A tour jacket from the Muddy Waters 1982 World Tour
The blues will always have a home in Memphis. And with today’s grand opening of the Blues Hall of Fame on Main Street, so too will some of the nation’s most influential blues musicians’ relics and memorabilia.
This morning, the Blues Foundation opened the Blues Hall of Fame doors to the public. Inside, a collection of blues artifacts, most of which were donated by families of musicians, can be seen. Patrons can peruse an interactive database of hundreds of blues artists and view items — stage clothing, instruments, platinum records, and more — that help tell the story of blues music as a genre. Items on display include Johnny Winter’s Firebird guitar, hand-written lyric sheets from W.C. Handy and Memphis Slim, and many other one-of-a-kind relics.
Memphis Flyer music editor Chris Shaw talked with Blues Hall of Fame manager and curator, Nora Tucker. You can read her comments and find out more about the exhibit’s highlights in his story, Inside the Blues Hall of Fame.
The Blues Hall of Fame is located inside the Blues Foundation headquarters at 421 South Main. Its grand opening coincides with a weekend-long celebration that includes the 36th Annual Blues Awards.
For a full schedule of the festivities, visit blues.org.
