Fonds MG 652 - Peter McGehee fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Peter McGehee fonds

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

MG 652

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1976-1991 (inclusive) ; 1981-1991 (predominant) (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

0.4 cm of textual records
5494 negatives
281 prints
2 slides
3 collages

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Name of creator

(1955-1991)

Biographical history

Peter Gregory McGehee was born on October 6, 1955 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Frank and Julia Ann May McGehee. He attended elementary and high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, then attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where he worked toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1976, McGehee quit the program without completing the degree to move to San Francisco, California.

In San Francisco, McGehee wrote and acted in several plays. He also joined the satirical musical revue The Quinlan Sisters with Fiji Robinson and Wendy Coad and met Douglas Wilson. In 1980, Wilson immigrated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to live with his partner Doug Wilson. McGehee and Wilson moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1982. McGehee was deported from Canada in 1984 and lived in New York City, New York until 1986.

Upon his return to Toronto in 1986, McGehee and Robinson co-wrote the songs for and performed together in The Fabulous Sirs. McGehee also developed a one-man show, later published as a novella "Beyond Happiness", which was edited by Wilson. McGehee's other publications included "Boys Like Us" (1991), a short story collection entitled The I.Q. Zoo (1991), and Sweetheart (published post-mortem, 1992).

McGehee died in 1991.

Custodial history

Fiji Robinson, acting on behalf of Nancy Wilson, Doug Wilson’s sister and executor of his estate, donated these records to the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan in one accession in 2010 (2010-233). The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan transferred these records to the University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections in March 2019 in one accession (2019-017).

Scope and content

This fonds consists of records created, accumulated and used by Peter McGehee in his work as an artist, performer, and writer in San Francisco, California, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Toronto, Ontario, and as part of the Quinlan Sisters and the Fabulous Sirs. The fonds also includes photographs taken by McGehee's friends, such as his partner Doug Wilson and Fiji Robinson.

Textual records include: an outline of a script of Fiji Robinson's life story (according to Peter McGehee); a poster for "Beyond Happiness: The intimate memoirs of Billy Lee Belle"; photocopied advertisements and newspaper articles about "Boys Like Us" and the Quinlan Sisters; posters for the Quinlan Sisters; Fabulous Sirs concert itinerary; invitation to Maddy Quinlan's (Tim Lewis) 10 year in San Francisco party; and a business card for the Quinlan Sisters with McGehee listed as writer/director, Doug Wilson as manager, and Fiji Champagne, Peaches O'Cod, and Marie Quinlan as performers.

Photographs include colour and black and white prints, black and white contact sheets, print collages, and colour and black and white negatives. Images include professional photographs of Peter McGehee, The Quinlan Sisters, The Fabulous Sirs, and Doug Wilson and candid shots of Peter McGehee, Doug Wilson, Wilson's family, Fiji Robinson, Wendy Coad, Rob MacDonald, Cheryl O'Brien, Janice Kell, Michael Achtman, Brian Gladwell, Lynn McLeod, Charlie Drinkwater, Ruth Welsh, John Goodman, Julie McGehee, Katie O'Grady, and David Rimmer. Some photographs are identified as taken in San Francisco, Toronto, New York City, Rome, Italy, Granada, and Saskatoon, Climax and Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Most negatives are not identified. Some photos contain explicit content.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

No arrangement was applied to the records in this fonds.

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Records are open for research use.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Use, publication and/or reproduction of records subject to terms and conditions of Copyright Act.

Finding aids

A finding aid is available.

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Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

General note

Former Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan reference code: F 664.

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