Under the Hat Productions Collection

Cash Edwards and Roger Polson created the 2 linear feet collection of papers for Under the Hat Productions during the company’s sixteen year existence starting in 1984 and ending in 2000. The majority of the papers contained are from the period of 1996 through 1999. The papers include a wide variety of promotional materials for their artist clients as well as a number of market research materials and press clippings. The archivist altered the original order of the collection by alphabetizing the clients and combining materials that pertained to each artist. The creators maintained individual client files and these were honored in the new arrangement. The collection is in to two series, Artists Files and Market Research. The first series is arranged alphabetically by artist and contains promotional materials maintained by the staff. Each of the files contain some or all of the documents including press kits, photographs, negatives and slides, press releases, stage plots, resumes and biographies, flyers, posters, calendars, and mailing or emailing lists. There are clippings and reviews plus advertising, including newspaper and magazine reviews, listings, catalogs, ad tear sheets and photo copies. Also included are financial materials, contracts arranged chronologically, itineraries, travel arrangements, and correspondence with notes, postcards, and letters from artists. The second series contains market research materials. Also maintained by the staff, there are documents including magazines and organization newsletters. There are a few artists that are more prominently represented. These are the most successful of the artists and include Christine Albert, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Terri Hendrix, Hugh Moffatt, Katie Moffatt, and Pat Mears. In the folder for various artists, each is represented by as few as one document and no more than five. As an example, Ray Wylie Hubbard has 2 folders of contracts for the year 1996. The breadth of venues includes everything from in-store appearances to festival dates both national and international. The individual biographical sketches, press releases for creative output, and the press kits provide insight into careers the represented artists, venues, travel range, and the "neighborhood” of the Austin Music Scene during the dates represented. The records for the majority of the artists are significantly limited, while the most commercially successful artists have substantial records in the collection. The most revealing parts of the collection include the bios and the press releases and the contracts, documentary evidence of financial income. There are no papers concerning Under the Hat’s organization, finances, or history, and most materials concerning bluegrass artists are at the International Bluegrass Music Association Museum in Nashville, TN The collection provides a simple snapshot into the professional careers of the Texas singer-songwriters of the late twentieth century in the Greater Austin area, who were clients of Under the Hat Productions.