Oral history interview with Robert Key, conducted October 25, 1977 by Robert Friedman. Mr. Key was a musician. He was born in Louisville but really launched his career in Chicago before touring as a singer. In this interview, he discusses his career, including the stint he did in the U.S. Army in Asia and Europe. He also discusses the music "scene" in Louisville in the middle of the twentieth century, beginning with the nightclubs that were open in the 1920s-1940s, under segregation, and including an assessment of the clubs hosting live music in the 1970s. Mr. Key also assesses the local talent, and discusses the difficulty of making it as a performer in Louisville.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata.

African American Community Interviews Collection (William F. Ekstrom Library. University Archives and Records Center)

Audiocassettes 416 and 417, African American Oral History Collection, Oral History Center, University of Louisville Archives and Records Center.

To inquire about reproductions, permissions, or for information about prices see: http://library.louisville.edu/uarc/digicollorder.html; please cite the Interview Number when ordering.

Forms part of online collection: African American Community Interviews, Oral History Center, University of Louisville Archives and Records Center