[Country Joe McDonald's personal archive]

In the 1960s, Country Joe McDonald (of Country Joe and The Fish) was one of the earliest and most vocal musical critics of the Vietnam War. This political commitment emerged from a family legacy of activism, but in this new context it brought him into the company of musical stardom, and his songs including “Fixin’ to Die Rag” became anthems of the movement.

At every stage of his career, Country Joe saved posters, leaflets, and other ephemera of both the musical and political worlds, including concert posters of the psychedelic era (many signed by their creators) and leaflets and posters of the folk music scene. This collection, already notable for its breadth and spectacular contents, is supplemented by recordings, personal effects, and other artifacts of a life of commitment. It even includes his framed triple platinum record for his contribution to the Woodstock album (shown here held by Country Joe himself and Bolerium’s Will Smith).

Many of Country Joe’s recordings are still the property of the recording companies with which he was working at the time. The materials in this archive, both written lyrics and recordings, include only those which are his own property.

For anyone interested we can provide an Excel document listing the contents, as well as a link to a set of over 1,000 scans giving a sense of some of the spectacular material that is included in the collection. The entire collection fits on a set of 6x3 foot shelves six feet high.