Robert Pruter
BOOKS
- Chicago Soul, published by University of Illinois Press, 1991. Won the Certificate of Excellence for scholarly works from the Illinois State Historical Society, 1992; and the ARSC Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, 1992.
- Doowop: The Chicago Scene, published by the University of Illinois Press, 1996. Won the ARSC Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, 1997.
- Blackwell Guide To Soul Recordings, published by Basil-Blackwell Ltd., 1993. Edited the project and wrote the chapter on “Chicago Soul,” “Introduction,” “Glossary,” and “Bibliography”
BOOK CHAPTERS
- ;Introduction” and “Chicago,” Blackwell Guide to Soul Recordings. Oxford, England: Basil-Blackwell Publishers, 1993.
- “Biography,” Jackie Wilson: Mr. Excitement. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1995.
- “Chess Records,” Survey of American Music: A Supplement, edited by Karen M. Bryan. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 2001.
- “Forward,” Give ‘Em Soul, Richard!: Race, Radio, & Rhythm & Blues in Chicago, by Richard E. Stamz and Patrick A. Roberts. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2010.
REFERENCE WORKS
- The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music, published by Marshall Cavendish, 1989. Essay on Chicago Soul Music.
- The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Guinness Publishing, 1992; expanded second edition, 1995. Wrote and edited hundreds of entries on soul music and rock ‘n’ roll.
- The International Dictionary of Black Composers, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1999. Essays on Chuck Berry, James Brown, Willie Dixon, and Curtis Mayfield.
- Encyclopedia Britannica, CD-ROM 2000 edition, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Entries on notable rhythm and blues artists.
- American National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2002. Essay on Curtis Mayfield.
- The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: 1960s Figures, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003. Essays on Dion DiMucci, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding.
- Encyclopedia of Chicago, Newberry Library, 2004. Entries on music related to Chicago history.
- Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge, 2005. Wrote 100 entries on blues performers, producers, and record executives.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003-2007. Variety of entries on rhythm and blues styles and artists.
ARTICLES
Author since 1976 of more than 500 published articles, columns, and reviews on the subject of rare recordings, artist biography, record corporation history, and discography.
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Goldmine
- Illinois Entertainer
- It Will Stand
- Record Exchanger
- Popular Music & Society
- Soul Survivor (Canada)
- Blues & Rhythm (UK)
- Living Blues
- Reader (Chicago)
- Record Collector’s Monthly
- Jefferson (Sweden)
- Juke Blues (UK)
- Time Barrier Express
RECORD LINER NOTES
Author on comprehensive liner notes on Jackie Wilson, Tyrone Davis, Gene Chandler, Syl Johnson, Chi-lites, Dells, Garnet Mimms, Otis Clay, Impressions, Curtis Mayfield, Baby Washington, Dinah Washington, Atlantic rhythm and blues, and many other subjects for the following companies:
- Atlantic
- Charly (UK)
- Delmark
- Double Trouble (Neth.)
- EMI-America
- Epic
- Varese Sarabande
- Kent (UK)
- Secret Stash
- AVI
- MCA\Chess
- Polygram\Verve
- Collectables
- Relic
- Rhino
- Rooster Blues
- Solid Smoke
- History of Soul (UK)
PRESENTATIONS
- “Music Fanzines In Library Collections,” presentation at the Music Librarian Association Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, February 14, 1991.
- “Rhythm and Blues Recording in Chicago,” presented at the Association of Recorded Sound Collections, Bismarck Hotel, Chicago, May 15, 1993.
- “Doowop: The Cutting Edge of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” presented at the American Culture Association, Palmer House, April 6, 1994.
- “The Role of Ewart Abner and Art Sheridan in the Founding of Vee Jay,” presented at the Vee Jay Symposium, Indiana University Northwest, February 18, 1995.
- “On The Corner: The Funk Influence on Miles Davis,” presented at the Miles Davis and American Culture II conference, Washington University, St. Louis, May 10, 1996.
- “How To Get A Book Published,” presented as part of the local authors series at the Elmhurst Public Library, March 26, 1997.
- “The Cleveland-Chicago Nexus in Rhythm and Blues Recording in the Post World War II Era,” presented at the Association of Recorded Sound Collections, Cleveland Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland, 11 March 2004.
- “Chicago’s Black Music, 1920s to 1970s,” presented at the Chicago Historical Museum’s monthly seminar series for its staff, Chicago Historical Museum, Chicago, 14 June 2006.
- “Chicago’s Golden Age of Soul,” presented at Mather’s Senior Center, on 83rd Street, Chicago, 18 December 2009.
