Texas Archival Resources Online

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Administrative Information

Description of Series

Oral History Interviews

Promotional Materials

Photographs

Houston Public Library, Houston Metropolitan Research Center

Florence "Bu" Pleasant Collection:

An Inventory of Her Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library



Descriptive Summary

CreatorPleasant, Florence, 1933-
TitleFlorence "Bu" Pleasant Collection
Inclusive Date1933 to 1988
Bulk Date1940s and1950s
IdentificationMSS 336
Extent.5 lin. ft.: 1small document box, 1 cassette tape
LanguageMaterials are in English.
RepositoryHouston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library

Biographical Note

Florence Pleasant was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on July 22, 1933. She and her brother had innate musical talent. Their father owned a dance hall, and their mother was a singer. Ms. Pleasant played piano and violin through high school. She gave up her scholarship to Xavier College in New Orleans after two years because of a burning desire to play bebop music.

Ms. Pleasant Played with Arnett Cobb and His Mobb in San Antoino and joined him later in Chicago for two or three years of playing theater circuits which culminated in appearances at the Apollo Theater and the Birdland Ballroom in New York City.

After teaching herself to play the organ she finally embarked upon her own personal career as a performer. She left New York City in 1978 due to a relative’s illness, but thereafter performed on the West Coast.

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Scope and Contents

The material in the Florence (Bu) Pleasant Collection chronicles the beginning of Ms. Pleasant's life and her musical career. The collection consists of a comprehensive taped interview OH 466 of Ms. Pleasant on August 14, 1988. The interview is completely transcribed to 34 pages of text and housed with the Oral History Collection. There is also a promotional materials file and photographs.

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Arrangement

  • Series 1: Oral History Interview
  • Series 2: Promotional Materials
  • Series 3: Photographs

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

None.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Florence Pleasant Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.

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Index Terms

Subjects
Pianists—Texas—Houston
Catholic schools
Subjects (Organizations)
Skylark (Nightclub : Corpus Christi, Tex.)
Subjects (Persons)
Pleasant, Florence, 1933-
Cobb, Arnett, 1918-1989
Rhodes, George
Charles, Ray, 1930-2004
Pleasant, Atlee, 1926-

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Related Material

MSS 345 Jimmy Ford Collection

MSS 322 Arnett Cobb Collection

MSS 252 Milton Larkin Collection

MSS 403 Illinois Jacquet Collection

MSS 337 Jewel Brown Collection

MSS 442 Herb Brochstein Collection

MSS 349 I.H. Smalley Collection

MSS 390 Campbell Tolbert Collection

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Florence Pleasant Collection. Collection Number MSS 336. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.

Acquisition Information

Donated by: Florence Pleasant, August 14, 1988.

Processing Information

Processing and biographical note by: Charles Stephenson, completed June 7, 2007.

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Detailed Description

 

Oral History Interviews

BoxFolder
11Personal interview transcript, August 14, 1988
2Duplicate, Personal interview transcript, August 14, 1988

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Promotional Materials

BoxFolder
13Flyer: 1st Annual Jazz Heritage Festival at Old Market Square, Houston, Texas, August 12 and 13, 1988
Flyer: Avro Dutch Radio Orchestra at Rockefeller’s The Night Club, August 25, 1988
Jazz Heritage Society of Texas materials, 1988
Fact sheet, Inductees for the Texas Jazz Archives: Ed Gerlach; Milton Larkin; Jimmy Ford; Florence “Bu” Pleasant Conrad Johnson
Program schedule
Letter from Lynne Mieizwa about “Bu” Pleasant

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Photographs

BoxNumber
1MSS 336.001Florence “Bu” Pleasant and Jimmy Ford after induction into the Texas Jazz Archives
MSS 336.002Florence “Bu” Pleasant
MSS 336.003Florence “Bu” Pleasant

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