Spearheaded by archivist David Ellis, Vinyl Legacies marks the Black Artists Archive’s inaugural archival initiative and establishes the foundation for our long-term vision. At its heart is The Black Canon, the extraordinary collection of Detroit historian James E. Wheeler. With more than 12,000 vinyl records, Wheeler’s archive documents nearly a century of Black musical innovation, from the raw spirituals and blues of the early 20th century to the soaring sounds of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and the Detroit-born techno and hip-hop movements that continue to influence global music today.
Wheeler’s collection is one of the most comprehensive community-held archives of Black music in Detroit, providing an irreplaceable lens into the artistry, creativity, and lived experiences of Black communities across decades. Through Vinyl Legacies, BAA has recently begun the comprehensive cataloging, digitization, and preservation of this collection. With the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art, we have completed roughly 10% of the work thus far—but there is still much to be done to ensure these records, and the stories they carry, are safeguarded and made accessible to scholars, artists, students, and the broader public. This initiative underscores BAA’s role as a vital hub for the preservation of Black cultural history, with a keen focus on the arts as a site of memory, resilience, and innovation.
By protecting Wheeler’s archive, BAA affirms that Black music history is not just cultural heritage—it is an enduring legacy that demands recognition, preservation, and celebration.