- “Chicago Doowop: the Chicago Scene,” presented at the Blackstone Branch Library, Chicago, sponsored by the Friends of the Blackstone Branch Library, 27 January 2010.
- “Chicago Doowop: the Chicago Scene,” presented at Mather’s Senior Center on 83rd Street, Chicago, 2 December 2011.
- “Curtis Mayfield: Titan of Chicago Soul,” presented at Mather’s Senior Center on 83rd Street, Chicago, 16 November 2012.
SPORT HISTORY BOOKS
The Rise of American High School Sports and the Search for Control, 1880-1930, Syracuse University Press, 2013.
BOOK CHAPTERS
- “13. Golf and Tennis,” A Companion to American Sport History, edited by Steven A. Riess, Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.
- “5. The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament: The Crown Jewel of African American High School Sports during the Era of Segregation,” Separate Games: African American Sport behind the Walls of Segregation, edited by David K. Wiggins and Ryan A. Swanson, Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 2016.
- “6. High School Sports,” The Rutledge History of American Sport, edited by Linda J. Borish, David K. Wiggins, and Gerald R. Gems, New York: Routledge, 2017.
- “8. Isadore Channels: The Recovered Life of a Great African American Sports Star,” Before Jackie Robinson: The Transcendent Role of Black Sporting Pioneers, edited by Gerald R. Gems, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2017.
- “10. Tidye Pickett: The Unfulfilled Aspirations of America’s Pioneering African American Female Track Star,” Before Jackie Robinson: The Transcendent Role of Black Sporting Pioneers, edited by Gerald R. Gems, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2017.
REFERENCE WORKS
- The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Volume, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002. Essays on Ethelda Bleibtrey, William “Pudge” Heffelfinger, and Fritz Pollard.
- The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: 1960s Figures, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2003. Essay on Jim Ryun.
- African Americans in Sports, M. E. Sharpe, 2003. Entries on Harold Carmichael, Cris Carter, John Chaney, Jake Gaither, Magic Johnson, Bob Lanier, Warren Moon,
- Native Americans in Sports, M.E. Sharpe, 2004. Entries on Fait Elkins, Joe Guyon, Jim Plunkett, and Tiger Woods.
- Encyclopedia of Chicago, Newberry Library, 2004. Variety of articles on sports related to Chicago history.
- Sports in America from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century, M.E. Sharpe, 2011. Ten essays on Canoeing, Cross Country, Interscholastic Sports, Public Schools Athletic League, Rowing, Softball, Speed Skating, Swimming, Water Polo, and Johnny Weissmuller.
- Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice, ABC-CLIO, 2012. Essays on Speed Skating and Softball.
ARTICLE
- “Yesterday’s City: Glory on the Gridiron.” Chicago History (Fall 1995).
- “Pioneers: Boys Gymnastics Before IHSA Sponsorship.” 1996 Boys State Gymnastics Meet, Friday-Saturday May 10-11: Official Program, Illinois High School Association, 1996.
- “Youth Baseball in Chicago, 1868-1890: Not Always Sandlot Ball.” Journal of Sport History (Spring 1999).
- “Walter E. McCornack: Northwestern’s Celebrity Coach” Parts 1, 2. College Football Historical Society 13, no. 4 (August 2000): 1-6; 14, no. 1 (November 2000).
- “Chicago High School Football Struggles, The Fight for Faculty Control, and the War Against Secret Societies, 1898-1908,” Journal of Sport History (Spring 2003).
- “Chicago Lights Up Football World.” College Football Historical Society 18, no. 2 (February 2005).
- “Rise and Fall of Football at Lewis College, 1947-1956.” College Football Historical Society 13, no. 4 (August 2010): 1-6.
- “Indoor Football in Chicago’s Coliseum.” College Football Historical Society 24, no. 2 (February 2011): 1-5.
- ‘Having the Necessities:’ The Remarkable Story of the DuSable High School Swim Team of Chicago, 1935-1952,” The IAHSFF Book, May 2012.
- “Yesterday’s City: Chicago’s Other Coliseum,” Chicago History, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Spring 2012).
- “Anne Goldstein: Putting the Lie in Chicago to the Unathletic Jewish Female.” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies and Gender Issues26 (Spring 2014).
PRESENTATIONS
- “The Cook County League,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History, Loyola University, May 31, 1991.
- “Before Johnny Weissmuller: How Chicago Swimmers Conquered the World,” presented at the Illinois Historical Society Symposium, Springfield, Ill., December 12, 1996; and a revised talk at the conference of North American Society of Sport History, Windsor, Canada., May 26, 1998.
