Steven L. Isoardi, Interviewer, UCLA Oral History Program; B.A., M.A., Government, University of San Francisco; M.A., Ph.D., Political Science, UCLA.
Place: Hurte's home, Apple Valley, California.
Dates, length of sessions: July 12, 1995 (103 minutes); July 13, 1995 (112); July 20, 1995 (51).
Total number of recorded hours: 4.5
Persons present during interview: Hurte and Isoardi.
This interview is one in a series designed to preserve the spoken memories of individuals, primarily musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue, especially from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s. Musician and teacher William Green, his student Steven Isoardi, and early project interviewee Buddy Collette provided major inspiration for the UCLA Oral History Program's inaugurating the Central Avenue Sounds Oral History Project.
In preparing for this interview, Isoardi consulted jazz histories, autobiographies, oral histories, relevant jazz periodicals, documentary films, and back issues of the
The interview is organized chronologically, beginning with Hurte's early life and musical training and continuing through his years as a vocalist, record producer, conductor, magazine publisher, radio station owner, and champion of classical music in Los Angeles's African American community. Major topics covered include independent record labels in Los Angeles during the 1930s and 1940s, the difficulties faced by African Americans aspiring to positions in the classical music world, community orchestras in the Los Angeles area, and notable African Americans in the classical music field.
Kathleen McAlister, editorial assistant, edited the interview. She checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Whenever possible, McAlister checked the proper names of nightclubs against articles and advertisements in back issue of the
Hurte reviewed the transcript. He verified proper names and made minor corrections and additions.
Alex Cline, editor, prepared the table of contents and interview history. Derek DeNardo, editorial assistant, assembled the biographical summary. Swapna Sundaram, editorial assistant, compiled the index.
The original tape recordings of the interview are in the university archives and are available under the regulations governing the use of permanent noncurrent records of the university. Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Oral History Program.