Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1909, June 14 | Born, Hunt City Township, Jasper County, Illinois |
| 1913 | Began performing in public |
| 1927-1929 | Attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College |
| circa 1930-1932 | Travelled United States to collect and sing traditional folk songs |
| 1931 | Took singing lessons from Clara Bloomfield Lyon |
| 1933 | Moved to New York City Attended Juilliard and New York University Studied acting with Benno Schneider and voice with Ella Toedt |
| 1938 | Broadway debut in The Boys from Syracuse |
| 1940 June | Network radio debut in The Wayfarin' Stranger |
| 1942 | Drafted into the Army (discharged 1943) Appeared in Irving Berlin's This is the Army |
| 1944 | Starred in folk music revue, Sing Out, Sweet Land |
| 1945, Dec. 1 | New York concert debut at Town Hall |
| 1945 | Married Helen Ehrlich (divorced 1960) |
| 1946 | Film debut in Smoky |
| 1946-1948 | Radio show The Burl Ives Show |
| 1948 | Published autobiography Wayfaring Stranger. New York: Whittlesey House |
| 1949 | Made hit record "Blue Tail Fly" Starred in Disney film So Dear to My Heart |
| 1951 | Made hit record "On Top of Old Smoky" |
| 1952-1953 | Starred in national tour of Paint Your Wagon |
| 1953 | Published The Burl Ives Songbook, a collection of folk ballads |
| 1955 | Portrayed Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |
| 1958 | Recreated role in film version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Country |
| 1962 | Made hit record "A Little Bitty Tear" Won Grammy Award for Best Country and Western Record for “It’s Just My Funny Way of Laughing” |
| 1963-1965 | Appeared on Bell Telephone Hour television program |
| 1964 | Sang “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from the soundtrack of the TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Received Grammy nomination for children's recording Chim Chim Cheree and Other Children’s Choices |
| 1965 | Starred in his own situation comedy, OK, Crackerby! |
| 1971 | Married Dorothy Koster Paul |
| 1974 | Received Grammy nomination for children’s recording, America Sings |
| 1988 | Final film appearance in Two Moon Junction |
| 1993 | Last album The Magic Balladeer released |
| 1995, Apr. 14 | Died, Anacortes, Washington |