The Wittliff Collections

bill and chica
A Tribute to Bill Wittliff: A Storyteller in Film, Photographs and Books.

Friends, family and fans celebrate the life and work of Bill Wittliff in a memorial held at The Paramount Theater in Austin, TX. Remembrances by Bill Broyles, Joe Ely, Keith Carter, Barbara Morgan, Willie Nelson, Stephen ...

Willie Nelson on the cover of Action Magazine
Action Magazine - Sam Kindrick Papers

Clarence Samuel Kindrick (November 3, 1934 - ) is a Texas journalist, author and publisher. The longtime newspaper reporter and columnist is best known as the founder of Action Magazine in March 1975, and for his wild and wooly chronicling of the outlaw country music movement of the 1970s from his home base of San Antonio and Bulverde.

ashes
Ashes of Waco

Selections from journalist Dick Reavis’ research into the raid, siege and burning of the Branch Davidians’ Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and the FBI, as well as background on the Branch Davidian religious sect who lived there.

austin
Austin Film Festival OnStory Archive

The Austin Film Festival, a non-profit organization founded in 1994 and based in Austin, Texas, hosts an annual Austin Film Festival & Conference, a gathering of professional and amateur screenwriters and filmmakers to participate in panel presentations, parties, Screenplay and Teleplay Competitions, and screenings.

rock
It's Only Rock 'N' Roll

Music magazine, self-published from 1979-1982 by Ron Young, focusing on San Antonio alternative punk and New Wave rock music.

Jody Fischer Collection of Willie Nelson Photographs

Jody Fischer was born December 21, 1949, and was a musician and writer. In 1979, Willie Nelson hired her as his personal secretary. She was very close to the extended Nelson family, as well as involved in diverse causes such as Farm Aid and Native American civil rights.

Jody Fischer’s collection of 338 photographs date from 1984-1988.

austin
Not Fade Away

Music fanzine self-published by Doug Hanners.

panther
Panther Hall

Panther Hall was a concert hall located in Fort Worth, Texas and open from 1963-1978. The collection contains mostly photographs documenting the various artists that performed at the concert hall. Some of these musical artists include Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tony Douglas, Loretta Lynn, and Conway Twitty.

Image of exterior front door of The Raw Deal restaurant and bar.
The Raw Deal

The Raw Deal (and its second expanded location Another Raw Deal) was an intimate gathering space for Austinites from diverse backgrounds in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Musicians, politicians, public officials, writers, and Austin personalities became regulars at the no-nonsense no-frills restaurant — it catered to both the hippie culture incubated by the Armadillo World Headquarters and provided an escape for the professional political hub of downtown Austin. 

Retracing Russell Lee

In July, 1991, a team of photographers and oral historians from Texas State University set out to retrace the steps of Farm Security Administration photographer, Russell Lee (1903-1986). Fifty years after Lee visited and photo-documented the living and working conditions of the Depression era communities of San Augustine, Texas, and Pie Town, New Mexico, this group was inspired by Lee’s FSA images held at Texas State’s Wittliff Collections.

This digitized portion of the collection includes photographs, audio oral histories, and video recordings. 

rogers
Rogers & Hammerhead Show, Freddy Powers Collection

Recordings of the Rogers & Hammerhead show, which aired on the Austin Music Network in 1996-1997. Part of the Freddy Powers Texas Heritage Songwriters Association collection.

Lee
Russell Lee

The Russell Lee Collection came to The Wittliff Collections through donations since 1986 by Jean Lee, Bill Wittliff, Dow Chapman and Wally Ellinger. This collection of photographs, correspondence, personal and legal documents, artifacts, paintings and publications ranges in date from 1901-1991, the bulk of the material dates from 1936-1942.

Nelson smiling with guitar
Sam Kindrick Photographs

This digitized collection includes images of Willie Nelson performances, portraits, and snapshots, as well as images of his band members and associates. Photographs were taken 1975-1979, and often appear in Kindrick’s publication Action Magazine.

sam
Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark Collection, Series IV: Audio Material

Contains 28 tapes of varying audio quality. The tapes feature conversations between Shepard and Dark - some recorded in person, some over the telephone.

tafolla
Santiago Tafolla Collection

This collection contains selected items from the archive of Santiago Tafolla, including Santiago’s 1908 handwritten memoir.

reavis
Without Documents, Book by Dick J. Reavis

Book about the experiences of illegal immigrants from Latin America and the complex issues surrounding their plight.

wittliff
Wittliff Event Videos

Video recordings of Wittliff Collection events, including readings, exhibit openings, and other special events.