- “Outdoor Pack-Style Speedskating: Exploring the Rise of A Winter Sport,” presented at the convention of the North American Society for Sport History, Indiana University Southeast (New Albany, Indiana), French Lick, Indiana, 25 May 2002.
- “The 1902-03 Intersectional Series Between Chicago and Brooklyn High Schools: A Proxy Battle Between the East and the West for College Football Supremacy,” presented at the convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), California State University, Stanislaus and Sacramento (Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA), 30 May 2004.
- “High School Intersectional Games Between Chicago and Boston, 1911-1914, and When Did the East Appreciate the Significance of the Forward Pass?,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), University of Wisconsin, Green Bay (Radisson Hotel and Convention Center, Green Bay), 31 May 2005.
- “Before Title IX: Girls High School Basketball in Illinois and the Will to Compete,” presented as part the Chicago Public Library’s talk series relating to both Women’s History Month and to the library’s ongoing exhibit, “Chicago Sports: Creating an American Team,” 23 March 2006.
- “Girls Interscholastic Athletics in the Chicago Public Schools in the 1920s: Breaking the Barriers,” presented at the convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Penn State University (Glenwood Springs, Colorado), 21 May 2006.
- “‘Having the Necessities:’ The Extraordinary DuSable High School Swimming Team of Chicago, 1935-1952,” presented at the Chicago Seminar on Sport and Culture, Newberry Library, Chicago, 2 March 2007.
- “Claude Lelouch’s Edith et Marcel: Evoking the Collective Memory of France’s Postwar Restoration of Pride,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, 28 May 2007.
- “A Narrative of a Successful African American Swim Program: The DuSable High School Swimming Team of Chicago, 1935-1952,” presented on the fall program of the Jackie Robinson Lecture Series, sponsored twice a year by George Washington University, Washington, DC, 11 October 2007.
- “Chicago-New York Intersectional High School Speed Skating Contests in the 1920s: Civic Boosterism and Chicago’s Image in the Golden Age of Sports,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Lake Placid, New York, 24 May 2008.
- “Girls with Guns: The Gender War Over the Military Extracurriculum in Chicago High Schools of the 1920s,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Ashville, North Carolina, 24 May 2009.
- “Segregated High School Competition in a Northern State: The Southern Illinois Conference of Colored High Schools, 1919-1954,” presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Orlando, Florida, 30 May 2010.
- “Indoor Golf: A 1920s Sports Craze for Working Gentlemen, Shopping Ladies, and Well-Bred High School Boys and Girls, presented at the annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), University of Texas, Austin Texas, 28 May 2011.
- “‘Having the Necessities:’ The Remarkable Story of the DuSable High School Swim Team, 1935-1952,” presented at the International Aquatic History Symposium & Film Festival, sponsored by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 9 May 2012.
- “Skating, Skiing, and Leif Ericson: Norwegians and their New Chicago Homeland, “presented at the 40thannual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Berkeley, California, 2 June 2012.
- “Isadore Channels: The Recovered Life of a Great African-American Sports Star,” presented at the 41st annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NAASH), St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 26 May 2013.
- “Not Playing Like an ‘Animated Checker:’ The Rise of Men’s Rule Basketball for Women in Chicago’s Roaring Twenties,” presented at the 42nd annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NAASH), Glenwood Springs, Colorado, 1 June 2014.
- “Chicago’s American Tournament: Women’s Basketball on ‘Semi-Par with Men’ in the 1930s,”presented at the 43rd annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NAASH), at University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 23 May 2015.
- “From Club Store Co-Eds to Chocolate Co-Eds: African American Barnstorming Black Achievement or Circus Side Show?,” presented at the 44th annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NAASH), at Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, Georgia, 28 May 2016.
- “Helen Filkey: How Missing the Olympics Crushed the Dream of Track and Field Immortality,” presented at the 45th annual convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NAASH), at California State Fullerton, Fullerton, California, 28 May 2017.
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
- Lewis University (Romeoville), library, government documents and reference librarian, 2001-2016.
- Charles D. Spencer & Associates, publishers of the Employee Benefit Plan Review, associate editor, 1999-2001, assistant editor, 1997-1998.
- Goldmine magazine, R&B editor, 1985-2006.
- Popular Music and Society, advisory editor since 1995 for this quarterly peer-reviewed journal.
- Planning/Communications, publisher of the Job Finder series of books, senior research editor, 1996-97.
- Standard Educational Corp., publishers of New Standard Encyclopedia, assistant editor, social sciences, 1969-1974; associate editor, social sciences, 1974-1979; senior editor, social sciences, 1979-96.