Robert Stone Sacred Steel Collection

Robert L. (Bob) Stone is an independent folklorist and photographer based in Gainesville, Florida. During his tenure with the Florida Folklife Program from 1990-2010, he traveled throughout the state documenting the traditional culture of Floridians — one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the United States.

In 1992, Bob began documenting the vibrant African American steel guitar tradition of the House of God, Keith Dominion, and the Church of the Living God, Jewell Dominion. The cassette/booklet album resulting from his first survey of the music, Sacred Steel: Traditional Sacred African-American Steel Guitar Music in Florida, was licensed by Arhoolie Records and released as Arhoolie CD 450 in 1997. Working with Arhoolie, he produced seven more CDs in the “Sacred Steel” series and directed the Sacred Steel documentary video for the Arhoolie Foundation in 2001. Bob is the author of Sacred Steel: Inside an African American Steel Guitar Tradition (University of Illinois Press, 2010) and Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community (University Press of Mississippi, 2020).

The collection features Stone's documentary work on the Sacred Steel tradition, including interviews with the Campbell Brothers, Willie Eason, Aubrey Ghent, The Lee Boys, and many other key figures within the community. Stone's descriptions of the interviews are presented in his words. Explore the finding aid at the link below to learn more about the collection.