10 Important Music Museums In USA
Music has been an integral and essential part of human life. The historical evolution of music marks the development of human civilization from foragers to modern beings. Since all people, including the most isolated tribal groups, have some form of music, it may be concluded that music has played an essential role in shaping and nurturing our society.
With music playing such an essential role in our life, it’s more than essential that we contribute to preserving music, hence a music museum.
What is a music museum important?
We tend to think of museums as places that house ancient art and artifacts or relics, but have you ever thought about what a music museum will house?
You guessed it right; the music museum is dedicated to music and designed for music lovers. It houses the riches and histories of music-making, ranging from musical instruments and musical heritage to artist’s documentaries.
The museum of American music carries the history of the nation itself. You may find different music museums located in different states that house local and national music riches, including Jazz, Folk, Blues, and Rock n’ Roll.
Ten museums for music lovers across the US
Here is the list of ten such important music museums to keep on your travel bucket list.
American Jazz Museum: Kansas City, Missouri
American Jazz Museum sits at 18th and Vine Jazz District, the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American Jazz music with exhibits on Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.
The Smithsonian-affiliated museum has significant items on display, including the Graphon alto saxophone played by Charlie Parker and other jazz history riches.
It ensures to keep the art alive with dozens of listening stations, touch screens, and interactive mixing boards.
One of the major attractions of American Jazz Music is the Blue Room which is designed to look like a 1930s nightclub and named after Street Hotel’s Blue Room.
More than 300,000 people visit the museum annually. These figures do not include visitors for performances, concerts, and private concerts.
Visit the museum’s website.
Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Musical Instrument Museum, located in Phoenix, Arizona, stands as an incredible archive of global music. It displays more than 15,000 instruments collected from more than 200 countries.
First opened in 2010, it is the largest museum of its type in the world. Some countries such as the US, Mexico, India, and China have multiple displays with subsections for different ethnicities and tribes.
Built at the cost of over $250 million, it covers approximately 200,000 sq. ft., it contains display centers and galleries, a high-resolution video showing local musicians performing, and a 299-seat theater for concerts.
Some of the most popular items you’d find in the gallery are the clothes worn by Elvis, Elvis’s guitar, Carlos Santana’s guitar, clothes and guitar of Johnny Cash, and a Nickelodeon Piano Player.
Visit the museum’s website.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio
As the name suggests, the Rock and Roll hall of fame displays comprehensive overviews of rock and roll history in the US, including the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and more.
Popularly referred to as the Rock Hall, it’s located in downtown Cleveland on the shore of Lake Erie. It was established by Ahmet Ertegun in 1983. Its permanent collection features dozen of exhibits, including one of the world’s most extensive retrospectives of the Beatles and interactive kiosks.
Today, it houses clothing, instruments, hand-written lyrics from Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, and the Black Keys, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, John Sebastian, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin.
Visit the museum’s website.
Buddy Holly Center: Lubbock, Texas
Buddy Holly Center at Lubbock, Texas, is dedicated to the native artist Buddy Holly or Charles Hardin Holley, an American singer-songwriter and a pioneering music figure of 1950.
The building in which it is located opened as the city’s Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway depot in 1928. It features a permanent gallery for the Buddy Holly collection, including his artifacts, documents, and iconic eyeglasses.
The guitar-shaped gallery also houses the Texas Musician Hall of Fame, a shrine dedicated to other Texan artists.
Visit the museum’s website.
Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House: Macon, Georgia
Named after the famed Allman Brothers Band, this museum houses guitars and other instruments, gold records, photos, posters, and assorted memorabilia of the former band.
The Tudor-style home located in Macon, Georgia, was a former residence of the Allman brothers between 1969 to 1973. Today, it is a famous music museum for all the Allman Brothers fans and Jazz, Rock, Blues, and Country music lovers.
Visit the museum’s website.
Delta Blues Museum: Clarksdale, Mississippi
Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is dedicated to the inimitable sounds of the Delta. The Southern Delta is home to some of the most heard voices in the last century, including Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Son House, Howlin’ Wolf, and Mississippi John Hurt.
Mississippi is home to many music museums, including B.B. King Museum, Delta Interpretive Center, and Grammy Museum Mississippi, but the most enduring of them is the Delta Blues Museum.
It features many historical riches, including instruments, sheet music, photos, costumes, and all kinds of memorabilia.
Those who are familiar with Delta blues know that it is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. If you want to taste the earliest known Blues, then you must visit the Delta Blues Museum.
Visit the museum’s website.
Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum: Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum pays tribute to the musical pioneers who overcame racial and socio-economic obstacles to create the music.
Developed in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institute, the museum is dedicated to the music from the sharecroppers of the 1930s to the rock and soul artists of the 1970s born in the recording studios of Sun Studio, Stax, and Hi Records.
The museum houses the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and memorabilia from Isaac Hayes, Johnny Cash, Al Green, and more.
Visit the museum’s website.
EMP Museum, Seattle, Washington
EMP Museum, currently known as the Museum of Pop Culture, is dedicated to contemporary pop culture. It was founded by Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project.
You can go wild for the museum’s interactive exhibits and Sound Lab. The visitors can visit the Sound Lav to jam out in soundproof rooms with professional-grade electric guitars, drums, and mixing boards.
The visitors can also explore the Seattle legends of the late ’80s to early ’90s history, memorabilia, original concert posters, performance footage, and oral histories.
Visit the museum’s website.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis, Tennessee
Stax Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, pays tribute to American soul music. The museum preserves the legend of Stax Records, a pioneering force in the soul movement.
The visitors can explore the chronicles of legends like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, and Staple Singers.
The musical riches comprise soul’s gospel from 1906 and soul music. Souls Ville Foundation also operates Stax Music Academy, where the at-risk youths are mentored through music education and unique performance opportunities.
Visit the museum’s website.
Woody Guthrie Center: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Woody Guthrie Center at Tulsa, Oklahoma, honors Woody Guthrie’s legacy with extensive displays of his instruments, handwritten lyrics, listening stations, and maps and videos.
The museum is run by Woody Guthrie Center. It’s a public museum open for all kinds of visitors. Along with exploring the musical riches of Woody, you can also explore the Native American folk music of the region.
Woody became one of the first and most vocal advocates for civil rights that makes Woody Guthrie Center a culturally important destination.
Visit the museum’s website.
America is a colorful, dynamic, ever-changing sonic tapestry. Exploring music museums located around the country is a great way to spend time unraveling the history of American music.
Get to know more about the American music museum tour with Rick Perdian, the best music travel consultant in the US.
