30, 1993.

Sources:

1. "Sun Ra." National Endowment for the Arts, https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/sun-ra. Accessed 2 February 2024.

2. Hsu, Hua. "How Sun Ra Taught Us to Believe in the Impossible," The New Yorker, 28 June 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/05/how-sun-ra-taught-us-to-believe-in-the-impossible. Accessed 2 February 2024.

3. Staples, Brent. "Music of the Spheres," The New York Times, 17 August 1997. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/17/reviews/970817.17staplet.html. Accessed 2 February 2024.

Other works consulted:

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sun Ra: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/arts/music/sun-ra-jazz-music.html

Historic Spotlight: Sun Ra House Added to the Register: https://www.phila.gov/2022-05-19-historic-spotlight-sun-ra-house-added-to-the-register/

The Johan Kugelberg collection of Sun Ra material contains offset prints of LP record album artwork, fliers and other promotional materials, poetry, photographs, and ephemera.

Series I: Album artwork

Contains 24 offset prints of front and back covers for a variety of Sun Ra albums. In a few cases the artwork is an early conceptual or alternative design. Arranged chronologically.

Series II: Fliers and promotional material

The fliers in this series are largely advertizing for performances of Sun-Ra and His Arkestra, but a few are examples of other types of promotional material, such as fliers from El Saturn Records marketing Sun Ra's albums. Arranged chronologically.

Series III: Publications and ephemera

The publications in this series consist of issues of The Immeasurable Equation and a set of Sun Ra Research. The former being booklets of Sun Ra's poetry, including a final compilation edition published after his death. The latter are a set of booklets containing transcripts of discussions with Sun Ra and other text related to Sun Ra's ideas and philosophy. Ephemeral items include ticket stubs, news clippings, business cards, post cards, letterhead, programs, and other materials. Arranged alphabetically.

Series IV: Photographs

The photographs in this series are a mix of color and black and white prints. They offer a range of candid and portrait style images, as well as Sun Ra by himself and performing with The Arkestra. Some prints are damaged and/or in fragile condition. Arranged chronologically.

Series I: Album artwork

Series II: Fliers and promotional material

Series III: Publications and ephemera

Series IV: Photographs