Abdul_Raoul The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul
Overview of the Item Larry Crowe Matthew Hickey Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul November 30, 2004 8 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. (ABSTRACT) A2004.241 The interviews and records are in English Biographical Note

Classical singer, author and former assistant to the legendary poet and writer Langston Hughes, Raoul Abdul was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 7, 1929. Abdul's father was from Calcutta, India, and his mother was able to trace her ancestry back to the pre-Revolutionary War period. Abdul attended John Hay High School, and later earned a diploma from the Vienna Academy of Music. He also studied at Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, the Cleveland Institute of Music, New York College of Music and the Mannes College of Music.

Abdul was involved in theater from an early age, participating in children's theater productions by age six. Following graduation from high school, he began working as a journalist for the Cleveland Call & Post, and in 1951, at the age of twenty-two, he relocated to New York City. There, he began studying music, and sang with such notables as William Warfield and Marian Anderson. During this time, Abdul was a founding director of the Coffeehouse Concerts in Harlem, and was a singer in a number of performances, including shows at Carnegie Hall. In 1961, Abdul became the literary assistant and close friend to writer Langston Hughes, and he remained so until Hughes' death in 1967.

In 1970, Abdul published his first book, 3000 Years of Black Poetry with author Alan Lomax. Over the next few years, he published several more volumes, including The Magic of Black Poetry, Famous Black Entertainers of Today, and Blacks in Classical Music. Since then, Abdul has been giving private voice lessons in his home in New York, based on the Austrian singing technique learned while studying in Vienna.

Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®

 Scope and Contents

This life oral history interview with Raoul Abdul was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2004-11-30 in New York, New York and is recorded on 8 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Raoul Abdul's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.

Accompanying Material

Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.

Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms.

Contributors: Abdul, Raoul Crowe, Larry Hickey, Matthew Persons: (PERSONS) Corporate Bodies: (CORPORATE BODIES) Family Names: Abdul Places: (PLACES) Subjects: (SUBJECTS) Document Types: Video oral history interview Titles: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul Restrictions on Access

Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

 Restrictions on Use

All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.

 Location of Originals

Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.

Preferred Citation

The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, November 30, 2004. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.

 Detailed Description/Tape Listings Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 1, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:30:27. Singer and author Raoul Abdul provides detailed descriptions of his favorite food, color, phrase, and time of year, using these questions to relate anecdotes about family gatherings at the holidays and his travels abroad in France and Austria. Abdul then speaks about his father, who was born in Calcutta, India, educated in London, and died at a very young age. Adbul describes his father's emigration to the United States, where he settled in Cleveland, Ohio and worked at a steel foundry. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 2, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:38:23. Singer and author Raoul Abdul continues to discuss his father, mother, and family background. Adbul explains how his father capitalized on his Indian heritage, and shares more details about his family lineage. Adbul then disucsses her mother and her life growing up in Canada, and how members of her family could have passed for white. After more discussion about his mother's family background, Abdul explains how his parents met. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 3, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:30:11. Raoul Abdul shares childhood memories of his household and neighborhood, focusing on vivid recollections of his father's funeral, who died when Abdul was only four years old. Abdul then describes his first interest in the theater, recalling many shows he attended in Cleveland, naming many of the star performers and entertainers he saw while he was a child. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 4, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:30:35. Raoul Abdul recalls his early education, from elementary school through high school. Abdul details his childhood interests and personality, painting himself as a boy very different from the rest of his classmates. Adbul explains how his multiethnic background and his unusual interests affected his social life and talks about the sharp tongue he developed as a defense mechanism. Despite these difficulties, Abdul recalls his high school experience fondly, describing his deep involvement in theater, music, and the arts, and the mentors he had while in school. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 5, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:31:18. Raoul Abdul describes his first job after high school, when he worked for the Cleveland Call and Post newspaper as a reporter, photographer, and eventually as a music columnist. Abdul explains how he was rebuffed after he asked for a raise that would have rewarded him for his superior work. Abdul then describes his move to New York City, where he met Langston Hughes and began working as his personal assistant. Abdul describes Hughes's personality and talks about the many celebrities he interacted with as a result of his employment with Hughes. Abdul also describes the start of his career in music and his musical education in New York. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 6, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:31:07. Raoul Abdul recalls his experiences studying music in Vienna, and shares his impressions of Austrian and German culture. Abdul found Austrian perceptions of race to be particularly fascinating. Abdul explains how he became enamored with the culture and how he was tempted to stay in Vienna after his studies. Abdul also talks about other black singers who have made a name singing in Germany and Austria, and his book about blacks who contributed as composers and performers of classical music. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 7, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:31:20. Raoul Abdul discusses the importance of music education and talks about his career as a music educator in New York City. He explains his motiviations for writing books that help to edcucate about blacks in classical music, and names many of the musicians who have been featured in his books. Abdul also discusses his book about black poets, and comments on the impact of black artists on society. Abdul then reflects on his life and career and shares his hopes and concerns for the black community, as well as commenting on his legacy and his attraction to German music. Video Oral History Interview with Raoul Abdul, Tape 8, November 30, 2004, TRT: 00:08:37. Raoul Abdul discusses how he would like to be remembered, and discusses his affinity for the cities of New York and Vienna.