1998 32c Folk Musicians: Sonny Terry

US #3214
1998 Sonny Terry

• Part of set of 4 featuring Folk Musicians
• 11th installment in Legends of American Music series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Legends of American Music (Folk Musicians)
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  June 26, 1998
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  11,250,000
Printed by:  Sennett Security products
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  10.1 X 10.2

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of four issued in honor of American folk musicians Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry, Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, and Josh White.

About the stamp design:  Portrait artist Bernie Fuchs is the talent behind the stamp images.  He chose to paint in oil to give texture to his work. 

Special design details:  Like the other stamps in the Legends of American Music series, the edges around the vignette are soft rather than being a defined, crisp border.

First Day City:  The stamps were issued during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the national Mall in Washington, DC.

About the Legends of American Music Series:  The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999.  More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music:  rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk.  In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more.  The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
The Folk Musicians stamps are the 11th in the Legends of American Music series.  They honor four musicians who wrote heart-stirring ballads and songs about political issues.  Those commemorated on these stamps are: Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, whose greatest is was “Goodnight Irene;” Woody Guthrie, the talent behind “This Land is Your Land;” Sonney Terry, who was known for his harmonica playing; and guitarist Josh White, who sang “Nobody Know You When You’re Down and Out.”

History the stamp represents:  Saunders Terrell (1911-1986), later known as Sonny Terry, lost his sight as a result of an accident when he was a child.  Born to a poor family in Greensboro, Georgia, he was a self-taught harmonica player, picking up songs heard at home and at church.  His public performances began as a boy, when he traveled to local churches in the South playing his harmonica.
Sonny began learning new songs, and by performing in nightclubs, became recognized as a talented musician.  During the 1930s, he traveled across the country, making a name for himself plying colleges and concert halls, sometimes with his friend Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter.
Sonny made his first record in 1936 with Blind Boy Fuller, who was his partner throughout the 1930s.  His talents were finally recognized nationally in the 1940s when he toured with Woody Guthrie and Brownie McGhee, as well as with Pete Seeger.  McGhee was his steady sidekick for more than 40 years.  The pair released several dozen records, and Sonny continued to produce recordings into the 1980s.
Remembered for furthering the art of harmonica accompaniment, one of Sonny Terry’s best-known songs is “Fox Chase.”