Check out the new front door at the future home of the National Blues Museum.
We are on schedule to open late next year at 615 Washington Ave., downtown.
Don't forget to "Buck Up for the Blues". Your contribution to the National Blues Museum fundraising campaign will make this long awaited dream a reality. Making your pledge now will support our mission of exploring and preserving the historic significance of the Blues. This is your opportunity to be a part of this deeply important project from the beginning.
Thanks to St Louis Post-Dispatch for covering this story.CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE →
Welcoming Our New Board Members Devon Allman and Jeff Babinski
We’d like to announce the addition of two new members to our Board of Directors Devon Allman and Jeff Babinski.
International touring/recording artist and St. Louis native Devon Allman is a guitarist and singer with the band Royal Southern Brotherhood. Devon, of the legendary musical Allman family, is a 2013 Blues Music Award nominee and his album "Turquoise" is already gaining rave reviews worldwide. "Turquoise" is due to be released on Feb. 12, 2013.
Jeff Babinski is the Vice President and General Manager of Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels in Downtown St. Louis. Under his guidance, Lumiere Place has continued to be a significant contributor to regional charities and sponsor of many major public festivals.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE →
John Goodman Shows Support in a YouTube video and "Bucks up for the Blues"
We are honored that renowned actor John Goodman has lent his talents to our fund raising effort. Being a native of Saint Louis and an avid music fan, he's a natural fit. A quick glance through his impressive IMDb page shows a devotion to his passions.
From AmericanBluesScene.com:
Actor John Goodman, a Saint Louis native, is the latest high profile personality to advocate the National Blues Museum in Saint Louis. In a video posted on YouTube today (seen below), Goodman discusses the rich history of blues in Saint Louis, the many famous blues men and women that called the town home, and the Museum’s exciting features.
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch Shows Us Some Love, Announces 2013 Lecture Series
A very nice article by Kevin C. Johnson appeared recently in the St Louis Post Dispatch (STL Today) announcing our big plans. Interviews were conducted with our very own Mike Kociela, a National Blues Museum co-founder, Robert Endicott, chairman of the board of directors of the National Blues Museum and Dawne Massey, the museum’s project director.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE →
Chicago Loses Blues Museum Momentum to St. Louis
A recent article by Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times declared “Chicago loses blues museum momentum to St. Louis". While we were sad to hear Chicagoans feel they have lost a bit of momentum on their project, we were delighted to see our efforts here in St. Louis being acknowledged in other cities.
"Chicago has a lengthy history of blues, jazz and gospel museum efforts. None has come to fruition."
"The St. Louis location is similar to what Chicago is planning for a Motor Row (Music Row) area centering around the historic Chess Records site, a block away from McCormick Place."
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE →
National Blues Museum announces major donation to capital campaign
The country’s only national museum devoted to Blues music to open in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, December 12, 2012 - The National Blues Museum (NBM) announced today it will receive a major donation that will serve as the foundational contribution for its capital campaign. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. and Lumière Place Casino and Hotels will contribute $6 million to the museum’s soon to be announced capital campaign to raise the remainder of the funds.
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Devon Allman & Gibson Guitars Show Their Support
A recent post by Ted Drozdowski on the Gibson Guitars website interviews one of our newest board member Devon Allman and helps us get the word out about our efforts here in St. Louis.
From Gibson.com:
“Think about having a place that celebrates the source of all contemporary music,” says Devon Allman. “That’s the goal of the National Blues Museum.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE →
St. Louis Students Invited to Participate in Black History Month Event at The White House.
The National Blues Museum (NBM), a not-for-profit educational institution and planned museum, recently took 10 St. Louis high school juniors and seniors to the White House for an educational program celebrating blues music hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
In addition to the St. Louis contingent, approximately 120 students from public schools in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, New Jersey, Seattle and the state of Mississippi were in Washington, DC, for the White House event, museum tours and special activities held in conjunction with the GRAMMY Museum's "At the Crossroads: A History of the Blues in America" program. It was produced as a complement to PBS' "In Performance at the White House" concert series.
The NBM was invited to participate in "At the Crossroads," with a panel of notable blues experts including GRAMMY Museum executive director and NBM advisor Bob Santelli, GRAMMY Award-winning artist Keb Mo, GRAMMY-nominated singer Shemekia Copeland, and GRAMMY-nominated musician Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews.
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