Archive for April, 2021
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April 28, 2021

Unprecedented collection of Illinois music history at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Howlin’ Wolf harmonica, 1950’s (On loan from Bettye Kelly.)

 

SPRINGFIELD, Il.–”The State of Sound: A World of Music From Illinois” has been called one of the most ambitious exhibits in the 16-year history of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in downtown Springfield.

“The State of Sound” features Miles Davis’s custom-made red trumpet, Steve Goodman’s handwritten lyrics to “City of New Orleans,” Mahalia Jackson’s first Decca record from 1937 , and Curtis Mayfield’s 1970s paisley pants and vest suit. There are more than 125 artifacts that relate to the [...]

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April 14, 2021

Bob Abrahamian’s massive Chicago soul music collection heads to Memphis

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tn. is one of my favorite music museums in the country. I’ve been chronicling the museum since 2003 when it opened on the site of the original Stax studio, which was razed in 1989. 

I’ve leaned into the way the museum connects with local students through their Stax Music Academy. I had some of the inspired students on my WGN radio show in 2017 as they prepared to go to France, England, and Ireland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Stax/Volt European Tour.

 

I’ve also made a minor nuisance of myself wondering aloud for 25 years why Chicago hasn’t been able to [...]

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April 12, 2021

John Prine’s table of love

John Prine collection (Image courtesy of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, items on loan from the  John Prine family.)

 

Singer-songwriter John Prine traveled around the world.

But he performed with the comforts of home.

A collection of heartfelt treasures were always on a black-draped table at the center of the stage behind Prine. The materials provided comfort and emotional support for Prine as he faced large audiences.

The items celebrated his roots in Maywood, Ill. as well as his family and friends in Nashville, Tn. They included:

* A plastic motorcycle man [...]

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April 7, 2021

The lost Bill Veeck files

Baseball Hall of Famer Bill Veeck thought outside the box.

One of the best ways to understand Veeck’s brilliant mind is to go inside a large plastic storage box of treasured clippings, notes, paperwork, and pictures covering Veeck’s years of owning the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Browns.

It is a remarkable archive that has never been made public.

Mary Frances, Bill Veeck, and midget files.

There’s files and files and files: “How Veeck Got the Sox–1975.” “Scoreboard.” “Buys Browns 1951.” “Veeck-Cuba” “Disco Demolition.” “Amputation,” “Veeck in High School (Hinsdale [...]

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