The Suma Archives is a collection of approximately 6,000 unique and “one-of-a-kind” multitrack, mono, and stereo master tapes and acetate records recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and/or Suma Recording (Cleveland Recording’s successor, est. 1977) between 1940 and 2017. As tapes and other media age, their physical materials degrade and can eventually become unplayable. It is imperative that these recordings are properly cataloged, restored, and preserved, as they represent a significant part of our region’s musical history, culture, and heritage.
Over the past three years, our team has sorted and reorganized the entire tape library. Through this process, we have discovered master tapes from artists including Frankie Yankovic, The James Gang, Grand Funk Railroad, The Outsiders, The O’Jays, Eric Carmen, Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek (pre–Cars), Wild Cherry, Pere Ubu, Little Richard, The Lemon Pipers, and The Black Keys to name just a few. The archives also include a significant collection of classical and jazz performances captured by veteran engineers Ken and Paul Hamann and multiple Grammy Award–winner Michael Bishop. In addition, there are decades’ worth of commercials, jingles, and spoken-word recordings (including early voiceover work and outtakes by Ernie Anderson—better known locally as his alter ego, Goulardi) that paint vivid pictures of bygone eras steeped in nostalgia. There is a staggering amount of history represented in these archives that must be preserved for generations to come.
We have developed a comprehensive custom database to catalog and document the tapes and other media items that comprise the Suma Archives, and we are working with the local nonprofit Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future to raise the funds necessary to catalog, restore, and digitize the entire collection. This process involves transferring source materials into digital files that can be preserved in perpetuity, enabling artists to restore and release hidden gems, alternate versions and outtakes, and remixed and/or remastered versions of classics.
Skilled technicians at Suma Recording in Painesville, Ohio utilize a combination of rare vintage recording equipment and modern digital technology to carry out this delicate work. The project is already underway with more than $90,000 raised to date. The work will be completed in phases as funding becomes available, with a total estimated cost of $1.2 million and a projected completion date of 2030.
The window to preserve this history is closing. Your tax-deductible charitable donation directly supports the preservation and digitization of these priceless recordings, ensuring that they survive for generations to come.
Make a tax deductible donation to the Suma Archives Project via our fiscal partner, Cleveland Rocks:PPF.
