COLLECTION NAME:
Soundscapes of the People: A Musical Ethnography of Pueblo, Colorado
Record
Collection Name:
Soundscapes of the People: A Musical Ethnography of Pueblo, Colorado
Title:
Kennedy Pugh Interview October 8, 2022
Title Type:
Devised
Name:
Pugh, Kennedy
Name Role Term Text:
Interviewee
Name:
Okigbo, Austin
Name Role Term Text:
Interviewer
Name:
Thomas, Susan
Name Role Term Text:
Interviewer
Resource Type:
Moving image
Genre:
Oral histories
Date Created:
2022-10-08
Language Term:
English
Extent:
1 online resource (1 video file) (1 hr., 05 min., 45 sec.)
Physical Description Note:
For access to the recordings on YouTube contact the University of Colorado Boulder American Music Research Center.
Abstract:
Kennedy Pugh is an arts educator, performer, and activist in Pueblo, Colorado. In this interview, he discusses formative music experiences, singing in Pueblo churches, and issues of race in Pueblo. He also talks about how his background in theater became a springboard for the musical aspects of his work.
Note:
00:00:00 Interviewer, Austin Okigbo asks interviewee, Kennedy Pugh to introduce himself and describe his current projects. Additional topics include: mesa, District 70, Arts Academy, Pueblo County High School, Denver, Colorado Arts and Artists, teaching artist, library, Boys and Girls Club, Music for the Cause, shows, NAMI, Friendly Harbor, master classes, theater, film, social justice, "Seven", playwrights, veterans, "Kilroy and the Boy Soldier", Pueblo--non-profit organizations. 00:03:11 Austin asks Kennedy if he was born in Denver. Kennedy discusses his parents' backgrounds and occupations. Additional topics include: Mansfield, Louisiana, healthcare, CNA, contractor, masonry, house, steel mill, Air Force Academy, mother, father, Otero Junior College, La Junta, Colorado, substitute teacher, military, World War II, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, families. 00:08:03 Susan Thomas asks, “Were your parents musical when you were growing up?” Kennedy discusses music making with his family and starting his professional career in musical theater. Additional keywords include: saxophone, singer, trumpet, piano, Louisiana, "Yes, My Jesus Cares", Jackson 5, families of color, guitar, New York, Broadway, musical theater, plays, "Hair", African American families, music education, musical theater industry. 00:13:19 Austin confirms that Kennedy’s dad used to sing and asks, “At what point do you think your career took off as a musician?” Kennedy describes his confidence in character during stage performances versus his shyness during singing in church. Additional topics include: European tour, "Hair", families, blend, church, vulnerability, character, Denver Center, risk, shy, church music, musical theater, music performance. 00:16:55 Austin asks if Kennedy’s family sang as a family in churches, as well as what churches. Kennedy describes his experiences singing in local Pueblo churches with his sister and his tours with Reach Out Singers. Additional topics include: Baptist, Catholic, Protestant, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Eighth Street Baptist Church, musicals, choir, celebration, Reach Out Singers, denominations, tour, United States, Scandinavia, Soviet Union, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico, audition, church music. 00:21:14 Susan states, “So you were talking before about how you were raised Catholic, but then you started singing at Eighth Street.” Kennedy describes people and experiences that helped him develop various singing styles in musical theater and gospel singing. Additional topics include: style, JoAn Gilmore-Jackson, gospel, belt, Denver Center, "Crowns", B.J. Crosby, gospel brunch, Bobby Lewis Ensemble, New York, acting, speech and debate, communication, music education, musical styles, music performance. 00:31:19 Austin asks if Kennedy’s academic college training was in acting. Kennedy talks about his background in acting and the reasons why he came to the arts and continues to pursue the arts as a career. Additional topics include: speech and debate, communication, acting, story, stutter, "Godspell", athletics, theatrical, spiritual, audience, music performance. 00:38:25 Susan asks if Kennedy became aware of the different religious traditions happening in town by the time he was in high school. Kennedy discusses Catholic church festivals and exposure to live music in Louisiana. Additional topics include: Catholic schools, public schools, live music, festivals, juke joint, barbeque, bands, diverse, Hispanic, Italian, Salt Creek, Mesa, farming, Pueblo West, Lake Pueblo, irrigation, music performance, church festivals, neighborhoods--Pueblo. 00:46:13 Susan asks if he grew up singing Spanish music for services since he grew up attending a church known for large Chicano/Mexican American communities. Kennedy describes some of his favorite Spanish church songs that he has sung in a Catholic context. Additional topics include: "Pescador de hombres", "Pan de vida", Catholic church music. 00:48:07 Kennedy discusses singing at Baptist and Catholic churches in Pueblo. He also talks about congregation discussions over traditional worship music. Additional topics include: Patti Pugh, Baptist church, Catholic, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Father Joseph Vigil, St. Joseph's, Baccalaureate mass, church music, churches--Pueblo. 00:56:04 Austin mentions that he’s aware of one or two parishes that are considered Black Catholic parishes in Denver. Kennedy discusses racism in Southern Colorado churches, Pueblo's diverse cultural communities, and the role of the arts in cross-cultural collaboration. Additional topics include: Lincoln Home, Black orphanage, Sacred Heart Home, racism, St. Joe's, priest, Walsenburg, Colorado, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", Hispanic, Slovenian, Jewish, Black, Asian, graveyard, Roselawn Cemetery, racism, cultural diversity--Pueblo, arts activism. 01:02:51 Kennedy talks about the importance of music in Pueblo. End of recording.
Note Type:
Time coded description
Note:
Collection is a collaboration between the American Music Research Center (AMRC) and the Colorado State University Pueblo Foundation. For more information contact the AMRC.
Subject Topic:
Church music
Subject Topic:
Music--Instruction and study
Subject Topic:
Racism
Subject Topic:
Cultural pluralism
Subject Topic:
Education in the theater
Subject Geographic:
Pueblo (Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
Identifier:
Kennedy_Pugh_Full_Interview_2022-10-08.mp4
Physical Location:
American Music Research Center
Related Item:
Kennedy Pugh Interview July 16, 2024
Related Item Type:
succeeding
Related Item Identifier:
Kennedy_Pugh_Follow-up_Interview_2024-07-16.mp4
Date Captured:
2022
Internet Media Type:
video/mp4
Digital Origin:
born digital
Access Condition:
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).