by nmaam | May 28, 2020 | Giving
As a loyal friend and supporter of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), you are familiar with our mission to educate the world, preserve the legacy, and celebrate the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack. Your...
by NMAAM | May 22, 2020 | Blog
Some American high school and college seniors sonically associate graduation season with Vitamin C’s 1999 hit song “Graduation (Friends Forever),” but for many Black graduates, Kanye West’s GRAMMY Award-winning 2007 LP Graduation holds greater salience. Graduation...
by nmaam | May 12, 2020 | Events
We’ve got an exciting slate of events coming up! Mark your calendars and plan to join us on Facebook Live for My Music Matters each Wednesday and FN2S/#YouthThursdays on Thursdays, and Sips & Stanzas every 3rd Thursday of the month. Here’s what’s...
by NMAAM | May 12, 2020 | Blog
Little Richard, who died May 9, 2020 at the age of 87, was a musical genius and a phenomenal stage performer. Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, GA in 1932, Little Richard’s break came in 1947 when Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock ‘n’...
by NMAAM | May 8, 2020 | Blog
“Stompin at the Savoy” was a popular instrumental tune that charted throughout the 1930s, a significant time in jazz music history. Benny “King of Swing” Goodman released its most popular rendition, though a talented African American saxophonist Edgar Sampson wrote...
by NMAAM | Apr 10, 2020 | Blog
Before the popularity of Black-owned music labels, a few high-spirited individuals were the first to embark on owning their own. In the most turbulent of times and in the most unlikely of places, these Black record producers changed the course of music history. Berry...
by NMAAM | Mar 26, 2020 | Blog
When we think about the iconic voices of popular music, Black women singers certainly come to mind. From Gertrude “Ma” Rainey to Ella Fitzgerald to Aretha Franklin; Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, and H.E.R.; Nina Simone, Missy Elliot (the first woman in hip-hop inducted...
by NMAAM | Mar 19, 2020 | Blog
When NMAAM opens Labor Day Weekend, it will be the first of its kind museum to explore the complete history of African American music. With exhibits featuring artifacts and interactive experiences that take visitors as far back as the pre-Emancipation era and right up...
by NMAAM | Mar 12, 2020 | Blog
It’s no secret to anyone who knows anything about the history of popular American music that rock n roll is a direct descendant of the African American musical tradition, rooted in gospel, the blues, and R&B. Even the most casual cultural observer could rattle off...
by nmaam | Jan 22, 2020 | Blog
On the evening of January 20th, Nmaam celebrated another project milestone as we turned on one of our two digital billboards. Friends and family gathered on the roof top of Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for the Illumination Celebration, cheering upon the sight of our name...
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