Page 73 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2015

Blues Hall of fame

opens Doors in 2015

The Blues Hall of Fame is the former site of The Blues
Foundation headquarters in the South Maine Historic
Arts District Photo by Lance Murphey/ Memphis Daily News

By Tim Parsons
Memphis had a baby in 2015 and it’s called the Blues Each inductee or a representative was invited to the grand
Hall of Fame. opening. The 2015 inductees are Tommy Brown, Eric Clapton
While the institution honoring blues greats has been in and Little Richard.
place for several years, a brick-and-mortar building was finally Blues songs often are about some kind of conflict and the
set to open May 8, 2015 in the city’s South Main Historic Arts same is true for the Blues Hall of Fame.
District. “There has been some criticism about this endeavor as a
Established music sites include the Memphis Rock ’N’ Soul building of bricks and mortar being about dead people, and
Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul, Sun Studio and I think that really misses the point,” Sieleman said. “Everyone
Graceland. Now there is a place to visit exclusively for blues else does this. It’s not like we came up with the idea for this.
lovers. Every endeavor has a hall of fame.” What surely must be The
“Memphis is the Orlando of music destinations,” said The Blues Foundation’s greatest achievement in Sieleman’s tenure
Blues Foundation’s retiring president and CEO, Jay Sieleman. as president is the result of people’s love of the music.
“Yes, [the Blues Hall of Fame] is one more, and the more the “Fans all across the country have made this all possible,”
merrier.” Sieleman said. “That’s why we have blues societies. It’s fans
Located near famed Beale Street, the Blues Hall of Fame is banding together to make things happen.”
open daily. Admission is $10.
The site previously was offices and open space. Now there
is a multi-level building with exhibit halls, stores, offices and a
reception area. Construction began in June 2014 and, at the
Blues Festival Guide’s press time, Sieleman was confident the
building would be open by early May for a grand opening to
coincide with the Blues Music Awards.
“It’s always on schedule until it’s not,” he laughed.
Surviving inductees, their families, band members and
collectors have donated and loaned memorabilia, artifacts
and artwork for the displays. The concept is in line with the
organization’s Keeping the Blues Alive mantra and mission.
“It really serves a two-fold purpose,” Sieleman said. “It
gives these artists the respect they deserve, but perhaps even
more important than that, it’s a vehicle to educate tens of
thousands of people a year for the foreseeable future about Renovations to a building which will house the Blues Hall of Fame began in June 2014.
what blues music is.” Photo by Lance Murphey/ Memphis Daily News

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