Nashville’s importance as a hub for and a center of excellence in multiple facets of the music business is well-known both nationally and globally. In addition, the high caliber of artistry among Music City musicians has long been recognized and admired. But Nashville now has something that wasn’t quite as expected, particularly by those who’d previously pegged the city as mainly a country and gospel bastion. Music City boasts the nation’s premier site dedicated to the celebration and preservation of Black music.
After two decades of planning and fundraising, the 56,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music opened in January at 510 Broadway, next to another cultural shrine, the Ryman Auditorium. In terms of scope and vision, the museum has more than exceeded expectations. It is a magnificent tribute to African American sounds in terms of scholarship, advocacy and entertainment.
No one can claim any genre has been ignored or overlooked — jazz, blues, country, hip-hop, rock and more are all explored there. Comprehensive information on key figures, vital dates and historic venues and sessions has been assembled and presented covering some 50 idioms. NMAAM’s focus ranges from the earliest expressions created and instruments used by slaves to the latest tunes on the radio. The array of artifacts, memorabilia, clothing and objects, coupled with numerous interactive displays and galleries, provides visitors with an extensive and delightful journey through a host of styles and eras. The five gallery names — Wade in the Water focusing on gospel, A Love Supreme on jazz, Crossroads on blues, One Nation Under a Groove on R&B and The Message on rap and beyond — reaffirm how music has affected and influenced every aspect of not only Black American culture but American culture as a whole. The displays spotlight the fundamental roles of music and musicians in definitive social and political movements like the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement and more.
NMAAM holds periodic seminars, presentations and special events that simultaneously commemorate the past and beckon to the future. There’s a story of immense significance told here about every kind of music one might enjoy, and enough material to examine to make repeat visits just about necessary. Nashville has long had a glorious and distinctive Black cultural legacy, so it’s only fitting that America’s finest museum devoted to chronicling its musical aspects would be housed here.
