Outside Jefferson Street Sound Museum
While the importance of Jefferson Street in American musical history is better known today than it was in past decades, there remain those unaware that in its prime the street was the center of enormous musical activity. Greats in R&B, soul, blues, jazz and gospel regularly appeared in Nashville thanks to the street’s venues, and it was part of a cultural empire that also helped make radio station WLAC a late-night national treasure and powered the success of mail-order merchandising titans Randy’s Record Shop and Ernie’s Record Mart. All that history and more can be relived through a visit to Jefferson Street Sound Museum. Its founder and curator Lorenzo Washington’s background on the street and his immersion in great Black music dates back multiple decades, both as a fan and a businessman. His efforts to preserve that history led to the museum, a vitally important addition to the city’s tourist and historical scene. Now a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the museum collaborates with public schools, other nonprofits and community organizations across Nashville. It offers tours, arts and music programs, community concerts and events, plus networking opportunities. It’s a place you can’t afford not to visit if you consider yourself to be seriously engaged with this city’s — or for that matter this nation’s — musical and cultural heritage.
