Mazer Archives May 2022 Newsletter | Out of the Archives: Doris Corbett

Doris Corbett has been described as an “entertainer, teacher, writer, composer, oral storyteller, collector of traditional and women’s music, books and art, advocate of civil, women’s, and animals’ rights, avid golfer, traveler and the center of a community of friends.” I opened the lid of the box holding her collection out of curiosity and was stunned to find it filled with tapes upon tapes of musical performances. I smuggled a tape recorder in to many Sleater-Kinney shows back in my youth, but Doris’ commitment to documenting the music community is especially impressive. As I dove in and began to learn about her, it became more and more obvious that the aforementioned description is true simply based on the number of places she lived.

Doris was born in Conception Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada on October 22, 1938. (Though both her birth certificate and passport both claim her birthday as October 21.) She moved to the US early in life, attending college at St. Mary’s College in Indiana. She continued her path of education to the University of Hawaii, Eastern Michigan University, and Wayne State in Detroit. When she was finished, she had a bachelor’s degree in literature and education, two master’s degrees in Asian studies and history, and finally an ABD in history.

In between her various degrees, Doris taught elementary and middle schools in Newfoundland, South Bend, Indiana, and Pacific Palisades, California. To say she was a traveler was an understatement. Doris was ready for any opportunity in any situation, lining up with the sticker on her guitar case claiming “she who laughs lasts.” Evidence of this can be found in a postcard in the collection sent to her cousin Marie on October 13, 1971 from Key West in which she wrote: “Marie dear—arrived yesterday – start job-hunting tomorrow – am considering becoming a pool hustler – if I don’t make it will probably go west or back to Toronto.”

Doris was a musician with a passion to document and preserve the women’s music community in Michigan. Her collection is made up of over 100 tapes recording live performances, comedy shows, lectures and seminars, and book readings. Not only that, she included a small, hand made finding aid documenting the contents, quality, location, date, and any notes about each cassette. Most of these recordings took place in Michigan, but many are from other cities such as Chicago, Illinois or Bloomington, Indiana.

After a long battle with illness, Doris died in 1998. Her cousin, Marie, a writer and retired judge, sent Doris’ collection to the Mazer Archives to be preserved. On the front page of the archive notes is a quote from Doris at a coffee house in Detroit on October 26th, 1984. She tells the audience that she is setting up a little organization to document the music scene in Michigan, calling it her “big project.”

We are so honored to be the keepers of Doris’ work.