Side 1: Interview with Bessie Griffin on 1982-05-28. Abstract for Griffin: [00:00–46:44] Bessie Griffin speaks about her more than 40 years experience as a gospel singer. Griffin begins by speaking about New Orleans churches that supported quartet singing. She and Abbott go on to speak about her experience singing at white churches, and how white audiences differ from Black audiences – 5:36. She speaks specifically about the ways she approached tone, showmanship, and her sincerity with religion in front of New York audiences – 10:55. Griffin goes on to speak about how she began to sing gospel in nightclubs to differentiate herself from Mahalia Jackson – 13:43, and the respect from the audiences she felt there. She then speaks of her experiences singing in front of soldiers at Camp Plauche during WWII – 16:50, and her experience singing for the Operation Entertainment television show – 18:14. They go on to speak about the frustrations of the music business and the difficulties Griffin faced getting her records distributed – 22:22. Griffin and Abbott continue speaking about her early recordings and some of the singers and musicians who accompanied her, and a short discussion of the archives at Tulane University.