The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Leon Lewis Papers 1939-1988
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
The Leon Lewis Papers was processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
| Title: | Lewis, Leon. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1939-1998 |
| Size: | 1 linear feet (1 box) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Leon Lewis, jazz enthusiast and advertiser. The Leon Lewis Papers contains articles, correspondence, handwritten music, record catalogs and discographies, publications, and restaurant ephemera. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Lewis, Leon. Papers, [Box#, Folder#], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Leon Lewis was born and raised in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side. He attended the University of Chicago and graduated in 1928. A pioneer in the advertising industry, Leon Lewis was an advertising executive for 50 years. Lewis represented the French Company, Selmer Musical Instruments and he worked with Benny Goodman and Andres Segovia. Through his work with Selmer, Lewis met Louis Armstrong, one of his favorite musicians.
Surrounded by the jazz music of Chicago's South Side, Lewis became quite a jazz enthusiast. In high school, he formed his own jazz band, which included a young Gene Krupa. Later in life, Lewis composed a map of Chicago's earliest jazz venues: "Jazz Map of the South Side: 1915-1930." The map is a compilation of original jazz venues, locations, musicians, and bands
Lewis died in 2003 at the age of 95.
The Leon Lewis Papers contains articles, correspondence, handwritten music, record catalogs and discographies, publications, and restaurant ephemera. The articles feature composer and arranger Eddie Fritz as does the handwritten music. The correspondence is between Leon Lewis and Harold Flasker. The publication is of Leonard Feather's Jazz.
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Composer, Eddie Fritz, 1944-1984 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Correspondence, 1939-1985 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Catalog, Carl Gurley Co., 1988 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Catalog, Jazz Records A-Z, 1963 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Discography, Coleman Hawkins, 1945-1957 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Publication, Jazz, circa 1950s |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Tuesday's Menu, undated |