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Joe Cappo Collection

The Joe Cappo Collection includes the music, documents, and physical items of a popular dance band leader in the 1920s to 1940s. Cappo was born in southern Illinois and lead a band called “The Egyptian Serenaders.” At the height of his popularity he toured nationally as “The Joe Cappo Orchestra.” He retired to Lansing soon after World War Two and passed away in 1951. His wife, Elsie, continued the band into the 1970s and donated the materials to MSU in 2000.

The holdings of the MSU Museum are notable for the depth and breath of materials which document the daily life of a band leader in the early 20th century, including contracts, telegrams, train schedules, date books, instruments, photographs, postcards, letters, band fronts, and traveling equipment. Finding aids for many of the items are listed below.

Cappo’s music is housed in the MSU Archives and Historical Collections and is divided into three sections. (The music was previously housed in the MSU Special Collections and Manuscripts and Archives, Mss. 293.) Collection I includes 242 commercially printed big band arrangements. Collection II contains 138 handwritten arrangements. Cappo was an accordion player who led a small band (3 reeds, 3 brass, rhythm section) with a female vocalist. The handwritten arrangements present unique musical settings of the most popular tunes of the time. Forty handwritten medleys are housed as a third set of materials in a single box. The music collection also includes a set of miscellaneous set of stray musical items that cannot be clearly included with the other arrangements.

Detailed indices of the music holdings at MSU Libraries

Donors and Fieldworkers

The Cappo Family

Publications

C.M. Balensuela, "The Israelites, the Egyptians, and 'Plain Chicken-Shit': The Biblical Battle of the Bands at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 1934." Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Forthcoming Spring 2013.

C. Matthew Balensuela, "Dance Band Leader Joe Cappo and the Collection of his Memorabilia and Music at Michigan State University." Fontes Artis Musicae. Volume 60/1. January-March 2013. [For reprints of this article contact, Treasurer@iaml.info]

Poster for Joe Cappo and His Egyptian Serenaders

Contract for Joe Cappo and His Egyptian Serenaders, 1931

Joe Cappo and his accordion

Promotional flyer for Joe Cappo His Accordion and His Orchestra