Norman Laird (Brownie) McNeil
5.5 linear foot
A1984-048
1890-1945 (unknown)
Dr. Norman Laird "Brownie" McNeil was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 3, 1915. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received all three of his English degrees: BA in 1937, MA in 1944 and a Ph.D. in 1956. He always had Spanish and Spanish American Literature as a focus of his studies. One of the main focuses of Norman L. McNeil's studies was English, American and Mexican folksongs. He published many articles about folksongs and related topics. He performed many lecture-concerts for the public in person, on radio and on television. These performances were conducted in the United States and abroad: Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela and Mexico. He also recorded two albums of folksongs: Ballads by Brownie McNeil and Songs of the Chisholm Trail by Brownie McNeil. Norman L. McNeil was an educator at several Texas educational institutions. In 1941 he received the E. D. Farmer International Fellowship for collecting folk ballads in Mexico and South Texas. While doing this he also worked as Field Collector of Folksongs for the Library of Congress. He went on to be the principal of the Yancey High School, an instructor or professor at the University of Texas (1945-46, 1952-56), the University of Houston (1946-47), Trinity University (1947-52) and Texas College of Arts and Industries (1956-65), and the president of Sul Ross University (1966-74). He died in San Antonio, Texas on February 13, 1991 at the age of 75 years old.
The Norman Laird (Brownie) McNeil Music Collection (1930-1971) contains approximately five-and-a-half cubic feet of material. Four cubic feet of the material are the sound recordings. The remaining one and a half cubic feet of material are the paper records. The bulk of these records are the music materials, approximately one cubic foot of the material is pages of lyrics to either Mexican Corridos, English and American Folksongs, or song books of similar music. The literary production and printed materials make up most of the remaining half-a-cubic-foot of material with just single folders of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
The Norman Laird (Brownie) McNeil Music Collection is divided into seven series. Series I: Music Sub-series I: Lyrics -- Corridos Sub-series II: Lyrics -- English & American Folksongs Sub-series III: Song Books Series II. Literary Production Series III. Sound Recordings Series IV. Printed Materials Series V. Correspondence Series VI. Newspaper Clippings Series VII. Photographs
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Norman Laird (Brownie) McNeil Music Collection, A1984-048.XXXX, South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Need assistance with citing our materials? Contact us or visit our research help page!
Accession A1984-048 donated by Norman L. McNeil, 9/20/1984.
Collection was processed by Teri Kopp in 1984 and updated by Daniel Thacker, Connie Lopez, and Renee Garcia in 2018.