Scope and Content Note
The John Raitt Papers chronicle the life and career of this singer, actor, and Golden Age of Broadway leading man. More than half of the collection is made up of his Music. The Orchestra Library is an excellent representation of Raitt's concert and recording career, with nearly all titles in his catalog present. A majority of the scores and parts are complete, with extensive performance markings throughout. Twenty-three arrangers are represented in the collection, the most frequent being William David Brohn, Bill Reddie, and Harry Zimmerman. The Sheet Music is indicative of Raitt's background training and interest in opera and art song, as well as musical theater and popular song.
Raitt claimed to keep his performance fee low in order to remain affordable for hire by regional theaters, and his production materials reflect this. The Scripts, many of which are highlighted and annotated, do not document the major roles Raitt played on Broadway, but instead show the variety of roles he mastered in summer stock theaters and touring productions. Similarly, the Programs also give a fairly comprehensive overview of his stage career, with show titles represented by numerous programs that span multiple years and productions. The non-show Programs indicate a robust and often vigorous concert schedule. In many instances, the Photographs depict Raitt in multiple iterations of the same character over a span of years with different production casts. Headshots and other publicity photos are likewise present throughout his entire career. Present, though fewer in number, are candid photographs of family, friends, and events.
These are followed by two boxes of Subject Files containing business papers, contracts, itineraries, press kits, set lists, and other documents pertaining to Raitt's career and interests. The collection also includes Correspondence consisting of personal letters, cards, telegrams, and fan mail, and an extensive amount of loose Promotional Materials that documents his professional activities through newspaper and magazine articles and advertising his productions through posters, fliers, and even travel guides. In the Biographical Materials series, the Scrapbooks include all manner of clippings, programs, fliers, photographs, and correspondence, which carefully chronicle Raitt's life and career beginning with his eighth grade graduation in 1931 through the 1990s. The Date Books contain nearly thirty years of travel itineraries, rehearsal schedules, and meetings. The Awards indicate the impact Raitt had across many different communities, and there is a small collection of Artwork given to Raitt through the years.