ROBERT PRUTER
My parents were from the East, and as a result I was born July 1, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am a lifelong Midwesterner, however, having resided in the Chicago area since 1951, when my family moved to Berwyn, Illinois. I am a 1962 graduate of Proviso East High School, Maywood, Illinois, where I developed a passionate interest in high school sports history. The school has had a rich sports history, with numerous state championships in wrestling, track and field, basketball, and baseball, and its success animated me to explore the high school sports past more deeply. I received a BA degree in history, Roosevelt University, 1967; an MA degree in history, with honors, Roosevelt University, 1976; and an MLIS from Dominican University in 2000. This academic preparation led to more than 27 years career as an encyclopedia editor in the social sciences and more than eight years as a university librarian. Equally important in the shaping of writing interests was my growing enthusiasm for rhythm and blues music while attending college. Thus, my freelance writing career has been motivated by my lifelong love both for the history of sports and for the history of African-American music as they relate to my hometown of Chicago. My best two life decisions were made in the 1970s, when in 1972 I married Margaret Franson, and in 1976, when we had a daughter, Robin. I currently reside with my family in Elmhurst, a western suburb of Chicago in DuPage County. BOOKSChicago Soul, published by the University of Illinois Press, 1991. It 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. It 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, one of their books in the Blackwell Reference series. As editor I supervised the project, configuring the format, acquiring contributors for the other nine chapters, and closely working with all the contributors to ensure the proper and up-to-date selection of all entries. I also wrote the chapter on Chicago soul, the introduction, the glossary, and compiled the bibliography BOOK CHAPTERS "Introduction" and "Chicago," Blackwell Guide to Soul Recordings. Oxford, England: Basil-Blackwell Publishers, 1993. "Biography," in Jackie Wilson: Mr. Excitement. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1995. Contributed biographical essay for this book of sheet music. "Chess Records," in Survey of American Music: A Supplement, edited by Karen M. Bryan. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 2001. This is a textbook for use in college courses. "Forward," in 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 Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003-2007. Wrote a variety of essays relating to rhythm and blues styles and artists. Encyclopedia of the Blues, published by Routledge, 2005. Wrote 100 articles on blues performers, producers, and record executives. Encyclopedia of Chicago, published by the Newberry Library, 2004. Wrote a variety of articles on sports and music related to Chicago history. Native Americans in Sports, M.E. Sharpe, 2004. Wrote biographical entries on Fait Elkins, Joe Guyon, Jim Plunkett, and Tiger Woods. African Americans in Sports, M. E. Sharpe, 2003. Wrote seven biographical entries. The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: 1960s Figures, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. Wrote biographical entries on Dion DiMucci, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Jim Ryun. The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Volume, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Wrote biographical entries on Ethelda Bleibtrey, William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, and Fritz Pollard. American National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2002. Wrote entry on Curtis Mayfield. Encyclopedia Britannica, CD-ROM 2000 edition, published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Wrote a variety of entries on notable rhythm and blues artists. The International Dictionary of Black Composers, published by Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1999. Wrote entries on Chuck Berry, James Brown, Willie Dixon, and Curtis Mayfield. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, published by Guinness Publishing, 1992; expanded second edition, 1995. Wrote and edited hundreds of entries on soul music and rock 'n' roll. The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music, published by Marshall Cavendish, 1989. Wrote entry on Chicago soul music. POPULAR MUSIC 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.
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:
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 Doowop: the Chicago Scene," presented at the Blackstone Branch Library, Chicago, sponsored by the Friends of the Blackstone Branch Library, 27 January 2010. SPORT HISTORY ARTICLES "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). SPORT HISTORY PRESENTATIONS "The Cook County League," presented at the conference of the North American Society for Sport History, Loyola University, May 31, 1991. "Before Johnny Weismuller: 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.
PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS Lewis University (Romeoville), library, government documents librarian since 2001. 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, for this leading record collectors publication. Popular Music and Society, advisory editor since 1995 for this quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by Bowling Green State University. 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. MEMBERSHIPS Chicago Blues Festival Advisory Committee Chicago Historical Society Illinois Historical Society National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) North American Society for Sport History The Society of Midland Authors
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