Special Collections
A.W. Perry's Sons Collection

The music publishing firm of A.W. Perry's Sons was founded by Austin W. Perry (1829-1900). The firm operated in Sedalia, Missouri from the early 1870's into the 1960's, publishing sheet music and a monthly magazine, Perry's Musical Magazine, (shown below) which was issued from 1881 until the 1960s. After A.W. Perry's death, the firm was continued by his two sons, Andrew J. (d. 1945) and Philip B. (1859-1953). Andrew Perry managed the publishing operations and the retail store in Sedalia, while Philip supplied compositions from his Kansas City residence. During the 1880s, Philip Perry studied music in Austria and Germany; his Jubelfest-Marsch was published in Vienna. He composed music under his own name as well as the pseudonyms of M.W. Butler (Butler being his mother's maiden name), G. Holocombe and possibly other pseudonyms. When Andrew Perry passed away in 1945, the business was carried on by Philip Perry's grandchildren Warner A. Cory Jr. and Virginia Cory Helms.

While A.W. Perry's Sons published mostly Philip B. Perry's compositions and those by amateurs, it did publish the first edition of Scott Joplin's rag, The Favorite in 1904. Most Perry publications, however, were simple arrangements of popular tunes, pedagogical pieces, or sentimental parlor music. Perry's publications were distributed nationally, mostly through mail orders. The firm closed in 1967.

The A.W. Perry's Sons Collection contains manuscript and published scores by Philip B. Perry and many Perry's Sons publications, including sheet music, numerous issues of Perry's Musical Magazine, and other miscellaneous materials. The collection includes manuscript letters from Philip B. Perry's collection which was obtained from his grandson, Cory Helms of Kansas City. In addition to correspondence, the collection includes business records, newspaper clippings, family photographs, catalogs, advertisements and other miscellaneous materials.

Special Collections is a non-circulating and non-browsing resource center. The Special Collections Reading Room is open to researchers Monday through Friday during the academic year. Public service hours for the current semester are listed at http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/index.html#hours but researchers are encouraged to call ahead for verification of hours due to University intersessions and other events. Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of the Miller Nichols Library at 5100 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Missouri. All inquiries concerning access to the collections should be addressed to Special Collections Library Information Specialists Teresa Gipson or Kelly McEniry.